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I admit that I was shocked to see such strong Democratic opposition to Obama's tax deal with the Republicans. Effectively, the Republicans were holding the nation's unemployed hostage in exchange for having Bush tax cuts extended for the rich. This was a prime opportunity for the Democrats, given that the Republicans were revealing themselves to be working on behalf of the wealthy, at the expense of middle class Americans. Additionally, their push to give tax cuts to those who needed them the least was in stark contrast to their proclaimed objective of embracing fiscal discipline as it pertains to the federal debt.
Obama made a deal with the Republicans that seems pretty good on the surface. Among other things, Obama agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts for another two years for all Americans, including those earning more than $250,000 per year. In exchange, Obama gets a one-year extension on unemployment insurance for those who've been out of work for at least 26 weeks, but less than 99 weeks. Republicans also get, among other things, an estate tax of 35 percent for estates worth $5 million or more, while Democrats wanted 45 percent.
Many leading Democrats are angry at President Obama for making this agreement.
"Everything President Obama has done has signaled weakness and has sent a signal to Republicans that if they block tax cuts long enough, at the end of the day he will pass whatever comes across his desk. That is not how you negotiate," said Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
Green may have a point. Some Democrats argue that had Obama pushed harder when negotiating with Republicans, he could have allowed them to appear to be the party fighting for the rich, which could yield benefits in the 2012 elections. But the White House had to balance these benefits with the gains that could be made by showing that they worked across the aisle to avoid tax hikes that would likely slow down the economy. There is the added benefit that by making this deal, Obama helped to secure the financial future of millions of out of work Americans right before Christmas.
The great challenge for President Obama is that he is perceived by neither Democrats nor Republicans to be a strong leader or effective negotiator. Unlike solid negotiating presidents of the past, like Ronald Reagan, Obama has lost some of the trust initially invested in him by his liberal base. Additionally, while Reagan struck quite a few deals during his presidency, he also took opportunities to show strength and stand toe-to-toe with his enemies. Obama has yet to do much of anything other than bend like a rubber band.
A greater problem for Obama is that while he seems to understand that compromise is the way to get things done in polarized Washington, he's not getting credit from Republicans for his willingness to work with them. The Republican Party is insistent upon seeing Obama out of office, the racists in their party don't want a black president and they are spreading some of the most vicious and irresponsible lies imaginable in the kind of political lynch mob that we haven't seen since the Reconstruction. Liberals, on the other hand, are irritated that Obama has not been as idealistic as they are. All the while, many of them don't have the first bit of understanding of what it takes to actually get results on Capitol Hill. When you try to please everyone, you usually end up in no-man's land. That's where President Obama lives right now.
While Obama needs to show that compromise doesn't imply weakness, we must choose our battles carefully. Becoming engaged in political chest thumping with unemployment insurance on the line would be both politically irresponsible and devoid of human compassion. Leaving families hungry in exchange for a political victory would only serve to remind us of just how far apart our leaders in Washington are from the rest of America. One thing that does hold true for the president is that he needs to find an opportunity before 2012 to draw his line in the sand and show the world that he's not a punk. No one wants to support a weak leader.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (51)
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By: VL on 12/08/2010 8:51PM
To say that progressives don't have a clue about how Washington works suggests that the President does. The President has "access," and that's all he enjoys. He does not understand his role. He is the leader of the Democratic Party and is supposed to champion its cause. How is it that Republicans can be staunch and Democrats can't? Of what use is a 13 month reprieve, when you know you'll be headed to the guillotine again.
I believe the Republicans would have blinked. The President literally went behind the backs of his party, and cut a deal, just like he did with the insurance companies. That's not being a leader, that's being a dealer. He can lead first and then deal. He jumps in the fray before it's his time.
Everybody knows that this is going to be tough. He should not have put down this gloves before the boxing match started.
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By: Jay on 12/10/2010 12:58AM
Some of you who sit on the computer acting as if you know Obama's role are hilarious...its speaks to the arrogance of some Americans. Not one of you sitting on this website would be able to walk a mile in that mans shoes. Give it a rest already.
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By: Wayne on 12/10/2010 8:59AM
Who would want to walk in his shoes he is an idiot and has no clue what he is doing, give the smart people a break huh
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By: G.E.N. on 12/08/2010 10:36PM
I agree with him choosing his battles carefully,
when the people who are unemployed hat voted for the GOP realized they had been given another bag of lies by those they returned to office, they must've realized that they cut their noses off to spite the democrats but they almost got thrown out by those they look up to.
President Obama can now do what he must for the nation because the GOP has shown their true colors.
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By: Dianne on 12/10/2010 2:11AM
Before writing something in agreement,here, I went over to tick the add button rather than the subtract and wouldn't you know my failing eyes inadvertently gave the leeway a nudge and it went neutral. I do not feel neutral about his position because I received one of his Change missives yesterday morning in which he explained exactly what he is doing. Necessary because by now I have heard so many different mistaken notions as individual interpretation of what they think is going on. There always was a negativity about the reality of nominating and electing this very popular senator to the Presidency because those of us who don't mind race as a prerogative or a pejorative regarding a President-elect are really not surprised at the hypocritical nonsense that is now taking place. People in the public eye behaving publicly in a childish manner that they contrive to make them look like grown-ups while they obviously take no responsibility for this state of political affairs. It is all posturing and flawed reasoning ability. No wonder Elizabeth
Edwards decided to die within just days of this stalemate of righteousness all round, as people see nothing wrong in selfishly hogging the so-called wealth for themselves although it is based on debt for which they will insist they have no means to repay.After all, wives and mothers get tired eventually.
Meanwhile, overseas in London the crowds are determined to commit revolutionary violence,which has seldom happened in British history since they abhor revolution. But it is worth noting, as if it were coming out of a projector at the movies depicting for all of us that this is exactly what comes next. Because the common man, as well as his spouse is going to become fed up with these brainless politicians in the good suits on the Republican right. They have after all the propensity to see the President very incorrectly as a type and not an individual who can be observed to have merits quite unusual. They have faulty sensory equipment, apparently. Of course, the preponderance of his own party underestimates him,tediously, because they are just not capable of dealing with it. And when have they ever; really? I'm going to take a good night's nap, as it seems to be falling below 5 degrees F.overnight. Then I will get back to you to see where we are at by then, tomorrow.
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By: VL on 12/10/2010 1:04PM
G.E.N. - no one should have ever been in doubt about the colors of the Republicans. They told us all along they are about money. It's silly for Democrats to pretend to be surprised. But instead of having a united front, they fell apart, looking at their own self interest, and that's why they lost. If you cannot stand for something, then sit down. The electorate made them sit down. And, this is for the coward, Jay, above, who makes his comments about those of us on the computer, but then cowers so that we can't respond to him. Should you decide to surface again, please read this: WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT, DUDE.
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By: Brad Sherl on 12/09/2010 3:57AM
While this issue is somewhat important although inevitable based on the silly democrats not getting this handled much earlier when they had more clout, the real question for black people is why no one is REALLY talking about the serious threat posed by passage of the so-called DREAM ACT.Who do you think will be the first to suffer if college slots,jobs or stimulus $ is passed around.....whites, the exploding hispanic population who frequently protest in the streets OR black folks???
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By: Sweetneke on 12/09/2010 7:59AM
You sound just like the president after black folks got off their lazy so call black asses to help get him elected our community shouldn't expect anything from his administration. Well most black folks for the record are hard working people that have had to work three times harder than the average community with far, far less resoures and opportunities than any other communities. I myself have worked hard all my life raised a family and now helping raise my grand kids because the economy is so bad and the employment numbers in our community is twice that of everybody else. We have march, died for black folks to have just the same equal oppurtunities as others. Yes we have problems in our communities that have to be address, but when you don't look at some of the things that create these situations in our communities and don't address them then we are going to keep going in circles. High unemployment unequal educational system, high prisons rates for our sons. This president has not only sold out black folks but white working people too these people voted for him hoping for change also and what did we get not a Dr King but a Clarence Thomas. He should ha e come in kicking down the door creating jobs,jobs,jobs helping deal with the predatory banks and prosecuting those bankers that defrauded the people instead he help to bail them out all the while getting weak do nothing regulatory bills passed, and asking nothing from these crooks in return, also while they were getting bigger and better bonuses. He didn't stay up for the bankruptcy protection bill that would have help millions save their homes,instead he pass this HAMP Act that hasn't done anything but put more money in these crooks hands. Pelosi has been carrying this presidents garbage for awhile then he stabs her in the back with this tax extension and estate tax something that wasn't on the table at all. This president campaigned saying he wasn't going to put a payer mandate on Heath insurance and he does it. He campaigned on making corporations that moved there companies over seas pay taxes and stop subsidizing them for doing it he hasn't done that. When has he stood up for the unemployed? When the first extension expired he barely said anything about it he didn't use his bully bull pit to demand that they get it done in fact it to expired and people had to wait to get that extension passed I forgot what we had to give up on it. Now hear comes this extension and when did he speak up about it? It was when he caved on the tax extensions and gave them the estate taxes as icing on the cake for two years while unemployment extension for one year while not extend them permanently until unemployment drops to eight percent across the board in all communities not just the white and Latino community. Now he's meeting with Jamie demon secretly the CEO OF ONE THE BIGGEST SUP PRIMERS AND CHASE BANK THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BANKS THAT WON!T WORK WITH THE HAMP PROGRAMS GIVE MEA DAM BREAK we talked about Travis Smiley when he had bank of America as a sponsor but yet we still hive this president a break Black people are our own worst nightmare we will follow this president to our own destruction no matter what DR KING WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ALL OF US HE WAS OUR TRUE HERO HE STOOD UP FOR ALL THE POOR PEOPLE BLACK WHITE OR DIRTY GRAY HE STOOD UP FOR THE LEST OF THEE?
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By: VL on 12/10/2010 12:12PM
Go head! Preach! Blacks should never be slaves to inequities just because they are handed out by a Black man.
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By: autirose on 12/10/2010 6:00PM
Get real! This capitalist society is ruled by PLUTOCRACY,CORPORATOCRACY, etc. These concepts being corporations own, have massive power over government elected by the people and they exercise such power by their enormous, concentrated economic power and by legal-in-the-open door mechanisms--lobbyists, campaign contributions to office holders & candidates, or threats to go to other countries with less oversights/regulations, taxes, more subsidies, lower salaries, etc. Also, plutocracy is the rule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth. In modern politics, is a disproportionate influence the wealthy have on our political process. Our democracy permits partisan organizations to raise funds for politicians and politicial parties frequently accept significant donations from various individuals... (see wikipedia).
Knowing this our society is ruled by Capitalism and the levels of capitalism are the Plutocracy/plutarchy, President, Congress, Military, mass media, and the laborforce is on the bottom holding it up and turning the whole system. Now the only power and way to fight was to do as Pres. Obama said, we had only one chance to get it right and this is it. Also we were to work as grass-root organized coalitions to ensure politicians did what we put them in office to do, by using our collective funds and actions.
Also we must elect those of right character and who are knowledgable/capable of initiating bills in areas such as Finance, Insurance, Immigration, etc that effect us. On C-Span, during meeting with SEC Chairman, Ms. Shapiro and others, Sen. Jack Reed, Chair of Banking, Subcommitte on Securities, Insurtance and Investment stated:"... This is a critical moment to get it done and get up to speed...but if we miss this moment the gap will widen so significantly that regulation will be simply not effective." Dealing with regulatory changes to create stronger intrastructure within the SEC and SRO ... and requirements of brokers and dealers to have procedures... the deregulation of the Securities and Financial systems that played a major role in the economical malaise was before Obama.
He was a "young senator" going against common practices used by principalities and powers that have existed for centuries. He is very wise and knew a method but his base was influenced by media and their lethargy.
I do hold him accountable but all I'm saying is it may have turn out better if we had keep our enthusiasm and not let our mind be controlled as usual and stop supporting him. This is not new to us. Americans are too conditioned by MEDIA. I recall a time when sitcom had "laugh tracts" and while watching the show people would laugh when it was not funny just because of being conditioned by the laugh tract. I say that because we are under delusions. We put the power of our collective future in the hands of politicians and the wring our hands after voting and that's the extent of our participation.
The political process has been clearly exposed, even to a lay person like myself. I don't fault Obama but understand. He is a millionnaire and if voted in or not he too stands to benefit.
In every way he tried to help the plight of the lower economical classes and the economical decline of America he was blocked or maligned.
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