The country has spoken!
There are two very clear messages to be taken from the elections: extend the Bush tax cuts for the middle class and low income workers – families making less than $250,000 – while letting the tax cuts for everyone over $250,000 expire and no cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
The issues of tax cuts and how to work towards a balanced budget were discussed and argued over and time after time during the campaign with very distinct differences between the President and Mitt Romney on these issues. On Nov. 6th the country emphatically came down on the side of President Obama. And poll after poll, including Election Day exit polls, show that the vast majority of people, including Republicans and Independents, want the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% to expire and definitely do not want Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits cut.
But not even a month after the election the Republicans, seemingly ignorant of the election results, are clinging to their time-worn, discredited argument of not raising taxes on who they call the “job creators” and are insisting that cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits be part of any deal.
The Republicans apparently are hoping that the Democrats, eager to reach a deal before Dec. 31st and avoid the so called fiscal cliff, will give in to their demands. That must not happen! There is too much at stake for the middle class and the working poor to give into to the demands an ideologically driven political party whose singular reason for existence seems to be to protect the rich and super-rich from paying a penny more in taxes.
That is why we have created a petition to Senator Durbin, who is the Majority Whip in the Senate and a key player in the negotiations, urging him to stand up for all of us and make sure any fiscal deal reached ends the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% AND protects Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits from cuts.
Click here to sign the petition:
http://signon.org/sign/senator-durbin-protect?source=c.em.cp&r_by=161991
The petition will be delivered to the Senator’s Downtown office on December 10th.
Ron Kurowski
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Juvenal
3:57 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The president had a state of the art get out the vote effort in Ohio and Florida. Does the fact that the "people" chose a GOP controlled House not count for something??
Stuart Kurtz
5:00 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
Actually, more votes were cast for Democratic Representatives than for Republican. So saying that people "chose" a GOP controlled House is not exactly right. It seems fairer to say that the will of the people in the election was frustrated by Republican gerrymandering. If you think that's a mandate, go with it.
Emily
10:37 am on Friday, December 7, 2012
I think when the entire Congress is up in 2014, you will see a switch in control.
South Suburban MoveOn Council
3:23 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
"Does the fact that the "people" chose a GOP controlled House not count for something??"
Not too much when what is at stake is a critical issue of national concern. Besides, even thought the GOP kept control of the House, they lost ten or eleven seats, and more importantly lost the aggregate congressional vote throughout the country. Nationally Democratic congressional candidates received over one million more votes than did Republican congressional candidates!
Obama's second term winning plurality far surpassed both Bush and Clinton's. His superior ground game is a side issue. The reason he won so big is because his message on taxes and where he wants to take the country resonated with the people.
Ron Kurowski
Marie
3:42 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
He says what people WANT to hear for his own political gamemanship, not what they NEED to hear for the well-being of the country and its people. That is the reason he won.
Emily
10:39 am on Friday, December 7, 2012
Marie - Explain the GOP's plan to not tax the top 1% and taxing the middle class and not allowing deductions on their tax returns good for the people?
Kerry
5:56 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Obama did not get a majority of the registered voters!
Sara
7:56 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Kerry - That makes zero sense. At all. There is no such thing as a non registered voter.
Juvenal
8:44 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
Exactly. My children will vote for a sleepover with grandma (Sundaes for dinner and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast) rather than a night home with vegetables and homework every time. Doesn't mean that's what's best for them....
Walt Wingo
9:51 am on Friday, December 7, 2012
It's amazing how easy people like you and Marie buy into every stupid excuse the idiot right wing of the Republican party - which is now basically the entire Republican party - can think of to excuse what was a total rejection of the extremism of said party.
Bob Laird
10:24 am on Friday, December 7, 2012
WasO'bamanomics policy created at "drunken sailor university"?
Emily
10:40 am on Friday, December 7, 2012
Bob - It's Obama not O'bama. He's not Irish.
Arthur Huff
3:36 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012
Fine. Make the rich pay more. But don't let this administration, or any future administration, have the right to just increase the debt any time they want and borrow money any time they want without the say of Congress. It may not be as fun to talk about but that is exactly what they want and have proposed and we as citizens should really be asking why. Why are they saying out of one side of their mouth that they need to tax the rich more and then out of the other side they are asking for the authority to spend/borrow what they want and to kick Congress out of the game? I'd like to see a poll asking two questions: 1- Do you think the top 2% of earners should pay more in taxes so that the government will take in more money for 2013? And 2 - Do you believe the government will responsibly use that money to lower our nation's debt?
In fact, I bet if John Boehner grabbed the microphone tomorrow and said that Republicans are agreeing to tax increases on the top 2%, everyone else gets to keep their tax rate, and they don't care about cutting anything, the Dems would still be asking for increases in debt limits and spending.
Emily
8:52 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012
Arthur the Bush Administration raised the debt ceiling 7 out of the 8 years of his term.
Arthur Huff
9:52 am on Sunday, December 9, 2012
True Emily. And hopefully we can learn from the mistakes of the past. While your point is factually accurate, I really hope the government doesn't turn to the American people people and say "well, Bush did it before, so there."
I just don't trust the government to do the right thing when it comes to spending, and that goes for either party. If they take in an extra trillion dollars in tax money I have no doubt they would spend an extra trillion and a half.
BUTCH
1:00 am on Sunday, December 9, 2012
Emily Reagan raised taxes 7 times after he lowered them, the plain simple truth is the Welfare Queen has to take a much bigger hit and everyone in congress are aware of it.
They were just told there is an Admiral for every ship and General for every occasion not to mention the Premier Trillion dollar gold plated F 35, it cannot out perform the F !6 which it is replacing.
There are waste galore the Cheney family, McSlime and Graham will do their best to hump on behalf of the Mil Ind Congressional complex they are the top errand boys of the lobbyists who will fight every cut in the golden calfs.
TWIT wanted a 600 ship navy to expand the empire in Asia and create more Admirals, the savings of troops coming home from Afghan can be further by closing bases in Korea and Japan they would not be needed by cutting back on the empire in Europe and Asia it would insure Obama's immortality some say more than 5 trillion of Debt reduction and more in deficit reduction but don;t bet the farm .
BUTCH
1:06 am on Sunday, December 9, 2012
Apple is leading the return to American already the administrations plans are being heard by responsible CEO: good riddance to one of the top know nothing in Congress Jim Demint now if Inholfe the OKKIE oil and EXXON apologist would go swimming in a Algae filled lake once more wow!
Kerry
7:58 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Sara, it makes PERFECT sense.
Kerry
8:15 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
A non registered voter is a person who has the legal RIGHT to vote.
BUTCH
9:13 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
i thought it was a Cayman island Corp that do not dot vote, when they totaled the election results the 12,000 CORP are people voters iof the Caymans they gave all of their votes to Robme he went from 47 TO 48%
There must be a hell of a lot more Corp hiding out there with the US NAVY and Rapid Def giving them round the clock protection in the event they become taxpayers.
Kerry
8:23 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Emily, by the way ,Obama does have Irish roots.
BUTCH
9:04 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Erin go Bragh to O~Bama