senate. there is no unity. nobody can figure out what s going on. the plan is very simple. it s out there, very clear. i guarantee you that the chairman of finance committee max baucus was involved in putting it together. the procedural question, there are people advocating the president abandon this agreement and allow the clinton tax rates, increase for every taxpayer in america, go into effect on january 1st. i want to know strategically going forward from here, jane, do you think that is a strategic option for democrats, that they should be willing to do it? i as you and adam know was an advocate of negotiating and not allowing them to take hostages. the 2 million people unemployed, they didn t get help in this deal. the president has been going on, as have the republicans, about the need to close the deficit and they decided to go on a
spending spree together. after having gone on and on for the deficit for so long, you sound incoherent. you have no philosophy. i have to say, i agree with adam, no, veto it. he s the president. john boehner said if that s the only option he had to vote for, attack cuts you re moving off your position last week where you wrote a piece how they should strike a best deal now with republicans and now you re now willing to veto this and let taxes increase on january 1st? the centrist democrats on the hill wanted the chuck schumer $1 million deal. president obama moved in and negotiated a deal worse than conservative wanted. he went straight to republicans and said, let me give you everything you want. the deal is the senate voted on the schumer before the president made his deal. they failed to pass it. they got 53 votes.
please. go ahead, adam. there s a reason he was called give them hell harry. i was on the trip when president bush barn stormed tim johnson a democrat, a democrat! why is it essentially different for a democrat rather than a republican? the you don t know that yet? you re been in the two-party system and you don t know the difference between a democrat and republican? certainly we know there s nothing clearer yes, the democrats always surrender. that s the difference. lawrence adam, finish your point about johnson. it s a good point. tim johnson, it s the same thing, tim johnson did what president bush wanted. when president obama wanted dennis kucinich to vote for his health care plan, went to his state, rallied his constituents and kucinich caved. the fact are you disputing the idea of a presidential bully pulpit is stroking to me.
and takes on his critics. my job is to do whatever i can to get this economy moving. there s not a single thing i ve said that i would do that i have not either done or tried to do. the president spoke directly to the disappointed left. i know there are some who would have preferred a protracted political fight. i m sympathetic to that. he has completely alienated his liberal base. he also came out swinging at fellow democrats. a long political fight that carried over into next year might have been good politics but it would be a bad deal for the economy. he was extremely fiery. and then he took on the republicans. i will be happy to see the republicans test whether or not i m itching for a fight. we need to hold the republicans accountable for being complete hypocrites. oh, yeah. comparing them to violent criminals. referring to the american people as hostages. it s tempting negotiate with hostage takers. and the frustrated liberals,
and they decided to go on a spending spree together. after having gone on and on for the deficit for so long, you sound incoherent. you have no philosophy. i have to say, i agree with adam, no, veto it. he s the president. john boehner said if that s the only option he had to vote for, attack cuts you re moving off your position last week where you wrote a piece how they should strike a best deal now with republicans and now you re now willing to veto this and let taxes increase on january 1st? the centrist democrats on the hill wanted the chuck schumer $1 million deal. president obama moved in and negotiated a deal worse than conservative wanted. he went straight to republicans and said, let me give you everything you want. the deal is the senate voted on the schumer before the president made his deal.