AS W SAID...:

Obama's Democrats in disarray over expiring tax cuts (Thomas Ferraro and Kim Dixon, Nov 19, 2010, Reuters)

"How the hell should we know when we will figure this out?" said a senior Senate Democratic aide. "This is the Democratic Party," long known for internal struggles and diverse views.

"It seems like no one is on the same page," said Chris Krueger of MF Global, a private firm that tracks Washington for investors. "It has the potential to be a train wreck."

With some Democrats blaming Obama for their loss of control of the House in the November 2 elections, Obama's ability to rally his troops is being tested on the expiring tax cuts, which were signed into law by Republican President George W. Bush.

"A lot of our guys, the progressives, don't want to extend these tax cuts for anyone," said a senior House Democratic aide. "They never liked them in the first place."

The aide said some Democrats are now wary of Obama, who convinced them to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system -- a landmark achievement that backfired and hurt them with voters.

"Our guys aren't sure what comes next. Will Obama help them in 2012, or will just be focused on getting himself re-elected?" the aide said.

...if they weren't known as the "Bush tax cuts" they'd already have been extended.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 20, 2010 8:33 AM