Huckabee: Obama self-destructed at tax deal press conference

Huckabee Says Obama Self-Destructed
Mike Huckabee told the National Journal that the "most bizarre part" of the Tax Cut deal was watching President Obama "self-destruct at the podium" during last week's Press Conference. Said Huckabee: "I was just stunned -- I really couldn't believe that a man that was elected president was as amateurish as he was, and essentially launched from the podium at some of his own, taking aim and mowing down everybody in D.C. and walking away having not understood that he just lost a lot of people." He...

Tax deal angers right as well as left
Former president Bill Clinton invoked a surprising source on Friday when he praised the tax agreement President Obama reached with congressional Republicans: conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer, who earlier that day had written, "Barack Obama won the great tax-cut showdown of 2010." This Story Tax deal angers right as well as left Most Americans back tax-cut deal Washington Post-ABC News poll finds broad Bipartisan support for tax package Washington Post-ABC News poll data In...

Dem Senators Want Last-Minute Changes To Tax Deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The tax package negotiated by President Barack Obama and GOP lawmakers is headed toward passage in the Senate even as House Democrats consider changes to the Estate Tax. The bill could be passed and sent to the House by Tuesday. The Senate voted 83-15 Monday evening to advance the package, which would provide a two-year reprieve from Tax Increases scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1 at all income levels. “This proves that both parties can in fact work together to g...

Huckabee: Obama "still has his head in the sand"
Mike Huckabee -- new book out, moving to Florida (CNN calls his new house "fancy"), still on the Fox News show. So, we assume you're running. National Journal today has a cozy sit-down with the former Governor, who has a lot to say about President Obama, the Tax Cut deal and more: The most bizarre part of the whole process was watching President Obama self-destruct at the podium yesterday. I was just stunned--I really couldn't believe that a man that was elected president was as amateurish as he...

Tax-cut deal clears Senate hurdle in test vote
Reporting from Washington — The Senate overwhelmingly advanced President Obama's $858-billion tax-cut package Monday in a vote that heightened pressure on reluctant House Democrats and enhanced the likelihood of congressional approval for the Compromise. The Senate could send the package to the House by midweek and then turn to remaining legislative priorities, including a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, a Repeal of the ban on Openly Gay Military personnel and a youth immigra...

Obama tax deal gets nod from Senate. Will House risk making changes?
Senators vote to end debate on GOP-Obama tax deal, clearing the way for its passage. Attention now shifts to the House, where Liberal Democrats are expected to discuss revisions. President Barack Obama speaks at the White House on Monday, in Washington. The Obama tax deal has been approved by the Senate, but Liberal Democrats in the House have to decide if they want to revise the bill. In a break with gridlock, the Senate voted 83 to 15 Monday to move ahead with a Bipartisan deal ­- f...

May I Sell Out, Please?
Here's a shocker: Fearless progressive blogger Kevin Drum can't buy into Barack Obama's tax sell-out fast enough. Why? Well, because it's popular: Support for the overall package was extremely high: 68% among Democrats and Independents and 75% among Republicans. But the breakdown in the chart above ought to give all of us lefties pause. It's great to see that extending Unemployment Benefits polled higher than any other element of the plan, but not so great that Bonus ta...

Romney Opposes Tax Cut Deal
Mitt Romney writes: Death and taxes, it is said, are life’s only two certainties. But in the wake of President Obama’s tax Compromise with congressionalRepublicans, only death retains the status of certainty: The future for taxes has been left up in the air. And uncertainty is not a friend of investment, growth and Job Creation. The deal has several key features. It reduces Payroll taxes, extends Unemployment Benefits and keeps current Tax Rates intact. So far, so good. But intermi...

Tax package heads toward passage in Senate
President Barack Obama pauses during a statement on the Tax Cut bill at the White House on Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, in Washington. The tax package negotiated by President Barack Obama and GOP lawmakers is headed toward passage in the Senate even as House Democrats consider changes to the Estate Tax. The bill could be passed and sent to the House by Tuesday. The Senate voted 83-15 Monday evening to advance the package, which would provide a two-year reprieve from Tax Increases scheduled to take ef...

Tax deal clears key hurdle - next up is Senate vote
Final Senate approval could come as early as Tuesday on the hotly contested tax deal negotiated by President Barack Obama and Republican leaders. The deal cleared a key procedural hurdle Monday, with an 83-15 vote to end Senate debate on the measure, which includes a two-year extension of the Bush-era Tax Cuts set to expire December 31. The plan would also extend Unemployment Benefits for 13 months, cut the Payroll Tax by 2 percentage points for a year and continue a series of other Tax Breaks....

Poll: Broad bipartisan backing for tax package
WASHINGTON — About seven in 10 Americans back the tax deal negotiated last week by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The high Bipartisan support for the package masks more tepid public approval for some of the main components of the deal that came before a key Senate vote Monday afternoon. A slender 11 percent of those polled back all four of the deal's primary tax provisions: an across-the-board extension of Bush-era ta...

Romney: Why tax cut is a bad deal
Death and taxes, it is said, are life's only two certainties. But in the wake of President Obama's tax Compromise with congressional Republicans, only death retains the status of certainty: The future for taxes has been left up in the air. And uncertainty is not a friend of investment, growth and job creation. The deal has several key features. It reduces Payroll taxes, extends Unemployment Benefits and keeps current Tax Rates intact. So far, so good. But intermixed with the benefits are conside...

Romney comes out against Obama's tax cut deal
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) announced on Tuesday that he opposes the Tax Cut deal making its way through Congress. Romney, one of the top contenders for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, said that President Obama's deal on tax cuts with congressional Republicans wouldn't add enough certainty to a struggling economy. "Given the unambiguous message that the American People sent to Washington in November, it is difficult to understand how our political leaders could have reach...

Obama takes center stage – this time as a moderate
It took a month for Barack Obama to make clear what he has learned from the Midterm Election “shellacking,” but the time has not been wasted. Future political historians are likely to trace his recovery – and re-election, if that’s what happens – back to decisions made in December. In these last few days, he has regained the economic initiative from the victorious Republicans, separated himself from the left of his own party and staked a strong claim to the terri...

Obama fatigue? Press room half empty for president
The White House Briefing Room was half empty when President Barack Obama delivered a statement Monday afternoon on a Senate vote related to the Tax Cuts Legislation he's pushing. Reporters filled the first three rows for the president's appearance -- though a few were taking vacant seats. And almost every seat in the back four rows was empty. That kind of sparse attendance for a president's personal appearance is unusual, particularly for a president in his First Term a...

Tuesday's live video events
A busy day is expected on CNN.com Live today, with movies being honored, Tax Cuts being debated and California's best being celebrated. 8:00 am ET - Golden Globe nominations - The best in film and television will be honored at the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards next month, but first, the nominations must be announced.  Actors Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes and Blair Underwood will help assist in announcing the nominees. 10:00 am ET - Senate in session - After weeks of bitter debate, the S...

Tax Cut Package Clears Key Senate Hurdle
A Controversial bill to renew Tax Cuts for all Americans cleared a crucial, procedural hurdle in the Senate Monday, setting the stage for a vote on final passage later this week. The vote was 83 to 15. Senate rules require at least 60 votes to defeat a Filibuster and advance the Legislation to a final vote. A majority of House Democrats will likely oppose the $858 billion bill when it reaches the House later this week. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., still believes that it will ult...

Fed to review $600B bond-buying program at meeting
FILE -- In a Nov. 23, 2010 file photo Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke... WASHINGTON (AP) - After launching a much-criticized $600 billion bond-buying program last month to bolster The Economy, the Federal Reserve is now taking stock of how it's working. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues will gather Tuesday for their last scheduled meeting of 2010, and no policy changes are expected. Instead, Fed policymakers will examine the effectiveness of the unfolding program and discuss t...

Obama applauds Senate test vote on tax cut plan
(12-13) 14:45 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is praising a test vote in the Senate supporting the Compromise tax plan he negotiated with Republicans. He says it proves both parties can work together. The president spoke at the White House on Monday after the Senate surpassed the 60-vote threshold it needed to advance the Legislation toward final passage. A vote that would send the proposal to the House is expected Tuesday. Obama says the plan would help create jobs by providing ...

Obama Tax Cut Deal More Expensive Than Stimulus: CBO
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is predicting congressional approval of the tax-cutting Compromise he has reached with Republican leaders, but he's not ruling out that unhappy Democrats will make some changes in the mammoth Legislation. In an interview with NPR released Friday, Obama said that despite a rebellion by many Democrats against his tax deal, it will pass because "nobody – Democrat or Republican – wants to see people's paychecks smaller on Jan. 1 because Congres...

House Dems stew over Obama's handling of tax deal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, and others, look on as President Barack Obama signs the Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010, during a ceremony at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, Monday, Dec. 13, 2010. The struggle over Tax Cuts is seriously straining President Barack Obama's relationship with House Democrats, who have backed him on key issues even when it cost them politically. Expressing hurt and bewilderment, Democratic lawmakers s...

About that Obama/Bubba Tag-Team Press Conference
A lot of people have commented on St. Barry’s intensely weird Press Conference the other day. In case you haven’t seen it, check out the video, courtesy of the awesome Pundit & Pundette. RS McCain was overheard snarking, “Bill Clinton never had a problem with ‘keeping the First Lady waiting for about half an hour.’ IYKWIMAITYD.” Maybe we’re being a little hard on President Sexxxy Pantscrease.  I mean, we should’ve seen Obama’s early-o...

Group urges Congress to pass tax bill
Published: Dec. 13, 2010 at 5:45 PM Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters after a Republican Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington on December 7, 2010. The Republicans met to discuss the current tax bill going through Congress. UPI/Kevin Dietsch WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Since the U.S Senate agreed to advance a bill that would keep lower Tax Rates and extend jobless benefits, a jobs-focused group urged Congress to pass the bill. The National Employment Law P...

Friend or Foe?
Yesterday morning, I read that Evangelical Mike Huckabee, and many omniscient omnipotents (yeah, I know pluralizing this is incorrect) are screaming threats to Bradley Manning, using the T word. Treason. "Execute him." Politicians from both sides (meaning, of course, the Unity Aisle) are clamoring for Eric Holder to prosecute Julian Assange because, according to warmongers, the Wikileaks founder is damaging National Security--security that, in fact, is jeopardized, essentially, by predatory US...

Tax cuts move ahead in Senate
President Obama speaks Monday. WASHINGTON — The Controversial $900 billion tax package President Obama negotiated with Republicans cleared a major hurdle in the Senate on Monday, setting the stage for passage later this week. The fate of the Legislation in the House is uncertain. The measure the Senate is poised to approve extends for two years Bush-era federal Income Tax cuts Republicans made a priority of getting for all income levels. At the top of objections from Liberal Democrats was...