President Obama announces the compromise.
A couple days ago the White House and Congressional Republicans reached a compromise on issues that included extending the Bush tax cuts and unemployment benefits. It took a while. In the press conference announcing the agreement, President Obama commented that the agreement is not what he wanted, but said that Republicans were holding tax cuts for the Middle Class and an unemployment benefits extension “hostage.” Many in the Democratic base oppose the compromise, seeing it as capitulation rather than compromise, and are resistant to approval.
Mainstream media has been providing blow by blow coverage of this process. The tell us which side which wants what but not in a lot of detail and not why. For the most part they spend their time speculating about the impact that whatever compromise might be reached will have on the 2012 elections. Then they let party representatives and their surrogates in the punditry argue about what agreements might be better and for the nation and how.
It’s all very entertaining. There is drama, conflict, suspense. Who is winning the skirmish as the pundits argue? Who will win the battle when the legislation ultimately makes it out of Congress? Most importantly, who’s likely to win the war in 2012!