"Democrats have no excuses - they now decide whether or not bills pass. The Republicans may be awful, but they aren't the big obstacle to progress anymore - the Democrats are. "

Heads Up Partisan War Syndrome Victims: It's the Dems, Too

from Open Left - Front Page
http://www.openleft.com/diary/13186/heads-up-partisan-war-syndrome-victims-its-the-dems-too

I know it was all fun for the progressive media and blogosphere to freak out on Republicans as defenders of tax havens and tax scams yesterday, but anyone who looks honestly at the situation will see that this is a bipartisan problem:

President Barack Obama's plan to end tax breaks for U.S.-based multinational companies drew a skeptical response from fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill, indicating that his plan may face obstacles on its path through Congress.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, called for "further study" of Obama's proposals within minutes of the president's announcement yesterday. Representative Joseph Crowley, a Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he's wary because the tax changes would hurt Citigroup Inc., his New York district's largest private-sector employer.

Natalie Ravitz, a spokeswoman for Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, said that any tax overhaul should not lead to "unintended consequences."

Again, I know Partisan War Syndrome encourages us all to exclusively blame the GOP for everything - and the Republican defenders of tax rip-offs are certainly awful. But the problem is that so much of the "progressive" noise machine has become a Democratic Party Megaphone - one that refuses to acknowledge the complicity of Democrats in some of the worst problems.

In this case, President Obama is pushing something genuinely positive and progressive (and I say that even though I'm also critical of him simultaneously pushing something not so positive on the same issue). He should have plenty of votes to pass his reform package through the Congress, regardless of Republicans. And yet, he may not. The idea that we're expected to believe that's the Republicans' fault is absurd on its face.

As I said in my column last week, Democrats have no excuses - they now decide whether or not bills pass. The Republicans may be awful, but they aren't the big obstacle to progress anymore - the Democrats are.