Reply #2: The Bush tax cuts expired by their own terms, in December 2010.

[No Elephants]

They were written that way ten years earlier, so it was no surprise to anyone. (Neither was the impending death of Senator Kennedy.)

Obama campaigned on ending the Bush tax cuts (thereby making not Joe the not plumber famous).

A tax law repealing the Bush tax cuts--or at least specifying what would happen when they expired--at any time between January 2009 and January 2011. However, nothing was done until after mid-terms November, 2010 And then, Obama negotiated directly with Mitch McConnell to extend the tax cuts, supposedly in exchange for ONE extension of unemployment benefits.

Funny thing was, though, this took place in December 2011, when the Democrats still controlled both houses of Congress.

Moreover, both tax cuts and umemployment benefits, being budget items, could have been addressed by reconcilation, which would have required only 50 Senators and Biden. Yet, Obama still bypassed the Senatore and made a very unusual compromise with Mitch McConnell while Democrats still controlled Congress.

We were never given a satisfactory explanation for that.

So now, Republicans control the House and Obama is campaigning for President, blaming Republicans for everything connected with the economy. And, knowing full well there is no chance in hell they will compromise on eliminating the Obama tax cuts ONLY for the wealthy, Obama is once again campaigning on the same thing he campaigned on in 2008.

I gave him points for campaigning on this identical tax issue in 2008. Please forgive me if giving him points for campaigning on it this time is very difficult for me.