Sunday School: 12/12/10

Today I'm introducing a new feature: Sunday School, where I'll recap the Sunday gabfests. Let's get to it!

White House advisor David Axelrod is confident that the tax deal the president negotiated with Reps will pass when it comes up for a vote. There are still a number of complaints from House Dems, but as many Reps have said, come January the game changes as controls shifts from the left to the right side of the aisle. At that point, all bets are off. Axelrod spoke on CNN’s State of the Union.
 
As mentioned on Fox News Sunday, ten years ago today the US Supreme Court anointed George Dubya Bush President -- my how time flies!  Also on FNS was some conversation about the tax deal and a great round table discussion on Friday’s press conference with ‘two presidents and one lecturn’. A great clip here at about the 7 minute mark.

Over at NBC’s Meet the Press, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg indicated there’s "no way no how" he’s running for president.  He also pointed out that in the real world of governing leaders do what’s possible and so everyone gets something, rather than sticking to a straight partly line and getting nothing accomplished, and that President Obama’s success is America’s success and we all should be supportive of him now, as our President, in light of our current economic situation with China in particular. Interesting position, but perhaps an easier one for an Independent big-city mayor to take than for a dyed-in-the-wool Rep, for example.
 
Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich) told the reporters on CSPAN’s Newsmakers that the hearing on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will likely wait until after Congress has an investigation into the shootings earlier in the year at Fort Hood. Levin personally was against DADT and remains so, recognizing that many other countries allow gays to serve openly.
 
At ABC’s This Week, the tax deal was the main topic of conversation, echoing what was seen on the other shows or talked about last week… the ‘hostage’ situation mentioned by the President; calling it a stimulus; and pointing out that the huge increase in the deficit caused by this compromise seems to be a step in the wrong direction. The round table discussion raised the point that sure this was bipartisan, but it wasn’t leadership and it didn’t make any hard choices or call Americans together in shared sacrifice.  Next year, when the Reps are in control of the House, will there be shared sacrifice, or only sacrifice? 
 
Last, on Face the Nation, Axelrod declared he was not worried about Obama being a one-term president, and Howard Dean indicated he didn’t think Obama would face a primary opponent for 2012.  Interesting.