Open letter to Democratic Senators: Please Support President Obama’s Tax Cut Compromise!

[I urge you to use http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ to find and e-mail your senators and tell them to support passage of President Obama’s Tax Cut Compromise and to persuade other senators to do so as well. This letter is geared toward Democratic Senators. If one or more of your Senators is a Republican, you will obviously want to modify this letter, but please write to urge their support for this legislation which is very important for the American Economy.]

Dear Senator (Name)

I am a staunch liberal/progressive, and I am asking you to support President Obama’s Tax Cut compromise. Frankly, the current liberal/progressive brouhaha over the President’s proposed compromise is the kind of partisan posturing that so offends independent and Democratic crossover voters and does nothing good for the American people. If it results in this compromise being defeated, it actually risks doing real harm to the economy.

In the current political situation, a pragmatic progressive/liberal politician, with the good of the American people at heart, forges the best compromise he or she can, and that is what President Obama has done.

Without going into the details of the compromise, which you and I both already understand, let me acknowledge that there are many less than ideal provisions in the package, but it also has many positive features such as the payroll tax reduction and a two year extension of unemployment benefits which make this a strong economic stimulus package. I was actually surprised President Obama was able to achieve a compromise this comprehensive.

The progressive strength of the compromise has earned the support of many serious liberals such as Robert Greenstein and John Podesta. These are progressives/liberals who are also hard-headed and pragmatic.

With the Republicans controlling the house and having a stronger presence in the Senate, for the next two years progressives/liberals will need strong pragmatic leaders capable of forging bipartisan compromises that advance American interests to the extent possible. Only this kind of leadership will prepare the way for Democrats to retain the presidency and gain seats in the House and Senate in 2012.

Keeping both the good of the American economy and the Democratic Party in mind, I urge you to write your Senators and Representatives and tell them to support President Obama’s tax cut compromise. It’s a bit like a Limburger cheese sandwich—it’s stinky but nutritious, and we will be better off if we develop a taste for it.

Thank you for your consideration