But, David Dayen has a post up today, in which it is revealed that the 44 Blue Dogs in the House who have signed on to "tax cuts for all," together with the Republican members, give the tax-cuts-for-all crowd a working majority...

So the House will follow the Senate and punt on the Obama tax plan. I hear cries that Democrats are "gutless," "cowardly," "politically stupid," etc., etc. Um, they just don't agree that millionaires shouldn't get $100,000 tax breaks. They want them to. Maybe not the whole caucus, maybe not a majority of the caucus. But certainly, enough of the caucus to make a contrast with the Republicans on this point impossible. Here's a letter with 44 House Democrats - enough to join with Republicans to have a majority in the House - wanting to extend not only all the tax cuts, but the dividend rates on the high end as well. The names:

John Adler, Jason Altmire, John Barrow, Melissa Bean, Shelley Berkley, Marion Berry, Sanford Bishop, Dan Boren, Rick Boucher, Bobby Bright, Chris Carney, Travis Childers, Jim Cooper, Jim Costa, Kathy Dahlkemper, Lincoln Davis, Ted Deutch, Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth, Ann Kirkpatrick, Larry Kissell, Ron Klein, Suzanne Kosmas, Dan Maffei, Betsey Markey, Jim Matheson, Mike McIntyre, Michael McMahon, Walt Minnick, Harry Mitchell, Scott Murphy, Glenn Nye, Gary Peters, Collin Peterson, Ciro Rodriguez, Mike Ross, Steve Rothman, John Salazar, Loretta Sanchez, Albio Sires, Zack Space, Betty Sutton, Harry Teague, David Wu

I think this is a glimpse into the future, where, as Dayen says:

Because there isn't a majority, even now, in Congress for the kind of policies Democrats purport to run on. I don't think they had a higher priority in the 2008 election year than letting the high-end tax cuts expire. And yet here we are.

Indeed.  Obama's not going to veto extending the tax cuts even if that means extending them to the wealthy.  Okay, fine.  The question is, on other issues where this working majority comes into play, will Obama exercise his veto power?  Or will he stand with the conservatives?

America is more than a country.

America is an idea - an idea that free people can govern themselves, that government's powers are derived from the consent of the governed, that each of us is endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America is the belief that any man or woman can - given economic, political, and religious liberty - advance themselves, their families, and the common good.

America is an inspiration to those who yearn to be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their own destiny.

Whenever the agenda of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute a new governing agenda and set a different course.

These first principles were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, enshrined in the Constitution, and have endured through hard sacrifice and commitment by generations of Americans.

In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent.

An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values, striking down longstanding laws and institutions and scorning the deepest beliefs of the American people.

An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.

Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our people and blurring our sense of national purpose.

Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government that believes it can replace the will of the people with its own. The American people are speaking out, demanding that we realign our country's compass with its founding principles and apply those principles to solve our common problems for the common good.

The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for the people cannot be overstated.

With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America.

We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored - particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national economic prosperity.

We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.

We pledge to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its stewardship, and honest in its dealings.

We pledge to uphold the purpose and promise of a better America, knowing that to whom much is given, much is expected and that the blessings of our liberty buoy the hopes of mankind.

We make this pledge bearing true faith and allegiance to the people we represent, and we invite fellow citizens and patriots to join us in forming a new governing agenda for America.

But I must say I am astounded that they picked a title that is so similar to the disastrous "Contract For America" that they laid upon us in 1994.