One could say that the Democrats are more stupid than the Republicans; the Republicans try to cut deals for their rich corporate sponsors, and the Democrats allow them. Extending the Bush tax cuts makes no sense fiscally, except to the richest people. The Bush tax cuts waste $700 billion per year; that is equivalent one bailout per year. Of course, the middle class gets a token dollar or two just to keep it happy, but the troglodytes receive much, much more, and the middle and lower classes pay for it in the end with less social spending. Government's function has never been to support the wealthiest; indeed, the greatest pieces of legislation in the United States' history, such as the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the Glass-Steagall Act, the Wagner Act, Social Security, and Medicare, were designed to either limit the power of money or to boost the lower, often disenfranchised groups. The Democrats' greatest mistake has been to support bastardized legislation brimming with Republican and self-imposed constraints that cause the laws to be worthless. Bipartisanship is an excellent campaign tactic, but partisanship should dominate governance.