President Obama is calling for tax cuts to families earning less than $250,000 a year, but saying he will not support any tax cuts for the rich. This is good. Blue Dogs and New Dems have been calling for tax cuts for the rich (it goes without saying, so have Republicans). It’s something of a surprise to see the President out in front on this; the Conventional Wisdom is that it is to use Republicans blocking working class tax cuts because the richest Americans are left out as an election issue. Funny how populism is finally deemed OK after Democrats’ election chances have been run into the ground due to legislative and messaging choices that have pointedly avoided populism. I’d really like someone to explain to me why populism is acceptable as a backstop to electoral losses, but isn’t acceptable the other twenty-two months of a congressional session.

All that said, this is obviously the right course of action from a policy standpoint and from a politics standpoint. More, please.