Here's his comment on the state of play in the debate over next year's tax rates:

“Do you allow yourself to be held hostage and get something done for the sake of getting something done, when in fact it might be perverse in its ultimate results? It’s almost like the question of do you negotiate with terrorists.”

If Democrats had held this vote before the election, it might have given them some traction. Unfortunately for them, they didn't. Now that the election is over, this is a choice between freezing tax rates where they are, or else raising them on everyone — including the poor — just so that you can soak the rich for a few billion dollars more.