Democrat Actually Supports Deficit Commission Findings... No Really He Does

"This proposal is simply unacceptable."

"This is not at all something I can live with."

"This is not a recipie for a healthier American economy."

"Not something at all I can support right now."

A non-starter. A gift to the rich.

The giant flushing sound you heard Wednesday on Capitol Hill was the reaction of Congressional Democrats to the initial recommendations of President Obama's bipartisan deficit reduction commission.

But every rule has to have an exeption, so welcome to the debate Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon! While the long-time tax reform advocate's response to the commission's findings is far from a ringing endorsement, it does offer a moderate degree of kudos to the panel.

"The Fiscal Commission demonstrates what Senator (Judd) Gregg, R-N.H., and I have spent the last year saying: By eliminating what amounts to tax earmarks for special interests, it is possible to simplify the tax code, promote economic growth and cut taxes for the vast majority of American families and businesses," Wyden said in a statement.

He added that some parts of the proposal may be more successful than others. Wyden took issue with the panel's inclusion of limits on mortgage interest and charitable deductions as "too politically controversial."

However, Wyden thinks that the panel's ideas will enrich the current economic debate. "What I hope people will take away from the Fiscal Commission's report is the fact that, when it comes to taxes, Congress needs to do more than simply vote on an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts," he said, "Extending a broken tax system will do nothing more than extend the current economic stagnation."