10 Reasons for Progressives to Feel Reassured About the Debt Package

1. The debt ceiling is being raised.

2. We will not have another debt ceiling battle in 6 months.

3. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security remain untouched -- which would not even have been the case in President Obama's first proposal.

4. $2.5 trillion in cuts, as opposed to Obama's initial proposal of $4 trillion (to say nothing of Paul Ryan's 6 trillion).

5. Many of the cuts are in defense.

6. The super committee will have triggers to prevent deadlock.

7. The cuts are for over a decade and do not begin to take effect until 2013.

8. The Bush tax cuts expire in 2013.

9. Polls showed a majority of Americans wanted Obama to compromise more. He did. In the election, no one can say he is the unreasonable one. It is very easy to say the right is more than unreasonable. The Tea Party is reckless and dangerous and now everyone knows for sure.

10. Now we see why the 2012 elections are so important. America got what it voted for in 2010. If we want to reverse the disastrous policies George W. Bush instated and the Tea Party have kept in place, we have to turn this country around in the next election.