(Image source: CNN, NBC, ABC, Fox News, CBS)

BY MALLORY PERRYMAN
 

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Tired of hearing about tax cuts? Apparently your Sunday talk show hosts aren’t. For the fourth week in a row, the tax debate dominated the conversation.

But hey- it’s the hottest topic to hit the lame duck since the 2008 bailout debate. Perhaps next week we can move on- Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin says, the deal is basically done.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): “We’re counting votes in the Senate. Harry Reid and I have been on the phone over the weekend. And I can say that we have a good cross section of the Senate Democratic caucus from left to right who are prepared to accept this.”

Senior White House advisor David Axelrod says, Democrats got to add a few things to sweeten the deal- but ultimately, the Republicans are getting what they want.

David Axelrod (White House Senior Advisor): “We have a framework, we have an agreement, and I don't anticipate that it's going to change greatly. There have been some changes that folks in the House were concerned about...But in the main, I don't see major changes."

But major changes are exactly what an infuriated liberal base wants.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) "We passed the resolution in our caucus the other day saying that we would not permit this deal to come to the floor without some changes. How major those changes would have to be for members of our caucus to let it come to the floor, I don't know. I'd certainly hope that there are very major changes in this." (CBS)

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD.): "I think it's quite possible the tax cut extension will be passed, but not with my vote.” (CNN)

But others say, the president did what he had to do. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg tells NBC’s David Gregory, the commander-in-chief needs to stand up for himself.

Michael Bloomberg (New York Mayor): “He says ‘Look, this is what I did. This is the best I can do. Suck it up, and let’s get on together. We have a lot of other things we can do together…I’m sure the President would have liked other things but the real world of governing is to do what is possible and everybody getting something and nobody getting 100% of what they want.”

And later on Meet the Press, panelist Savannah Guthrie pointed out, if the economy improves, the president could get the tax deal he ultimately wants in 2012.

Savannah Guthrie: “The point is, he’s staring at the barrel of a gun. These tax rates are going up in January and he’s not going to take that gamble and that’s why he made this deal...You heard Austan Goolsbee basically make the argument that we think the economy will be in a better position. They are banking everything on that because they think they’ll be able to say, ‘Look, now we can afford to see those tax rates rise on the wealthiest Americans.’”

But on CNN’s State of the Union, Representative Jim McDermott says- there is another way to solve the tax puzzle- let Republicans deal with it.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wa.): "They put it in in 2001 all by themselves. They can put it in all by themselves on the fifth of January. There will be no tax increase to the American people, middle class or anyone else. They simply want us to do it so that it becomes Obama’s tax cuts.”

Finally, we’ll wrap up this Sunday’s analysis with our running count of who’s considering a 2012 Presidential run. This Sunday, you can count New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg- out.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (New York Mayor): “I’m not going to run for President. I’ve got a great job. I’m going to finish out the 1100 or whatever number of days it is left to go and I’ll leave the politics to the experts.” (NBC)
 
Check out a few reports we picked out that weigh in on the tax debate:

The Washington Post “Tax cut strategies: the untold story”

Chicago Tribune “Why the left is right to be cross with Obama”

U.S. News & World Report “Democrats' Tax Rebellion Shows They Don't Live in the Real World”

Forbes “Is the tax compromise better for the middle class or the rich?”

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Transcript by Newsy.