It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Chinese proverb
Boehner: Surrender on the Full Extension of the Bush Tax Cuts? Thumbs DOWN!
I briefly listened to one of the Fox morning shows today as one of the anchors referred to John Boehner's bizarre concession in yesterday's Face the Nation as a "compromise". My love-hate relationship with Fox News, noted in several past posts, continues. Here's a hint for Fox's morning anchors: when the biggest controversy over Bush tax cuts (i.e., the top tax rates) has been the biggest major progressive policy goal over the past decade, and the GOP House leader signals he is willing to sacrifice the top rates because he doesn't want to vote no on keeping middle-class tax cuts--that's not "compromise"--that's capitulation. During the Democratic presidential campaign, every Democrat agreed from the get-go the Bush tax cuts wouldn't be extended; the only difference was how they were going the spend the other guy's money.
House Minority Leader John Boehner's unforced error of signaling to Congressional Democrats that given no other options he would reluctantly concede to the half loaf solution of retaining only the 75% going to the middle class is stupid from a tactical perspective. He taken pressure off Obama and the Democratic legislative leadership whom need to deliver on the middle-class tax cut extension, undermined moderate and conservative Democrats whom have been cautiously embracing a 2-year extension for all the tax cuts, and put pressure on the Senate Republicans to play "bad cop". [Today, the Senate GOP reaffirmed that they will filibuster anything short of an extension of all the tax cuts.]
The White House is delighted by Boehner's politically amateurish gaffe; Robert Gibbs quickly moved on a backhanded unprofessional compliment (no good deed goes unpunished): "John Boehner's change in position and support for the middle class tax cuts, but time will tell if his actions will be anything but continued support for the failed policies that got us into this mess." They then followed up looking to exploit apparent division among the ranks as Boehner made multiple attempts to do damage control and Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell quickly threw cold water on the notion.
Holding the "middle-class tax cut hostage"? Is that the best the White House progressives can try to spin this? Who decided, despite bipartisan consensus to support an extension of ALL the Bush tax cuts, that the higher-income tax hikes were non-negotiable? You want to play a game of political chicken, Mr. President? BRING IN ON. Who do you think American voters are going to believe? Your failure to deliver the middle-tax tax cuts because you refused to accept a compromise on pro-growth tax cut renewal? Or do you think the voters are going to empathize with your lack of effective performance and constant whine about the GOP despite massive majorities in Congress?
Don't get me wrong. I understand the arithmetic: John Boehner knows a GOP amendment to add back the well-to-do would likely be defeated, and the GOP cannot allow itself to be demagogued as being against the Bush middle-class tax cuts, which amount to about 75% of the tax cut, heading into the mid-term elections.
I also don't believe a 13% tax hike on the well-to-do will have as dramatic an effect as past caps ranging from 70 to 90% of income; to a certain amount, I think that ever since the attempt to make the cuts permanent four years or so ago failed, the high-income taxpayers saw the handwriting on the wall and have been planning for it. In fact, the Democrats knew the Clinton tax hike didn't crush the economy back into recession.
But I don't buy Boehner's reasoning. I don't think Boehner needs to explain a protest vote against an anti-economic growth tax hike and maybe remind the people that Obama thinks it's good to spread some wealth around.
I do wonder, however, if John Boehner may be missing on the public's growing awareness that the Democrats' pursuing a free-lunch tax cut while running up trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see is heading for a day of reckoning. We have to look at the fact that we have one of the highest progressive tax systems in the world without a consumption tax (although many states do have a sales tax). We need evidence of a credible deficit plan and a sustained program of spending cuts to reassure Treasury bond buyers or holders; the American people expect a certain amount of austerity; they've been seeing it on the state and local level, and they would prefer straight talk to political spin. They want problem solving, not endless partisan bickering and ideological standoffs.
Favorite New Political Ad: John Dennis v. Nancy Pelosi: Thumbs UP!
Well, let me fill you in on my take of the background behind the video: the green skin of the Wicked Witch of the West Coast is a result of the politics of envy. Falling house prices killed her sister, and the Wicked Witch blames Dorothy (George W. Bush hadn't been born yet) whom comes from Kansas, a red state, and the winged IRS monkey attempts to repossess Dorothy's shoes for back taxes. John Dennis shows up to throw cold water on the witch's nefarious plans...
Lady Gaga's Meat-kini: Thumbs UP!
I have a second blog on nutrition, but haven't posted there in a while. I don't know much about Lady Gaga other than she seems to be this generation's Madonna. (In fact, one of Madonna's older hits is called "Vogue".) Faithful readers know I am a lower-carb dieter (meaning more protein and fat versus carbs) and find this cover oddly compelling. (I like the way she wears her skirt steak...) Remember how the Hollies sang "All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you"? They forgot meat... I don't need dessert: chocolate is too high-carb; the whipped cream is okay, but too many calories. Don't forget to exercise after you eat...
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| Courtesy of Vogue Hommes Japan |
"The Atlantic had a big article on the inevitability of Israel going to war with Iran over building nuclear weapons. But he White House thinks that strong economic sanctions will bring them to their knees, raise unemployment, and cause their factories to close – the same way those economic sanctions worked right here." –Jay Leno
[Jay, what you don't realize is that Ahmadinejad has also been blaming George W. Bush for all his country's economic woes...]
"According to government auditors, the stimulus money is being held up because there aren't enough government workers to oversee the spending. So follow me, in other words, government workers who aren't there are needed to spend money we don't have to create jobs that don't exist." –Jay Leno
[Jay, go with me on this.... The GOP platform for this fall should include a 75% staffing cut for Obama Administration personnel. With any luck, we'll balance the budget next fiscal year.]
Musical Interlude: The American Songbook Series
Fred Astaire, "Puttin' On The Ritz"
