Although I covered the tax cut fight yesterday, it has, to a large extent, dominated the news since. As expected, Willard Romney and the Republican party have been making ludicrous assertions, and it’s important that you know what they are and how to debunk them. For example, Barack Obama is not raising taxes, as Republicans falsely claim. The expiration of the Bush tax cuts in January, 2011 was originally built into the law itself, before Congress passed a two year extension. To blame Obama for the expiration of a law that passed before he took office is absurd.
Taxes are supposed to be complicated and contentious. Yet, speaking from the White House on Monday, it took President Obama less than 15 minutes to make a strong and sensible case for letting the high-end Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of 2012. Citing well-documented facts, he pointed out that tax cuts at the top have failed to promote economic growth and have blown a hole in the federal budget.
Under his plan, Americans who make more than $250,000 a year — the top 2 percent of taxpayers — would see their tax rates go back up next year to the levels from the Clinton years, while those making less than $250,000 — the remaining 98 percent — would have their tax cuts extended through 2013.
In calling for cooperation from Congress, Mr. Obama said that the point is to “agree to do what we agree on”: extend the middle-class tax cuts. As a matter of fairness and responsible policy making, he said, the majority of Americans, and the broader economy, should not be held hostage again to another debate over the merits of tax cuts for the wealthy.
Unfortunately, it is not a message Congressional Republicans want to hear, committed as they are to preserving tax cuts for the rich at all costs… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <NY Times>
That makes sense to me. Lets agree to extend the tax cuts for 98% of the people and let the voters decide whose policy we want for the top 2%. Fat chance!
Lawrence O’Donnell dedicated two segments to the tax cuts. In the first, he discussed them, Republican lies about them, and Obama’s fiscal cliff strategy with Krystal Ball and Steve Kornacki.
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I fully agree that Obama must be willing to go over the cliff. In the second segment, Lawrence debunked Republican claims about tax cuts with Ezra Klein and Nick Hanauer.
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The 1% are NOT the job creators. They just take profit from the work. YOU are the job creators, because you create the demand! Businesses hire only when you you buy their products and services and create sufficient demand for the companies to profit, that they would otherwise miss, from new hires. You can’t purchase and create demand, if Republicans empty your pockets.
In short, the entire Republican stance here can be used to fertilize your veggies!
Republicans will not agree to extend the tax for us, because they don’t care about us. Our tax cuts are useful to Republicans only to use in their blackmail as a hostage for much bigger tax cuts for the 1%.
14 Responses to “Who Won’t Compromise and Why”
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For far too long, the 1% have been spewing out lies about them bring job creators and in need of low taxes and high profits so they can reinvest them in companies to create more opportunities locally. These damndable liars have instead been stuffing their own pockets (and those of their piggish and greedy stockholders while exporting jobs overseas and keeping wages depressed here at home. This is not "free" enterprise; it is oligarchical slavery. The time for true economic democracy at the workplace is long overdue, and that fact cannot be denied.
Well said, Pope Jack!
Obama is a consensus-seeker by nature, which is an admirable trait if those on the other side of the aisle are rational, but trying to reason with or accommodate the current crop of Republicans is futile. Anyone who thinks this is possible should review the outcome of Chamberlain's attempt to appease Hitler. He proclaimed " peace in our time!" The result was World War II. We may be looking at a similar outcome.
John, after 3+ years, I would hope that he has learned his lesson.
As I've said before, if it comes down to a choice of me giving up my tax breaks along with the rich, or me keeping my tax breaks along with the rich…. take mine. My country is in trouble, and I'll give it back. As long as the people who've been enjoying the free ride start picking up some of the bill.
Exactly!
From the very first time I heard Nick Hanauer speak on "job creators" last year, he has made so much sense, and he still does. Put money in the hands of those who will spend it and thereby create jobs — that's the middle class. A feedback loop. Anybody should be able to understand that, even Republican/Teabaggers. The trouble is, the GOP don't want to understand it because it doesn't serve their purpose to not raise taxes on the wealthy. The GOP is caught in the "can't raise taxes on the wealthy" rut ! And you know what a 'rut' is don't you? — a grave with the ends knocked out!
My natural inclination is to be collegial, a consensus maker when at all possible. But I also recognise that there are times when even a collegial person has to be a non collegial hard-ass. That time has come for Mr Obama. He can't lose sight of the larger, long term picture by caving to the Republican/Teabaggers. The GOP are economic domestic terrorists and it is time they were put out of business.
Ironically, it's too obvious to require rocket science. I was saying the same long before I have even heard of him.
Collegiality requires that those involved are willing to bargain in good faith. That disqualifies Republicans.
It is time to end the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and make them pay for the profits they've enjoyed for all these years. Instead of creating jobs with their profits they shipped them overseas and destroyed the American economy.
Indeed!
So simple- consensus and collegiality require a mutual desire to work together in order to achieve a goal ;; In the Repug camp these days no such mutuality exists , The leader/facilitator sometimes has to recognize when such a stalemate exists , then over ride –
I am also a consensus seeker–but as Lynn said so well– sometimes a hard ass decision/approach is required-
Republicans have two goals.
Opposition, not compromise is needed.
There will never be consensus or collegiality with this congress.
Edie, I fully agree,