Posted on 04/16/2012 4:37:19 PM PDT by Red Steel
Reporting from Washington—
Republican-led opposition blocked the 'Buffett rule' from advancing in the Senate, turning back an election year effort by President Obama to slap a new tax rate on those earning beyond $1 million a year.
Nearly all Republicans voted against the measure, a potentially risky move at a time when 60% of voters support the measure, according to a recent Gallup poll, as a way to ensure wealthy Americans pay their fair share of taxes. Democrats are likely to revive the effort in coming months.
“Continuing to allow some of the wealthiest Americans to use special tax breaks to avoid paying their fair share simply cannot be justified,” the White House said in a statement before the vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
The Buffett Rule is a cheap political gimmick to make the Democrats look good. It has a negligible effect on the deficit, and is simply being used to paint the GOP as favoring the rich. By opposing it, the GOP just hands the Democrats a huge political victory on a completely inconsequential issue.
What the GOP should do is publicly call this out for being a meaningless gimmick. Say that it is a serious attempt to address the deficit, but rather just playing politics so they can avoid addressing the tough issues.
So, call their bluff. Announce you'll pass the Buffett rule (as we all know, the effect is tiny anyway), then say that now that we've gotten the stupid political gimmick out of the way, let's get serious and talk about some real cuts in spending, and real deficit reduction. But you have to do that with some blunt, confrontational language on what the Buffett Rule really is.
All we do by opposing this is let Obama and the Democrats claim that they are the only ones willing to address the deficit. It is a false, ridiculous claim, but it will play well.
The mistake the Dems have made is playing this card with a bill that is so small. If you're going to play class-warfare politics, you need to be pushing something you know the other side won't support. Because if we do support it, it destroys the "GOP favors the rich" narrative, and puts the ball back in their court for some real deficit reduction. And more realistically, makes our claim that the Democrats aren't serious about reducing the deficit that much stronger for the election.
Flame away.
“Continuing to allow some of the wealthiest Americans to use special tax breaks to avoid paying their fair share simply cannot be justified,” the White House said in a statement before the vote.
Which in turn, brings up the even bigger point, that the Bluff-It Rule -- which even Bobo has admitted is a "gimmick" -- was actually merely an attempt to demoralize the Tea Party. It was advanced in the hopes of attracting enough RINOs to go along and pass it. That the Bluff-It Rule appeals to overpaid Beltway Leftists is beside the point. The only useful thing to come out of this is how much a simpering sycophantic douchebag Warren Buffett really is.
EVERYTHING you've got.
First thing that occurred to me, as well.
There aren’t 51 Republicans in the Senate.
The left is using this to advance the meme that Republicans favor the rich.
Libtards have an unlimited supply of stupid political gimmicks.
The takeaway from the Bluff-It Rule kabuki was meant to sucker just enough GOP RINOs into doing just what you advocated, and thusly enrage/turn off the Tea Party for this election cycle.
FAIR SHARE is when everyone contributes the same amount for the same services by fed, state, and local governments.
I find it demoralizing that no one ever talks about the lower-class using more services than the middle and upper class. Yet, some 49% of the populace don't even pay income taxes, while some of them get a tax credit and a check, not to mention welfare and food stamps, and DO use more services (think ER's closing down).
SO WHAT IF THEY PAY SALES AND OTHER TAXES - EVEYONE DOES! Again, some 49% don't pay income taxes which is the main source of fed and state income.
This is what's wrong with the GOP establishment. They won't get off their rears and explain the above to the voting public when obama pushes his class warfare. Where the hell is Boehner? He had his mandate in the turnover in 2010 and has done little with it. Where are the TEA PARTY freshmen? What the hell happened?
Obama WILL get 4 more years, now that Mittens is the GOP boy of choice. I've become so fed up with the GOP, I'm going to re-register as an Independent.
Sure I will catch hell from the GOP faithful. Rah, rah, shish boom bah! - it's our team no matter whaat!. Pfft.
True enough. But they've spend months on this one, and have put so much effort and PR into it, that you take the wind completely out of their sails by calling their bluff. If the response to passing it is another stupid little gimmick, that'll be about the last one they can fit in before the election, and you call them on it again.
The problem for the GOP here is that I don't think the vast majority of Americans know how little money this will raise. It sounds to most people like if you do this, it should raise tons of money to close the deficit, and so how can you reasonably oppose it? Of course, the truth is that it only raises a tiny amount of money, but I'll just bet that most people don't know that. So if you pass it, and force it to stand on its own tiny merits in the light of day, it actually exposes how petty and unserious the Administration really is about the deficit. It turns their own political weapon against them.
The takeaway from the Bluff-It Rule kabuki was meant to sucker just enough GOP RINOs into doing just what you advocated, and thusly enrage/turn off the Tea Party for this election cycle.
Then that's the fault of those Tea Partiers who can't see more than two inches in front of their noses. Like it or not, elections are about politics, and whoever plays politics the best usually wins. Handing the Dems an issue that likely will play well in purple states, involving a bill whose real impact is negligible, is simply foolish. It's cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Sounds like something that Romney the RINO would do -political expedience trumping principle.
Get a clue.
Sorry Mr. President,
The Buffet Rule is not common sense; it is insane. Click here for the proof.
Sorry Mr. President,
The Buffet Rule is not common sense; it is insane. Click here for the proof.
The Democrats survive on that issue because most voters aren't aware of how bad the problem really is. Anyone who looks at the issue objectively knows that you simply cannot raise taxes enough to solve it. We must cut spending. Yet, the Democrats are convincing people that raising taxes really is the way to go.
The best way to prove them wrong on this issue is to point out that even if you give them what they've been begging for, it is less than one half of one percent of the annual deficit. It is a perfect way of demonstrating that cuts are the key to solving the deficit.
So am I willing to compromise "principle" for the purpose of making clear to voters an even more important principle, critical to the GOP success in Congress? Absolutely.
I have a bridge you would be interested in buying.
We don’t need a Buffett Rule. We need a Buffett’s Secretary Rule, in which the taxpaying working stiff pays as low a marginal tax rate as the millionaire.
At least that one is willing to play for gumbo. Warren never would.
Love it and would make a great soundbite if the GOP had any nerve. Although I would replace millionaire with billionaire.
What we have, and what everyone better get a clue about and remember history (or learn it!), is Communism on display. Why Harry Reid himself was pontificating about the virtues of ‘fair’ and shouldering/’sharing’ the burden etc etc.
Anytime the words fair and share are continually spouted you rich people better bend over and spread because you're about to take it.
It's good that this failed but has anyone considered how that happened? And if the senate ‘republicans’ (gag) can achieve this, how is it Obama can continue to ramrod marxist policies through with barely a murmur? Why is it that in certain instances the Marxist madman can circumvent the Congress altogether when clearly, if they stand together, as shown here, something can be done. /rant off
Exactly. This could be promoted the same way Obozo promotes the buffoon rule -let's make things "FAIR".
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