A day or two later congress passed the same Bush tax cuts for 98% of taxpayers (everybody up to an income of $400,000) and this time they were made permanent (ie., no "sunset" provision). In other words, congress raised taxes on nobody.
Boehner stumbled along (or did he?) playing footsie with the African communist scumbag Ubama for a month during the so-called "fiscal cliff" negotiations, and appeared to nearly blow it twice, first by proposing "eliminating deductions and closing loopholes" - - as if that's not a massive tax hike - - and second by proposing something called "Plan B".
"Plan B" would have had the GOP House voting to raise taxes on upper income taxpayers since the vote would have occurred prior to the automatic "tax hikes" which took effect when the Bush cuts expired. Had "Plan B" been passed, the Democrats could have legitimately crowed forever about how the Republicans agreed with Democrats that taxes had to be raised. Republicans would never have heard the end of it, and it may have killed the party.
Somehow, Ubama talked himself out of going along with the first proposal, and the House conservatives killed "Plan B".
Astonishingly, the Republicans are now in a position where they have not only made the Bush tax cuts permanent for nearly everybody, but they can make the solid case, as Mitch McConnell already did, that the "debate over taxes is behind us now". After over a month of the issue dominating their television sets, no way do Americans want to hear about the Democrats coming back yet again to demand more taxes - - and even threatening a "sequestration cuts / end of the world" scenario over the issue.
The Republicans are sitting in the catbird's seat, no doubt about it. "The tax issue is behind us." Whether Boehner finessed his way there, or stumbled into it doesn't matter now - - the ball is most definitely in the Democrats' court, and everybody knows it. As long as Boehner sticks with that mantra, the ignorant chattering class will eventually notice that the rats have done nothing.
Is that specific enough for you? So yeah - - why don't you see what happens before you start wringing your hands and cursing Boehner again?
Sorry, I missed the part where you actually addressed, much less answered my question.
Interesting several paragraphs but no answer.
Obama’s current fear is that sequestration kicks in on March 1 and life goes on as we all know it. No delays at the airports, no terrorist attacks, no big dive in the markets, no kids starving, no old people not getting health care.
There’s only so many times Obama can cry wolf before people just start to ignore his whining. Most already do.
Correct. Boehner's words are finally resonating because Obama's harping on tax hikes doesn't carry the heft it once did.
I may not agree with you on all points, and I still think that Boehner is completely inept as well as scared stiff of 0bama... but you did write a good posting with solid comments IMO.