As the date for the Bush Tax Cuts to cease looms ever closer, it appears that the Republicans might actually be trying to man up and mount a defense, reminiscent of the Spartans defending the pass through the mountains in the movie “300”.
Foxnews.com reports that
House Republican leaders said Wednesday they’ve done their job in negotiations to solve the looming fiscal crisis, while President Obama is returning to the campaign trail to sell tax hikes that studies show won’t have much, if any, effect on solving the problem.
“We have done our part by putting revenue on the table,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Cantor and fellow House leaders have agreed to close tax loopholes to generate revenue to reduce the $1.1 trillion annual deficit. But they argue the president has yet to say publicly what cuts he will make to the federal budget — specifically to costly entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — to reduce the deficit.
They also say the president’s plan to extend tax cuts only to middle-class Americans will not generate enough revenue to significantly reduce the deficit.
The leaders made their argument the same day Gene Sperling, director of the president’s National Economic Council, told House Democrats that failing to extend Bush-era tax cuts to the top 2 percent of income earners could trickle down to hit the middle class, sources tell Fox News.
On Wednesday afternoon, the president ramped up his public pitch amid a backdrop of hand-picked, middle-class voters at the White House.
“Right now, as we speak, Congress can pass a law that would prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of everybody’s income,” he said. “And that means that 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses wouldn’t see their income taxes go up by a single dime.”
He also urged Americans to use social media to try to persuade their congressional representatives to take the deal – telling them to use Facebook and their Twitter accounts. Obama even announced a new White House hashtag My2K — a reference to the estimated $2,200 tax increase that a typical middle-class family of four would see if the Bush tax cuts expire.
Of course, when word got out that Obama and his minions came up with that goofy #Mt2K idea, Conservatives immediately started hijacking it. Your’s truly was no exception:
kingsjester @kingsjester1
Our money – Washington’s “revenue” – #My2k
kingsjester @kingsjester1
“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” – #My2k
kingsjester @kingsjester1
We’re all going to be too poor to pay attention – #My2k
Have you ever noticed how these modern Democrats try desperately to mask Marxism with the cloak of nobleness?
For example:
We’ve got to raise taxes! It’s for the children!
Republicans want control of your uterus!
and, of course,
The Republicans want you all back in chains!
How…noble? No. Self-serving.
If the Dems were as noble as they claim to be, they would keep their promises.
Like, the promises they made in the Debt Ceiling Compromise last August:
House Speaker John Boehner had to rely on a blend of Republicans and Democrats to push the bill through his chamber, with some conservatives unhappy about key provisions in the compromise.
House Democrats don’t want to carry Republicans’ water, though. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said earlier Monday that every Democrat who votes for the bill takes a Republican off the hook — he urged colleagues to wait until Republicans put at least 200 votes on the board “before we give them cover.”
Liberal Democrats are unhappy in part because the first phase of the plan relies solely on spending cuts — $900 billion worth of them.
The second phase of the plan relies on a special committee to come up with roughly $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction. Both sides are wary about what that process could produce, in terms of entitlement reform and tax reform.
And conservatives are particularly agitated about a provision that would enact sweeping defense cuts if the committee’s recommendations are not approved by the end of the year. Plus some are peeved that, while the package would call for a vote on a balanced-budget amendment, it would not require its approval in order for the debt ceiling to be increased.
About those Spending Cuts…they never happened.
This scenario, concerning the battle on the edge of the Fiscal Cliff, is, actually just a continuation from the recent presidential campaign.
On one side, you have Obama and the Democrats, playing the class warfare card for all it’s worth, blaming those eeevil rich people (I never got a job from a poor man.) and those wascally wepublicans (The Dems are huntin’ Entitlements. Heheheheheh.) for standing in the way of Baracky Claus delivering all the free stuff that his base really, really wants…err…needs.
On the other side is Speaker John Boehner and the Republicans, trying to man up and find a Conservative spine among all that Moderation, in order to put on a good show for the home folks.
How long the Republicans will hold to their convictions remains to be seen.
This bunch, who gave us Mitt Romney, the candidate who thought that Obama was a good guy, who is just in over his head, seems to suffer from the same indecisiveness as Romney’s Campaign.
They can’t seem to figure out whether to stand and fight against Obama’s tax increases, go back into negotiations, or, just drop their guns and run.
(By the way…is anybody out there interested in two WW II French Army Rifles? Dropped once. Never shot.)
The question remains…are the Republicans going to be Spartans? Or, Vichy French?
Until He comes,
KJ
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