Tuesday, August 24, 2010
GOP And Identity Politics
Republicans have 8 years of Bush plus zero new ideas, aside from extending failed tax cuts for the mega-rich.
So they spend their time attacking Obama as a black man. Gutless.
Democrats Should Propose A "People's Tax Cut"
Republicans are calling the Democrat’s proposal to end the Bush tax cuts on the richest 3 percent a “tax increase,” and demagoging that it will hurt the economy and small business. This is baloney, to put it politely. Let me count the ways:
– Bush’s ten-year tax cut was designed to end this year, so it’s not a tax increase.
– Ending it for the rich simply returns them to the Clinton tax rate, which was hardly confiscatory (reminder: the Clinton years were damn good for business).
– Small businesses would barely be affected. Only 3 percent of small business owners earn over $250,000. And because it’s a “marginal” tax rate, the Clinton tax would apply only to the portion of their incomes over $250,000.
– Yet extending the Bush tax cut to the richest Americans would give them a $36 billion bonus next year. ($31 billion of this would go to billionaire households.) And that $36 billion would be added to the budget deficit.
– And it wouldn’t even stimulate demand and jobs, because the very rich save (rather than spend) more of their disposable income than the rest of us.
– Finally, ending the extention for the top is fair. Income inequality has become so grotesque that the top 3 percent of households rake in almost a third of total income (the highest portion since 1928).
But by the time Democrats explain all this, it’s too late. The Republican furor over a “tax increase” has framed the debate.
Republicans understand the art of tax demagoguery: Put the other side on the defensive by forcing them to explain why a “tax increase” is warranted and they lose regardless.
So instead of playing defense, Democrats should go on the attack.
Accuse Republicans of being shills for the rich.
And don’t stop there. Do tax jujitsu. In addition to ending the Bush tax cut for the rich, put forward another proposal for growing the economy that cuts taxes on lower-income Americans.
Democrats should propose eliminating payroll taxes on the first $20,000 of income, and making up the revenue loss by applying payroll taxes to incomes above $250,000.
This would give the economy an immediate boost by adding to the paychecks of just about every working American. 80 percent of Americans pay more in payroll taxes than they do in income taxes. And because lower-income people get most of the benefit, it’s likely to be spent.
It would also give employers an extra incentive to hire because they’d save on their share of the payroll tax. And most of the incentive would be directed toward hiring low-income workers – who have taken the biggest hit on jobs and pay during the recession.
It wouldn’t add to the deficit. Lost revenues would be made up by applying payroll taxes to income exceeding $250,000. This is certainly fair. As it is now, the Social Security payroll tax doesn’t apply to any income over $106,000. Having the tax kick in again at $250,000 would draw on the top 3 percent of earners, who (as noted) now rake in a larger portion of total income than they have in more than 80 years.
Call it the People’s Tax Cut, and let Republicans explain why they’re against it.
Bush and Republicans' "spend and borrow" got us into an economic hellscape that took a $770 billion stimulus to get us out of. Their tax cuts failed. Why double down?
We the people, not the mega-wealthy or off-shore corporations with tax shelters and tax credits, we the 97% of regular people need the relief in this time of sacrifice.
Republicans Hot And Cold On Constitution
Republican Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia won his seat in Congress campaigning as a strict defender of the Constitution. He carries a copy in his pocket and is particularly fond of invoking the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
But it turns out there are parts of the document he doesn't care for — lots of them. He wants to get rid of the language about birthright citizenship, federal income taxes and direct election of senators, among others. He would add plenty of stuff, including explicitly authorizing castration as punishment for child rapists.
This hot-and-cold take on the Constitution is surprisingly common within the GOP, particularly among those like Broun who portray themselves as strict Constitutionalists and who frequently accuse Democrats of twisting the document to serve political aims.
Republicans have proposed at least 42 Constitutional amendments in the current Congress. If they don't like something, that's a position. You can't go changing everything in the Constitution to score political points on any given day.
Republicans like to cherry pick the Constitution just as much as they like to cherry pick the Bible.
Cherry picking is just a Christian thing to do. When you want to impose gun restrictions, they point to the Constitution and say, "fuck people's feelings. It's my RIGHT to carry a gun". When it's the question of the mosque, they point at people's feelings and say "Fuck their rights. Show some consideration toward the FEELINGS of the people". It's the Party of Hypocrisy.
Republican Exceptionalism
- Muslims
- Gays
- Latinos
- Pregnant women
- Babies born in America to immigrants
- the mega-wealthiest top 1% who got the toxic tax cuts in the first place
- Corporations who fund the Tea Baggers and use them as identity politics pawns
- Republicans
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Kansas Billionaire Koch Brothers’ War Against Obama And American Ideals
With his brother Charles, who is seventy-four, David Koch owns virtually all of Koch Industries, a conglomerate, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, whose annual revenues are estimated to be a hundred billion dollars. The company has grown spectacularly since their father, Fred, died, in 1967, and the brothers took charge. The Kochs operate oil refineries in Alaska, Texas, and Minnesota, and control some four thousand miles of pipeline. Koch Industries owns Brawny paper towels, Dixie cups, Georgia-Pacific lumber, Stainmaster carpet, and Lycra, among other products. Forbes ranks it as the second-largest private company in the country, after Cargill, and its consistent profitability has made David and Charles Koch—who, years ago, bought out two other brothers—among the richest men in America. Their combined fortune of thirty-five billion dollars is exceeded only by those of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation.
The Koch brothers outbid ExxonMobil in funding organizations that discredit climate change.
The Kochs fund opposition campaigns against many Obama Administration policies—from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program.
The Kochs believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation.
They inherited their family billions and now want to dismantle all that is fair about America to "conserve" their own wealth. Complete dicks!!!
Gutting The Middle Class: The GOP's "Mission Accomplished"
When the nation's economy foundered in 2008, blame was directed almost universally at Wall Street. But Reich suggests a different reason for the meltdown, and for a perilous road ahead. He argues that the real problem is structural: it lies in the increasing concentration of income and wealth at the top, and in a middle class that has had to go deeply into debt to maintain a decent standard of living.
The Middle Class is under attack from the Right Wing. The Corporations and wealthiest Americans have played the Tea Baggers and Fox Noise viewers like a fiddle.
Made them simply fear a President's known birth certificate and in return got their devotion and blind faith to stand against every bit of legislation and policy that would actually helped them.
Obama passed the biggest Middle Class tax cuts in history and their mantra is "taxed enough already".
The Tea Baggers are all nascent deficit hawks, clamoring about every nickel spent, yet want to extend toxic Bush tax cuts to the top1% and add $700 billion to the deficit. WTF?
Unless you're making 5 million a year, you're not a Republican. Don't let your white skin fool you.
Palin's Word Salad Performance Art Tanking
Sarah Palin can't sell tickets to her word salad performance art -- in Florida.
"An Evening of Hope with Sarah Palin," an event featuring the former Alaska Governor, was supposed to be a minor blockbuster in Jacksonville, Florida, next week, but not everything has gone as planned.
Slow ticket sales have forced event organizers to move the function from the 2,936-seat Moran Theatre to the significantly smaller 609-seat Terry Theatre.
"Real America" appears to be shrinking.
This is a good sign for America.
The Southern Strategy Lives On
"The president says he's a Christian. I take him at his word," McConnell told Meet the Press host David Gregory.
This statement leaves some doubt, of course, which is precisely what he meant to do. It's a dog whistle for the extremists and radicals. Obama is "not one of us". Therefore, everything he does can be opposed with righteous lunacy.
Lee Atwater and Strom Thurmond are smiling in Hell somewhere.
Milky Joe Takes On The GOP
“And I talk to you, my Republican brethren,” he said into the camera. “I don’t know how much longer you’ll be my brethren. I’ll be honest. I’m looking for a conservative party that actually believes in small government and not engaging in Wilsonian wars but that’s another discussion.
“I’m just talking, you know, as a friend. I promise you this. You’re going to be embarrassed. You’re going to look back two, three, four years from now and this is going to be dark blot on your record if you don’t speak out against New Gingrich and the voices of hate.
“This is an embarrassment and you need to speak out against it” - MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough told Republicans Monday that they should “speak out against Newt Gingrich and the voices of hate.”
Krugman: Bush's Dysfunctional Tax Cuts Need To Go
And there’s a real chance that Republicans will get what they want. That’s a demonstration, if anyone needed one, that our political culture has become not just dysfunctional but deeply corrupt.
What’s at stake here? According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, making all of the Bush tax cuts permanent, as opposed to following the Obama proposal, would cost the federal government $680 billion in revenue over the next 10 years. For the sake of comparison, it took months of hard negotiations to get Congressional approval for a mere $26 billion in desperately needed aid to state and local governments.
And where would this $680 billion go? Nearly all of it would go to the richest 1 percent of Americans, people with incomes of more than $500,000 a year. But that’s the least of it: the policy center’s estimates say that the majority of the tax cuts would go to the richest one-tenth of 1 percent.
These damaging tax cuts were corrupt and dysfunctional when Republicans rammed them through Congress using, of all things, Reconciliation. Funny how Republicans hated Reconciliation when Health Care reform was involved but loved it back then.
They were also set to expire after nine years to avoid the headlines of a 10-year calculated effect on the budget which would have pointed out how bad this lack of tax revenue would hurt America. Bastards.
Obama is standing firm against the rich cry babies. It's time America stands up for the less privileged, the aging, the teachers, the police and firefighters. Their voices don't have the money to go against the wealthy, but the future of America needs to hear them.
Afghan War Running Low On Logic
Obama needs to get out of the failed Bush Foreign Nation Building business and focus on the US for a bit. Less bombs, more schools.
Michael Ian Black Keepin' It Real
"Hitler is just a buzz word. Which is actually part of my problem with him saying it in such a blithe way. In a weird way, by equating policy disagreements with a genocidal egomaniac, you’re actually disrespecting Hitler. You’re actually bringing his evil down to the level of the mundane, which we should never do. Obama is Hitler because he created a consumer protection agency? C’mon."
Michael Ian Black reacts to a heckler comparing Obama to Hitler.
