In the four days since Tuesday’s election, John Boehner has indicated that he is willing to discuss increasing revenues, but not by raising tax rates. Instead he and his fellow Republicans in the House want to reform the tax system, lowering tax rates for everyone while closing loopholes. They believe that these changes will result in faster economic growth which will further increase revenues. Mr. Boehner has also suggested that we extend the Bush era tax cuts for another year to give congress time to come up with a new tax plan.
Conservative strategist Brent Bozell has proposed a Republican manifesto in which they refuse "to participate in any lame-duck session that furthers the leftist Democratic agenda; that they defund Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act; and end federal funding for Planned Parenthood and PBS".
what eye thynk: I want to look at Brent Bozell first, because he's easiest. Mr. Bozell, sit down and shut up. Your side lost. Learn to deal with it.
Okay, now for Speaker Boehner…
What he is proposing is essentially the failed Romney/Ryan plan with a little double-speak mixed in to make it sound new and plausible. On the same day he told the President that the House was willing to include increased revenues in budget talks, Mr. Boehner told ABC News, “Raising tax rates is unacceptable”. Again, Republicans want to lower taxes saying that they can increase revenue by closing undisclosed loopholes. Where are the new ideas? They apparently believe that if they keep repeating themselves everyone will eventually acquiesce.
What will it take for them to realize that the time for Republican policy chest thumping is past? One would think that Tuesday's election results would at least give them pause; but, no, they are still in no-one-should-lead-but-us mode. They refuse to accept the fact that the American people looked at their tired ideas and found them deficient. We rejected their trickle down candidate in favor of a man who has vowed to raise taxes for those who can best afford it.
Shared sacrifice is not anathema to economic success. If I can contribute 20% of my income to supporting this country, the least a millionaire can do is accept an equally measured liability.
During the Clinton presidency, tax rates were at their highest in modern history; our economy boomed, our budget balanced and when Mr. Clinton left the White House, we had a budget surplus. It took W and his Republican cronies only eight years to turn that surplus into the biggest economic disaster since the Great Depression.
As for Mr. Boehner’s suggestion that we extend Bush’s tax cuts for another year: NO! Procrastination is not an solution! You had four years to get it right. Why would anyone believe that twelve more months would make any difference, especially since the Republican answer seems to be to re-hash the the same tired ideas that brought us the October 2007 meltdown--the same tired ideas that they have been promoting since 2008--the same tired ideas that lost them the election in 2012--the same tired ideas that the American people soundly rejected on Tuesday.
In a USA Today interview on November 8, Mr. Boehner said, “We need to find more effective ways to talk to the American people about who we are as a party. Frankly, our opponents have done a pretty good job of labeling us as against women, against minorities. We need to do a more effective job communicating with the American people."
A good place to start would be to listen to the American people’s choice for President.
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