GOP softens anti-tax rhetoric

[Torie]

I am putting this article on this Board, because Mittens is one of the guys on the dance floor, as the Pubs gyrate between rhetoric and reality.  Stay tuned. As is also true with the Dems (e.g., per Bill O'Reilly last night, just what percentage of tax returns filed do you think report an income of in excess of 200K for the year, a number some Dems like Schumer are now pushing up to 1 million per year?), what we have is both a truth gap, and a courage gap. I guess I would never make it in politics, because what I try to do is just call them as I see them, after doing my due diligence, and let the chips fall where they may. I either persuade or lose. That just isn't done much in Washington DC. I guess they all just love the place too much.

[King]

It'd be nice if they softened it enough to get something through Congress.

[Torie]

It'd be nice if they softened it enough to get something through Congress.

Maybe around Christmas. Certainly not before.

[Simfan34]

I hope you're right.

[timothyinMD]

If you ask Republican, conservatives, tea partiers if they'd rather have lower taxes OR spending cuts, I bet 90% will say spending cuts..  Repubs aren't blindly anti-tax.. we fully acknowledge we need taxes

[Purch]

It's funny how people belive Romney is this hard Right winged guy. He's a moderate, he got out of rasing taxes by rasing fees on nearly everything as governor. My stance of being completly anti-Romney has soften because the more I look at him as governor the more I realize that's he's a lot less attached to these hard right principles when he's not trying to pusuade his base. Ultimatlely I think if he were president how he governs would be a direct result of who's in Congres if it's all repubs he'll probally move to the right but if it's divided I feel he'll be that same Moderate guy who actually does have experience working with democrats.


But again it's hard to not dislike this guy but I guess he's a product of the current American politics. A guy who's a moderate who can't even highlight his success in a state or he'll lose the support of the extremist in his party.

However I still respect pubs like Ron Paul and Chris Christie where you always know where they stand whether it's benifical politically or not.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Ugh. And to think that Romney may have a shot at winning, too.

[memphis]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

[Purch]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

Ahh post like this remind me about why I hate this party system. Democrats do nothing but demonize Repubs and Repubs do nothing but critisize democrats. And it's been this way for the past 3 decades.

[hopper]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

I think the Dems play the same game too because the tax cuts go to the middle class and the poor. Thats why Dems voted for the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts in the lame duck session in 2010.

[Sbane]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

I think the Dems play the same game too because the tax cuts go to the middle class and the poor. Thats why Dems voted for the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts in the lame duck session in 2010.

Which is Memphis's point I think. The Republicans look out for the top 2-3% while Democrats look after the rest.

[timothyinMD]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

FICA IS NOT A TAX!!

FICA is our government-forced retirement account.  It is NOT a tax.. its us paying for our own retirement!

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

FICA IS NOT A TAX!!

FICA is our government-forced retirement account.  It is NOT a tax.. its us paying for our own retirement!

No, it's a tax on the currently employed with the revenue given to the currently retired.

[Torie]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

I think the Dems play the same game too because the tax cuts go to the middle class and the poor. Thats why Dems voted for the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts in the lame duck session in 2010.

Which is Memphis's point I think. The Republicans look out for the top 2-3% while Democrats look after the rest.

The Dems have done just a fabulous job looking out for me actually. I could give my capital gains rap again about how that is the worst place to jack up the rates (probably in the end screwing the folks more than the rich who will make appropriate adjustments, including just not recognizing gains, along with other economically detrimental behavior), which won't raise much revenue, and is really just demogoguery, but I have made that point enough. I have another post about where the real loopholes for the rich lie (well the start of a list). Check it out.

That might be one major reason why the rich are trending Dem come to think of it - or were.  Now the Dems are doing it so dumb, that that trend may well reverse. That is my expectation anyway.

[hopper]

It's funny how people belive Romney is this hard Right winged guy. He's a moderate, he got out of rasing taxes by rasing fees on nearly everything as governor. My stance of being completly anti-Romney has soften because the more I look at him as governor the more I realize that's he's a lot less attached to these hard right principles when he's not trying to pusuade his base. Ultimatlely I think if he were president how he governs would be a direct result of who's in Congres if it's all repubs he'll probally move to the right but if it's divided I feel he'll be that same Moderate guy who actually does have experience working with democrats.


But again it's hard to not dislike this guy but I guess he's a product of the current American politics. A guy who's a moderate who can't even highlight his success in a state or he'll lose the support of the extremist in his party.

However I still respect pubs like Ron Paul and Chris Christie where you always know where they stand whether it's benifical politically or not.

Yeah Romney had to run to the further to the right than we wanted to get some tea party cred. He basically didn't have a choice because The Tea Party is a wing of the GOP that you have to cater to.

[rob in cal]

Concerning Romney, he has said that any tax changes he supports would keep the wealthiest paying the same overall share as they do now, so he is hardly the same as those who would support, say, a flat tax, or the total abolition of the income tax to be replaced by a national sales tax.

[Purch]

He's for "Broading the tax base" The problem with that is , to do it you have to decrease the amount of people in poverty and increase the size of the middle class. There's to large a percentage of people in poverty to broaden the tax base.

[Torie]

It's funny how people belive Romney is this hard Right winged guy. He's a moderate, he got out of rasing taxes by rasing fees on nearly everything as governor. My stance of being completly anti-Romney has soften because the more I look at him as governor the more I realize that's he's a lot less attached to these hard right principles when he's not trying to pusuade his base. Ultimatlely I think if he were president how he governs would be a direct result of who's in Congres if it's all repubs he'll probally move to the right but if it's divided I feel he'll be that same Moderate guy who actually does have experience working with democrats.


But again it's hard to not dislike this guy but I guess he's a product of the current American politics. A guy who's a moderate who can't even highlight his success in a state or he'll lose the support of the extremist in his party.

However I still respect pubs like Ron Paul and Chris Christie where you always know where they stand whether it's benifical politically or not.

Yeah Romney had to run to the further to the right than we wanted to get some tea party cred. He basically didn't have a choice because The Tea Party is a wing of the GOP that you have to cater to.

I think you got it, sir. That primary was just so painful to endure.

[King]

A man of real character would have worked to convince the Teabaggers that his moderate positions were correct.  It's not like they have much political knowledge anyway.  In this primary, Newt very easily was able to set whatever idea came to mind as being part of the conservative agenda.   Romney could have easily done the same, but he's a weakling and a tool.

This is why I like Chris Christie.  I don't think he will moderate hero and stand down if he runs in 2016.  But he needs an open GOP primary in 2016 to run, so Gobama!

[All Along The Watchtower]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

Yup.

And I also agree with King's post (the first part, anyway). The Tea Partiers are political idiots. Why Romney doesn't stand up to them is beyond me. (OK, I know why..Romney lacks the courage of his convictions.)

The real issue with the GOP, though, is the way that people like Grover Norquist have a stranglehold on the party through their simplistic, absolutist view of taxation-that it's all bad (unless you raise taxes on the poor...erm, I mean, "broaden the base." ) Not just bad, though. Evil. Government is evil (outside of national defense and criminal justice), taxation is theft, and the only solution is to starve the beast by continuously cutting taxes on the richest Americans, running up huge deficits, and therefore, forcing future generations to pay with cuts to social services.

It's an incredibly cynical (in the worst sense of that word, of course), selfish, and self-serving way of looking at society. And combine all that with the dominance of dogmatic right-wing Christianity in the Republican Party, and you have a recipe for disastrous politics.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

It's funny how people belive Romney is this hard Right winged guy. He's a moderate, he got out of rasing taxes by rasing fees on nearly everything as governor. My stance of being completly anti-Romney has soften because the more I look at him as governor the more I realize that's he's a lot less attached to these hard right principles when he's not trying to pusuade his base. Ultimatlely I think if he were president how he governs would be a direct result of who's in Congres if it's all repubs he'll probally move to the right but if it's divided I feel he'll be that same Moderate guy who actually does have experience working with democrats.


But again it's hard to not dislike this guy but I guess he's a product of the current American politics. A guy who's a moderate who can't even highlight his success in a state or he'll lose the support of the extremist in his party.

However I still respect pubs like Ron Paul and Chris Christie where you always know where they stand whether it's benifical politically or not.

Yeah Romney had to run to the further to the right than we wanted to get some tea party cred. He basically didn't have a choice because The Tea Party is a wing of the GOP that you have to cater to.

I think you got it, sir. That primary was just so painful to endure.

Romney was at least trying to keep the moderates with him this time. He campaigned even further to the right four years ago.

[Dereich]

A man of real character would have worked to convince the Teabaggers that his moderate positions were correct.  It's not like they have much political knowledge anyway.  In this primary, Newt very easily was able to set whatever idea came to mind as being part of the conservative agenda.   Romney could have easily done the same, but he's a weakling and a tool.

This is why I like Chris Christie.  I don't think he will moderate hero and stand down if he runs in 2016.  But he needs an open GOP primary in 2016 to run, so Gobama!

This doesn't necessarily work towards your point. I know a person whose whole political pholosophy is the same as he learned in high school, which is "1. Taxing is bad 2. Democrats love to tax 3. Therefore, Democrats are bad". He's voted in 7 elections knowing nothing about any of the candidates but this. It isn't easy to convince someone who is already convinced at his core that politics is black and white. All you can do is make them more angry, as Newt did. And it isn't easy to get people fired up over moderation.

[All Along The Watchtower]

And it isn't easy to get people fired up over moderation.

Politics shouldn't be about getting people "fired up" though.

(And no, I'm not a soulless knowledge-and-reason-worshipping technocrat. That's the other extreme. )

[Marokai Backbeat]

I love how maybe accepting 10 dollars in spending cuts for every 1 dollar of taxes is somehow a huge step forward.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Not all taxes are created equal for the GOP. They seemed awfully eagar to increase FICA taxes last year. At the same time, Republicans will fight to the death to protect tax cuts and even lower tax cuts for the 1%, even as these owners consumer an ever greater slice of the pie. Get a clue, America. It's not that hard to figure out who's looking out for whom.

Yup.

And I also agree with King's post (the first part, anyway). The Tea Partiers are political idiots. Why Romney doesn't stand up to them is beyond me. (OK, I know why..Romney lacks the courage of his convictions.)

The real issue with the GOP, though, is the way that people like Grover Norquist have a stranglehold on the party through their simplistic, absolutist view of taxation-that it's all bad (unless you raise taxes on the poor...erm, I mean, "broaden the base." ) Not just bad, though. Evil. Government is evil (outside of national defense and criminal justice), taxation is theft, and the only solution is to starve the beast by continuously cutting taxes on the richest Americans, running up huge deficits, and therefore, forcing future generations to pay with cuts to social services.

It's an incredibly cynical (in the worst sense of that word, of course), selfish, and self-serving way of looking at society. And combine all that with the dominance of dogmatic right-wing Christianity in the Republican Party, and you have a recipe for disastrous politics.

Even Grover himself has left open the door to tax increase of some sort, provided that the spending cuts are real and actually materialize. The problem is his pledges down't contain such a clause.