President Obama has finally realized that raising taxes on the super rich is both good policy and good politics. It won’t pass and it took public pressure from tycoonWarren Buffett to get him to act like a Democrat BUT better late than never.
The Republicans are, of course, outraged but so are some erstwhile “centrist” Democrats like former Clinton adviser and all around douchebag Mark Penn:
Barack Obama is careening down the wrong path towards re-election.
He should be working as a president, not a candidate.
He should be claiming the vital center, not abandoning it.
He should be holding down taxes rather than raising them.
He should be mastering the global economy, not running away from it.
And most of all, he should be bringing the country together rather than dividing it through class warfare.
There’s more of this crap at Satan Botoxed Handmaiden’s joint but I wanted to post this for the buyer’s remorse crowd. Penn was one of Hillary’s 2008 senior advisers and he thinks that the path to re-election involves being an echo, not a choice. It’s the strategy that Team Obama has pursued since entering the White House and it hasn’t worked. There’s not much evidence that fantasy world President Clinton would have done otherwise: it’s what her husband did to win re-election, after all.
This policy U-Turn may be too little too late but it’s past time for the administration to do something for its base. Pointing at the crazy Goopers is not enough. It’s what the Carter campaign did in 1980 and we all know how that turned out…
Bill gave us Dick Morris, Hillary gave us Mark Penn.
Think HuffPo will be covering #ourwallstreet? Seems like just yesterday she was telling us to move our money to credit unions. Good times…
This policy U-Turn may be too little too late but it’s past time for the administration to do something for its base.
What policy U-turn? Maybe I’ve been watching a different administration than you were, but I remember an attempt to sunset the Bush Tax Delusions on schedule that were derailed byDemocratic office holders in the legislature. I remember Health Care getting watered down with the help ofDemocratic office holders in the legislature. I remember thatDemocratic office holders in the legislature helped keep Guantanamo open, and prevented Federal criminal trials of alleged terrorists from taking place. Most egregiously, I remember Democratic elected officials, including theSenate Majority Leader buying in whole hog to the “Ground Zero Mosque” fantasy last year. This isexactly the same group that is going to scuttle this new plan, and yet the President somehow still gets the blame for giving up too much to the GOP.
Maybe “the base” needs to get a grip on just how little influence they have on the national Democratic Party’s ‘policy’ priorities.
How come the dems can’t seem to figure out that “liberals want to raise taxes on the rich” (actually a title for a local news article taken from AP that used similar inflammatory wording) is a rallying cry against the dems.
Better to say that liberals want to correct the regressive nature of the current tax code (who gets most of the tax deductions and tax breaks) equalize taxes or as Obama says it, pay their fair share. Attack the Off Shore Tax Havens (as well as giving no – bid contracts to off-shore tax havens. Keeping the money at home is a good thing for repubs too.)
Of course, Boehner and talk show radio will still hate it, but it would resonate so much better with the people.
@ MapleStreet: The frame you are looking for is: “Stop subsidizing wealthy Americans with middle-class tax dollars.”
Another would be: “Free Enterprise Not Feudalism.”
What Cousin Pat mentions is what has been puzzling me for some time.
Weeks of speculation about the horrible things Obama is going to propose, followed by outpourings of outrage and refusals of support, followed by a proposal that does not contain the horrible policy proposals that he has been condemned for.
Rinse, repeat.
At some point you would think people would recognize that they are being gas lighted, manipulated, and rat fucked.
I’m all for criticizing the felonies politicians actually commit or try to commit. This business of speculating over what evil lurks in the heart of this man and how we are going to punish him for what some unnamed someone claims that he might possibly be going to try to do is just stupefying.
he just kept his powder dry.
expect more next year up to the election. a majority has called for the end of zombie reagan.
My favorite bit of pearl clutching was this, coming from none other than Jonathan Capehart (and all of the dumbass conservatives I know trolling liberal blogs …): Rich people like Warren Buffet “can write a check to the IRS any time they want!”
Face palm!
I smacked that BS in the patooty. I can’t believe this guy won a Pulitzer.
I like “Free Enterprise Not Feudalism.” Or how about, “Democracy Not Feudalism.” I’d buy that bumper sticker.
Anyone who falls for this garbage from Obama is just another drooling,nose-picking retard with the same political astuteness as a run of the mill tea-bagger.
i love consultant advise. so wrong.