Digby on Bush Tax Cuts©..."Repubs feel fight is to their benefit, Dems always just planned to punt"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/tax-cuts-setting-up-battle-on-their.html

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Setting Up The Battle On Their Turf

by digby

Kagro X had a fascinating analysis of what the Republicans were up to in the tax cut votes yesterday. He surmises that they want the millionaires tax cut to expire so they can come in after January and reinstate them and be big heroes.

I'm not sure that will work. After all, the president could veto them then and they'd be well and truly gone. I continue to think they want the tax cuts extended temporarily so they can use them in the election as a rallying cry for the idiots who think hiking taxes on millionaires will hurt them.

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I don't know if the Republicans do this sort of analysis or simply have better instincts about how to motivate people, but this is why I think they want the issue out there for the next two years.. They believe this fight accrues to their benefit.

I also think the Democrats are idiots not to have dispensed with this issue early on. But I'm guessing they too think this issue isn't a winner for them so they are always just planned to punt. But that raises the question again about the viability of the party. If they cannot even make a winning argument out of cutting taxes for 98% of the people then I'm not sure what they're good for.