John Edwards' repeal of the upper 1%'s tax cut will backfire on Dems

[Atman]

First of all, let me be clear...I think it should and MUST be done. We need to return to a tax system which helps the country, not a few golfing buddies of the Bush family.

But any astute DUer knows about the way BushCo has fudged the economic figures, changed the way unemployment is calculated, etc. Add a touch of housing crisis, war debt back on the books, a dash of plummeting dollar, stir, and enjoy the full picture; BushCo's phenomenal economic climate is a ruse, and it's only been phenomenal if you were in good economic shape in the first place.

And we all know -- or most of us do -- that the whole house of cards is set to collapse. BushCo is sweating out the housing crisis, hoping to stave off reality until January 2009. But on January 21, the day the new Democratic president is sworn in and the new crew gets a chance to look at the books, we're in for a rude awakening. An Edwards tax cut repeal would be used as the excuse for the whole disaster. And anything that happens after inauguration day will be blamed on "tax and spend liberals." After all, they're STILL on "It's all Clinton's fault." But they will never acknowledge any blame for anything on any Republican.

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[SoCalDem]

1. he would have to be elected first and congress would have to actually do it..

:)

[Kansas Wyatt]

2. And that is why Dems must point out the frauds of BushCo. & Republicans, Inc.

That caused the coming disaster every chance they get, just like the Rethugs parrot everything all the time.

[asthmaticeog]

3. You know what? I really don't give a fuck.

A Dem president could usher in an unprecedented age of world peace and contentment, provide poverty relief and drive crime down to negligible levels, and end the climate crisis, and the right would still hysterically shriek about how evil he or she was. So I don't care what's going to backfire, what plays into their hands, what "they" secretly WANT us to do OMFG OMFG. I want Dems to say what's true and do what's going to work, and quit all this goddamn pandering and triangulation.

Edit: removal of a repellent catchphrase I inadvertently used

[Atman]

5. Good response!

Thanks.

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[aquart]

7. Thank you.

I DO NOT GIVE A FUCK WHAT THE REPUBLICANS WANT. There are more of US.

[Forkboy]

12. There we go!

:applause:

[Atman]

13. I didn't say anything about what Republicans WANT. I don't give a fuck, either!

And as I clearly pointed out in my op, I said I think the tax cut repeal should and MUST be done. Stay focused.

All I'm saying is that the timing of the coming inevitable crash -- inevitable, imho -- will be very convenient for the GOP, and a return to a fair taxation system will simply be labled as a huge "tax increase on Americans" foisted on us by those damned tax and spend liberals. And that's how they'll work at re-invigorating their base of cow paddy farmers. Same ol' same ol.

Oh, and just for the record...discussing an idea doesn't mean an endorsement of that idea.

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[frogcycle]

19. right on

[gratuitous]

4. Yeah, let's not do anything

In case things get bad or worse, and the GOP might blame us. It takes an uncommon mind to think like that. Although, it seems to me that the GOP blames us for everything bad anyway, so what would the difference be, exactly?

[pitohui]

11. post of the year, thanks gratuitous EOM

m

[Atman]

14. You haven't read many posts, have you?

:rofl:

Dude, you need to check in more. There are some real posts on DU...that one didn't rate Post of the Hour, let alone Post of the Year. It was just an average run-of-the-mill snark.

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[gratuitous]

27. Don't argue with the man

Clearly knows what he's talking about.

[rucky]

6. Let's not not do something because the smear machine will distort it.

We just need to back it up. Dems have good ideas, but they aren't really good a selling them, thinking they stand up on their own and not addressing the distortions before they come out. Media Blitz!

[AndyTiedye]

26. We Gotta Do What We Gotta Do, But Expect to Be Smeared For It. Always. They Own the Media

[BeyondGeography]

8. If we can't do that I'm going to quit my job, sell paintings and turn my yard into a pot farm

And I won't pay taxes anymore either.

[Bozita]

9. IIRC, something like 25% of 'Muricans think they're in the top 10%

I remember reading and wondering about this roughly 5-6 years ago.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. I don't know about that.

Sure, the rich oil field trash and some of the wealthy ranchers will pop an aorta or two, but in a lot of other places, the well-to-do are getting mighty nervous about what is happening in the country.

One barometer of this is how much the Dems are cleaning up from the Wall Street crowd. This is not some new hotbed of left wing thinking, with everyone growing beards and wearing berets. That said, they are smart enough to know that some bills are coming due, the party is just about over and if they give the repukes another shot at running things, all that's gonna be left is life in gated communities, surrounded by gun towers, searchlights, razor wire and cordons sanitaire.

That ain't exactly enjoying your money.

[Atman]

15. Thank you. You put some actual thought into your response.

I'm not sure I agree...people like Cheney and Bush already have so much freakin' money they can't spend it as fast as it earns interest. Yet they still have a blood-lust for more. They don't care if they have to cower behind a razor wired compound wall, as long as they have lots of cash to wallow in, and the peasants are kept at bay.

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[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

16. Point is...

Not all the rich are like those two vermin or their minions. There are actually some of them who have a sense of wider responsibility and ethics. They also know that killing off the middle class and grinding the poor into fertilizer ain't exactly gonna make them a hell of a lot richer.

[Marr]

18. I think the increased funds from big money sectors to the Dems is more akin to

DOW Chemical sponsoring PBS discussions.

They want to buy as much of the Democratic Party as they can before the GOP loses their influence. Just like buying stocks. They have no party loyalty per se, just a parasitic dependence on power.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

22. The one thing the rich understand is self-preservation.

Of course, the milk of human kindness does rarely flow through their veins and selfless altruism is not their strongest suit. But they know a trainwreck when they see it. They know bad business, for the most part.

Of course, there are the full on sociopaths, but any psych 101student can tell you there ain't a hell of a lot you can expect of them. Ever.

[Marr]

17. Who cares what they say? They lie about everything.

But he could always just use that bully pulpit to explain the situation frankly. He could say something like, 'look, the previous occupant here at the White House was a pathological liar, as 75% of you already know, and one of the many things he lied about was economics'.

In fact I think I like the sound of that. It'd piss them off even more than erasing their corrupt policies.

[flaminbats]

20. how low can we go?

most Republicans don't believe in sacrificing to win anything, less government, or any form compassion.

should we stoop to their level in 2008? we can promise universal healthcare along with taxcuts. we can attack Republicans as weak on defense while proposing larger defense budgets than they have. we can abolish the FBI and Department of Homeland Defense, while telling voters that government is the problem..not the solution.

cynical or fair politics?

[TheFarseer]

21. if it helps pay off the debt...........

it will be good in the long run and that will eventually become apparent to all. If you simply increase spending to match any additional revenue (which I fear the Democrats may do), I think that would be wrong no matter what the money goes for.

[Selatius]

23. This is easy. Simply tell the people what the Repubs have done to cook the books ad nauseam.

Then, when the people get enraged at some of the book cooking, offer up a simple solution: Repeal Bush's tax cuts for the top 1 percent and use the extra revenue to invest in more job training programs to help people get out of poverty and poverty relief programs for people in poverty. Then you can invest in public education, health care, the whole gamut.

[LSK]

24. I was asked about this by a completely clueless co-worker today

I said it was for people who make over $200k. Then I forwarded her Edwards press release plan.

She thinks he makes sense now and is probably in favor of him now.

[Blackhatjack]

25. If Edwards were to make a full and complete disclosure of our financial condition then...

it would take a lot of the wind out of the Repub naysayers sails.

Our Presidents up to now have been reluctant to tell the American people the truth about how the tax revenues are generated and spent. Edwards could do that if elected since he is not beholding to any corporate or ultra-rich special interests groups.

[LSK]

28. and another thing, Edwards campaign is based on the honest brutal truth

So Im glad he is up front about raising taxes.