Bush Officials Celebrate Tax Cut ‘Trap’ They Laid Nine Years Ago

[unapatriciated]

As debate rages in Washington over the Bush tax cuts, set to expire at the end of this year, the Bush administration officials who initiated the steep tax cuts are celebrating what they see as an apparent victory, since signs point to a temporary extension of all the cuts. The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz interviewed Dan Bartlett, Bush’s former communications director, and Andy Card, Bush’s former chief of staff, among others, and they were pleased at how the expiration debate has played out:

“We knew that, politically, once you get it into law, it becomes almost impossible to remove it,” says Dan Bartlett, Bush’s former communications director. “That’s not a bad legacy. The fact that we were able to lay the trap does feel pretty good, to tell you the truth.” <...>

“ are definitely on the defensive,” Card says. “The fact that the 10-year clock ran out now had a big impact on the election.”

As Media Matters notes, former Bush senior adviser Karl Rove went on Fox News this week and further laid the proverbial trap, saying “without a hint of self-awareness” that “we’ve known this was going to be happening for a decade,” while lamenting the Democrats’ inaction.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/12/03/bushies-celebrates-taxes/


They are laughing at us, it is time for OUR elected D's to just say NO. We have heard it all too much from the R's, it is time we turned the tables and said no to them.
Just let those give aways for the wealthy run out. I don't care if it means I will have to pay a little more next year in taxes. We could use that money to extend benefits for those who really need the help.

[SpiralHawk]

1. Republicon Family Pharisee Values. As usual.

Republicon snakes in the cesspool, duping the American people. As usual.

Ptooooey.

[pa28]

2. Their "trap" was a double victory.

Most of our current debt and budget problems can be traced straight back to that cut.

To "solve" our "problem" consensus is now developing around entitlement cuts and the curbing of tax deductions for the middle class while cutting taxes on the rich.

Now I know why Bush saved his "Mission Accomplished" banner.

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. The real question is this: Why didn't Democrats in the Senate filibuster that shit?

The Bush tax cuts "passed" the Senate in a 51-50 vote, with Evil Dick Cheney breaking the tie. The Dem Senate in opposition never filibustered a goddamn thing, and when they even made a move in that direction, we suddenly had a "gang of 13" or some shit like that that "solved" the crisis and allowed us to 'move to an up-or-down vote." Now, the Republicans filibuster every piece of legislation that comes across the Senate threshold, fucking everything, and there is no crisis, and there is no need for up-or-down votes, and fucking nothing happens.

Where the fuck are the democrats in Congress and what the fuck have they been doing for ten years. I'll tell you what: if the Dems are ever in the minority in the Senate again, they should do just as the Republicans have done to anything that even hints at long-term negative consequences. Filibuster fucking everything.

[unapatriciated]

4. and if they don't say no, than President Obama should.

there is no room for compromise.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. That's a nice bumper sticker

[unapatriciated]

6. not really ....

nice of you to boil it down to a talking point.
If the compromise includes extending tax cuts for the wealthy than it is really not a compromise, more like a win for R's. I'm sure you will be here if and when it happens, explaining to those of us who are just too naive to understand.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. You're sure of a lot of stuff

[gaspee]

8. I've been saying this for at least a year now

To anyone who will listen to me.

Those shits are laughing their asses off at the time bomb they left behind.

This fight was orchestrated by those assholes.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

9. The Rs knew there was going to be a D in the WH when the cuts expired?

Wow. They're sneaky.

[Obamanaut]

10. The Dems took control of the House in Jan 2007, and then the Senate

and White House not all that long after that.

One has to wonder why it took so long to realize that some of this stuff needed to be changed, and then wait until the last minute to try (and fail) to change that stuff.