The Tax-Cut Racket --It’s time for Democrats to take a stand, say no to G.O.P. blackmail. (Krugman)

[jefferson_dem]

The Tax-Cut Racket
By PAUL KRUGMAN

“Nice middle class you got here,” said Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader. “It would be a shame if something happened to it.”

O.K., he didn’t actually say that. But he might as well have, because that’s what the current confrontation over taxes amounts to. Mr. McConnell, who was self-righteously denouncing the budget deficit just the other day, now wants to blow that deficit up with big tax cuts for the rich. But he doesn’t have the votes. So he’s trying to get what he wants by pointing a gun at the heads of middle-class families, threatening to force a jump in their taxes unless he gets paid off with hugely expensive tax breaks for the wealthy.

Most discussion of the tax fight focuses either on the economics or on the politics — both of which suggest that Democrats should hang tough, for their own sakes as well as that of the country. But there’s an even bigger issue here — namely, the question of what constitutes acceptable behavior in American political life. Politics ain’t beanbag, but there’s a difference between playing hardball and engaging in outright extortion, which is what Mr. McConnell is now doing. And if he succeeds, it will set a disastrous precedent.

How did we get to this point? The proximate answer lies in the tactics the Bush administration used to push through tax cuts. The deeper answer lies in the radicalization of the Republican Party, its transformation into a movement willing to put the economy and the nation at risk for the sake of partisan victory.

So, about those tax cuts: back in 2001, the Bush administration bundled huge tax cuts for wealthy Americans with much smaller tax cuts for the middle class, then pretended that it was mainly offering tax breaks to ordinary families. Meanwhile, it circumvented Senate rules intended to prevent irresponsible fiscal actions — rules that would have forced it to find spending cuts to offset its $1.3 trillion tax cut — by putting an expiration date of Dec. 31, 2010, on the whole bill. And the witching hour is now upon us. If Congress doesn’t act, the Bush tax cuts will turn into a pumpkin at the end of this year, with tax rates reverting to Clinton-era levels.

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But what’s even more important is the principle of the thing. Threats to punish innocent bystanders unless your political rivals give you what you want have no legitimate place in democratic politics. Giving in to such threats would be an economic and political mistake, but more important, it would be morally wrong — and it would encourage more such threats in the future.

It’s time for Democrats to take a stand, and say no to G.O.P. blackmail.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/opinion/17krugman.html?pagewanted=print

[SpiralHawk]

1. The k and the r

Thank you Mr. Krugman.

The Republicons have been waging class warfare on working Americans for 30 frikkin years, with attacks both overt and occult, all of it gooped up in corporate mass media voodoodoo mindf*ck propaganda pretending to be journalism. Ptooooey.

About time Americans responded to the Republicon class-warfare onslaught.

[RandomThoughts]

2. They even said that is what they were doing.

They literally called it voodoo economics.

at least people are figuring out whats been going on.




And I am still due beer and travel money and many good experiences, from the smear done against me years ago.

[SpiralHawk]

3. I call it Voodoodoo economics (R)

In memory of the one honest thing Poppy 'Skull & Boner' Bush (R) ever said about Ronald DraftDodger Reagan (R).