This is amazing. The GOP are already ignoring the idea that people wanted to lower the deficit and were worried about that. It was supposedly why they had such a huge victory in the elections. Yet they've lambasted Democrats for cutting the 500 Billion from medicare, they won't think of reducing defense spending. So they are against slashing waste from medicare, will actually increase defense spending, and now won't allow the tax cut on the very wealthiest Americans to expire. It's clear that all the Republicans are doing is paying lip service to the idea of reducing the deficit. They've put forward no new ideas on how they're going to do it. Whereas the Democrats have actually slashed waste from medicare, and are open to reducing defense spending. They are also open to letting the top tear of Bush's tax cuts expire in even more effort to do something about the deficit. Whether you like the ideas or not they at least have ideas (though not nearly comprehensive enough) about fixing things. The GOP has no ideas, certainly no new ones. Just paying the same old lip service.
The egghead liberals are absolutely FLUMMOXED that the American people overwhelmingly voted for Republicans last Tuesday. How could those idiot Americans be so STOOPID???? get over yourselves, you intellectual snobs. Your ideas were convincingly rejected last Tuesday. Time for a new approach.
Borrowing and spending more isn't a new idea, that one started with Reagan and hasn't slowed down since.
bigtexxx, I wasn't calling the voters idiots. Just pointed out that they aren't being served by the people they elected to serve them. I'm confident they will be smart enough to see this in future elections. All the Democrats have to do is get the facts out there. I'll tell you who I am calling stupid. Eric Cantor. Eric Cantor claims that Washington doesn't need more revenues right now. That's hilarious. These are the people that are supposed to lower the deficit? This also goes to further show who is willing to work across the aisle and who isn't.
The republicans are owned by the weapons manufacturers... Imagine how rich they made them with the Iraq war.
bigtexxx you are a smart guy, a lot smarter than your little brother. this board could be enhanced if you actually cared to address issues instead of trying to get under people's skin with "obama is stupid" and the constant other crap. you're better than that
If Republicans ignore their mandate, the tea parties will be on the march again -- not that there will be any let up in organizational precinct work in the interim. The GOP and Democratic leadership may not understand it, but, eventually as they forlornly watch politics from their living rooms, they will.
Doubtful. Teapartiers hate Obama more than their simple backwoods Medicare and defense loving principles. Have fun with the gridlock you wished for.
this tax issue is so ridiculous, a massive deficit was created after the cuts, can we please let them expire
At present, I am attributing most of it to face-saving rhetoric. The Republicans who don't focus on jobs and the economy will be in serious trouble. The temptation will be to go after the health care bill, which will doom them in the same way as Obama and the Democrats. They can do that but only after they have addressed the deficit/economy/jobs crisis.
Letting them 'expire' means raising taxes during a demand slowdown in the economy. Give money back to the people and employers so they can spend. I don't think more defense money is needed though as the government has never shown an ability to create a strong multiplier effect with the money it spends. Payroll tax holiday and continuation of Bush tax cuts and hiatus from the huges sweeping increases in taxes and the surcharge tax on investment income. We need to enable people in this economy to spend, save, pay off debt and invest. At this point, the deficit is not the issue as we trim the debt and budget during good times (which won't happen either).
We are also at war. Cutting taxes during wartime was a huge economic blunder. We should roll them back to where they were during the Clinton years. Last time I checked, the wealthiest 2% of Americans were doing just fine back then.
I agree with you that for the immediate future the deficit isn't the number one issue. But for the voters it seemed to be. Either way allowing 3% increase in income taxes for the dollars made over 250,000 won't prevent spending in this economy. It will hurt the deficit even more.
the income gap is growing and people say we need the rich to keep more. it doesn't make sense, they're not going to spend more keeping 3% more of their money, its just a ludicrous argument given current circumstances
