The Democrats talk too much about their strategy. If you tell the Republicans what you are doing and why it makes it a lot less likely that they’ll fall for your traps. This article in The Hill has way too much stuff in it about how the Democrats know that they are going to fail. Maybe they should try pretending that they’re serious for a moment. The Republicans do it all the time.
Despite the Democrats’ having polls on their side during the debate on tax cuts during the 2010 lame-duck session, Republicans had the political winds at their backs. Obama eventually agreed to extend all the Bush tax rates, including for millionaires, for two years.
Six months later, the Democratic playbook has changed, with a key goal: get Republicans to violate the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) pledge not to raise taxes, which most congressional Republicans have signed.
Democratic strategists hope that after the GOP officials receive a pummeling over millionaires’ tax rates, they’ll be more willing to accept ending tax breaks for major oil conglomerates and companies that relocate factories to foreign countries. ATR says both proposals would violate the pledge.
In a letter to lawmakers ahead of Tuesday evening’s vote, ATR President Grover Norquist argued that deductions that oil companies claim are not subsidies, stating, “Every deduction or credit [the bill] proposes to revoke or limit has a specific purpose common throughout the tax code.”
Forty Senate Republicans have signed the ATR pledge to oppose “any and all” increases to personal and business marginal income tax rates, as well as “any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits” unless it is matched by other tax-rate decreases.
The Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Democrats charge, is standing in the way of a grand bargain on raising the nation’s debt ceiling.
The Republicans are impervious to pummeling over taxes. They will shut down the government, default on the debt, and blow up the world before they’ll make Grover Norquist unhappy. I suppose we can test my theory, but even electoral defeat doesn’t moderate the GOP.
If electoral defeat doesn’t moderate the Gay Old Party….electoral success won’t either.
Even when ‘Democratic’ votes were necessary to fund foreign adventures by the department of ‘defense’ ( war by another name ) they appeared so as to continue the charade of ‘opposition’ to craziness.
‘Handsome is as handsome does.’ The bilateral War Party offers no alternatives except choice of illusions.
The Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Democrats charge, is standing in the way of a grand bargain on raising the nation’s debt ceiling.
This is one of the few times I am happy for GOPer obstruction. “Grand bargains” never end up good.
huh? we always know what Republicans are doing. These are all politicians. I’m pretty sure they know each others games with the exception of a few stunts.
O/T…But
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
BREAKING: Jerome Corsi’s Birther Book Pulled from Shelves!
And they are offering refunds for people who pre-orderd or digitally downloaded the book.
I’m told that this is satire guys. I was suckered. Still this would be pretty damn funny if it was true.
what is true though is that according to Politico, the campaign is selling “long-form” t-shirt and “made in the usa” mugs. If that’s true, I might have to buy me a mug…lol
Say “hook line and sinker”.
Corsi is a fat fuck who is impervious from rational thought. If my wishes affected reality, his case of hemerroids would be quite advanced.
I was suckered in by the Esquire blog’s satirical take on Corsi’ birther book, but this is official:
Buy “long-form” and “Made in USA” t-shirts & mugs from Obama ’12 campaign site.
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/o2012-made-in-the-usa-shirt-zmol
Ya’ll can wear it after you Joe Biden “BFD” T-shirt!
We’ll see if they’re actually crazy. They did eventually compromise on the budget after all, and they got what they wanted as far as tax cuts are concerned last year. I’m honestly not sure if they’re crazy or if they’re excellent negotiators who understand they can get what they want best by making us believe they’re crazy.