Thought
With the economy in the crapper, and everyone angry at Wall Street and CEO's in general, the Republican effort to protect the rich from taxes will be as difficult as it's ever been.
To my mind, it will come down to who wins the narrative. Will Obama's < $250K no tax increases penetrate, or will the Republicans once again be able to dominate with the blanket "taxes hurt the economy?"
I'll be curious because the environment is so different this time (angry at the rich), and Obama has laid an unusual amount of groundwork on that < $250K figure.
To my mind, it will come down to who wins the narrative. Will Obama's < $250K no tax increases penetrate, or will the Republicans once again be able to dominate with the blanket "taxes hurt the economy?"
I'll be curious because the environment is so different this time (angry at the rich), and Obama has laid an unusual amount of groundwork on that < $250K figure.
posted by mikevotes at
7:40 AM
6 Comments:
I think Obama is the better pitchman, but the GOP has their lock-step goon squads and much greater control of broadcast outlets. So Obama may have a better message, but the GOP has better access to get their message out. It's like organic food vs. fast food.
By
-epm, at 9:00 AM
I agree, and Obama's laid that 250K groundwork hard enough that it's out there pretty firmly. On the other hand, the GOP has been marketing this for decades, however, it's a very different receiving environment than their normal plank.
I was just thinking about this this AM, about how different the environment is for this round of the battle.
By
mikevotes, at 10:45 AM
I think everyone saw that the last Bush cuts resulted in a temporary surge in the economy that benefited the rich to a disproportionate degree. Now, we are all suffering as a result.
It will be easy to sell a "punishment" tax even though that is not how it is being sold. Deep down, most people want to stick it to the upper class. We can suffer together, and when growth slowly returns, we can all share more equally in the benefits.
By
Praguetwin, at 2:20 PM
Did the cuts for the uber wealthy "result" in a surge or to what degree were they incidental.
I buy the argument that tax cuts can spur the economy, but that presumes the money flows in within a reasonable window. The uber rich pretty much banked their ntax cuts.
And, that "pnishment" and "equal" stuff is always tough. Where the line is depends largely on where you sit.
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mikevotes, at 3:39 PM
I don't recall any "temporary surge in the economy". It's been a slow slide since 9-11 on nearly all fronts, with a drop off the cliff just before the election. The exception is the housing bubble and the associated artificial 'surges' from re-fi and equity loans.
When I hear Republicans talk about the great economy that Bush's tax cuts created I give them the same look that I save those who talk about the wonderful economy under Reagan. In both cases, if you made a six-figure income you saw some kind of reasonably good economic picture. If you were not in that range, you lost real wages and became considerably less secure.
This is not to imply that Praguetwin is a Republican; it just reminded me of the narrative.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 7:14 PM
I fell pretty sure that Praguetwin is not a Bushie, but, yeah, you make a good point.
I think the gap comes in that the "big economy" numbers did okay during that time. That's a very separate issue from the lives of average income folks.
By
mikevotes, at 10:05 PM
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