Letting ALL the Cuts Expire would be Best Thing, 2nd Best - Force Up or Down Vote on Everything!

It appears that Mitch McConnell is feeling a bit Cocky today after successfully blocking Democratic attempts to implement tax cuts for All Americans on their first $250,000 of income.

Signaling confidence that Democrats will stop blustering and cave on tax cuts, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell predicted today that all of the Bush era tax rates will be extended temporarily.

"I think it's pretty clear now taxes are not going up on anybody in the middle of this recession," McConnell said on Meet the Press. "It isn't going to happen."

Well, gee, since he asked so Nicely I think the only charitable thing we can do is NOT GIVE THEM SQUAT!

Unless of course, they drop to bended knee - and BEG.



Now we all know that White House is negotiating some kind of deal, and it's looking like it might be a 2-fer. Extend current tax rates for a year or two, while also extending unemployment benefits for a year (or maybe two). I'm thinking if Paris Hilton is going to get her Bonus Tax Cut for Tchotke's and a new Bedazzled Droid then the Unemployed should be able to keep paying their mortgage and utility bills.
 

And that does seem to be the plan right now, and if anything the ones who seem to be pre-caving are the GOP.

President Obama himself all but signaled that the Democrats lost this fight during a statement about a recently-announced Korea free trade agreement yesterday. "We need to redouble our efforts to resolve this impasse -- in the next few days -- to give the American people the peace of mind that their taxes will not go up on January 1st," Obama said. "It will require some compromise, but I'm confident that we can get it done."

The White House is pressing the GOP to allow an extension of unemployment benefits and the tax breaks in the stimulus bill in exchange for an extension of income tax rates. According to the Huffington Post, Obama will allow the cuts to expire if the GOP refuses. On that score, McConnell claimed there's no impasse.

"I think we will extend unemployment benefits," he said.

Rep. Steve King and his S-U-P-E-(R) Racist Reparations Dog Whistles!

There are times when calling a Right Winger "Racist" for their words or their actions back fires. Because many actual Racists like to hide their true motivations - because it would have legal ramifications - looking for them can become like searching for the needle in the haystack, and discovering what you think is one can turn you into "Chicken Little" with the Sky Failing.

Soon the accuser because the accused in a game of "I know you are but - What am I?" - which brings us to Steve King, where I highly doubt this will be one of those times.

First he called the President "Very Very Urban" for no apparent reason, while calling the Pigford II Discrimination Claims "Slave Reparations".

GOP Holds America Hostage for Paris Hilton's Tax Cut

Wanna see what Monday's failure to extend Unemployment Benefits Means for over 2 Million Americans?

This:

Katie: I got my check today and it's my last one. I don't know what we're going to do... I don't know what we're going to do.

The Non-Partisan Congressional Budget Office has clearly stated the the most stimulative thing that the government can do, is put cash in the hands of those who will immediately go out and spend that cash on gas, food, rent and their mortgage payment.

They even made a handy dandy graph of the comparative effects of eleven different policy options. See?



Add some chalk and it's something even Glenn Beck could understand. As you can see the least stimulative - I repeat the Least Stimulative - option on the list is reducing income taxes.

Eat the Rich, Because They've got all the Meat

We have a new batch of Republicans in Congress now, and boy are the up in arms about deficits and spending, however they all seem to have a curious idea about Taxes. They seem to think that Reaganomics and the Laffer Curve actually work and that by cutting taxes - you can boost the economy and increase revenue.

But that's just a snare and a delusion.

What Run Away Spending?

Day in and day out we've heard the refrain that Washington has a Run-Away Spending problem. This has been the mantra of the Tea Party since it's inception and the mantra of nearly every Republican in Congress whose one lone goal has been - "To Cut Spending." This they argue must be done to reduce the "Mounting Dept heaped onto the backs of our children" - yet when you actually look at the current deficit projections after the first two years of the Obama Presidency, that deficit is actually Shrinking Already.



Contrary to popular myth, the rise in the deficit began before Obama's Presidency at the beginning of FY 2009 and is currently on track to be cut IN HALF to about $700 Billion by the end of his first term. This year the deficit has been reduced from over $1.5 Trillion to approximately $1.2 Trillion which is a $300 Billion Improvement.

The Other Stupid Thing Alan Simpson Said..

Besides his "Greediest Generation" line, he also said this...

"You don't want to listen to the right and the left -- the extremes," he said. "You don't want to listen to Keith Olbermann and Rush Babe [Limbaugh] and Rachel Minnow [sic] or whatever that is, and Glenn Beck. They're entertainers. They couldn't govern their way out of a paper sack -- from the right or the left. But they get paid a lot of money from you and advertisers -- thirty, fifty million a year -- to work you over and get you juiced up with emotion, fear, guilt, and racism. Emotion, fear, guilt, and racism.

Frankly, that's a lot of Horse Hooey!

In no way, shape, form, or fever dream delusion are Rachel or Keith equal to Rush and Beck. As stupid as the "Greediest Generation" line was - this was even dead doornail dumber.

For starters Keith and Rachel don't LIE!

Heritage Health Care Repeal Hooey

In recent days I've been in a twitter debate with some Tea Party/#TCOT Conservatives, for once it's actually been rational and respectful. I find that debating someone that disagrees isn't pointless if you goal isn't just to prove them wrong, but to actually improve your own position and understanding. As a result I've learned a great deal.

Most of the discussion has revolved, naturally, around the Health Care Reform Law, and this happens to be something I know very well. Now I know it even better.

Jan Brewer's Arizona Death Panel

Yes, Mrs. Palin - Death Panels are Real... in Jan Brewer's Arizona.



More on this with Chris Hayes.