Thom Hartmann: The defining issue of the 2012 election

[thomhartmann]

Run time: 12:21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUs1Gm2GQD8   Posted on YouTube: September 20, 2011 By YouTube Member: TheBigPictureRT Views on YouTube: 66   Posted on DU: September 20, 2011 By DU Member: thomhartmann Views on DU: 453

 
Roger Hickey, Campaign for America's Future & Heather Cirmo, Conservative Strategist join Thom Hartmann. Today - the President unveiled his deficit-reduction plan - a proposal that will slash $4 trillion out of our nation's deficit over the next ten years - and completely pay for the "American Jobs Act" that was introduced in Congress last week. The plan does this primarily by ending special tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires - including the Bush tax cuts for the rich. In what's being called the "Buffet Rule" - the President's plan also forces the richest among us - from Wall Street billionaire hustlers to people like the Wal-Mart Walton Heirs and Paris Hilton who get most of their income sitting on their butts the swimming pool collecting dividend checks yet pay only a 15% tax rate - to pay the same rate as average hard working Americans. With a political showdown over taxes now looming between President Obama and Republicans - the American people have spoken. According to a new Gallup poll - nearly three-quarters of Americans support a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes both tax increases and spending cuts - as the President proposed. In fact - only 26% - that's it - just 26% of Republicans support the spending cuts-only approach being pushed by Republicans like Paul Ryan - John Boehner - and Eric Cantor. So - did we just see the defining issue of the 2012 election campaign? To tax the rich or not tax the rich?

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