Greg Sargent: Dear Dems: You can win the argument over Bush tax cuts

[cal04]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/09/dear_dems_you_can_win_the_argu.html

With more and more Beltway types predicting that Dems may put off the vote over the Bush tax cuts until after the election, I thought it would be useful to pull together all the polling that shows this is an argument Dems have a rather good shot at, you know, winning if they decide to go for it.

* A new National Journal poll finds that 56 percent support ending either all the Bush tax cuts or just the ones for the wealthy, while barely more than a third want to keep them all.

* The new Gallup poll shows that 59 percent of Americans -- and a majority of independents -- supports either ending all the Bush tax cuts or just the ones for the wealthy.

(snip)
But here's the point: Amid a sea of bad polling news, here is an issue where the public is clearly on Dems' side. And the above polling suggests that the public already has a pretty firm grasp on the "nuance" of this debate. This, of all things, is not an issue where Dems should conclude in advance -- as they often do -- that once Republicans go on the attack, it's game over and Dems can't possibly win the argument.

UPDATE, 11:09 a.m.: Here's another one: A recent Newsweek poll found 52 percent support letting the tax cuts for the rich expire, while only 38 percent support keeping them in place.

[truedelphi]

1. problem is - do the Dems really wanna win the argument on Bush Tax Cuts?

I mean they say they do...


However some of us remember them saying that Single Payer Universal Health Care was the only logical and cost effective manner in which to approach Health Care Reform. But then they got all cozy in bed with the Big Insurers and Big Pharma.

No, they need the Big Donations from the Big CorpoRATe Executives, and this tax cut will be "temporarily" allowed to exist. The Mainstream Media already has its talking points down - you don't raise taxes in the midst of a recession, because then there will be even fewer jobs.

Like any jobs out there exist because of the Bush Tax Cuts. After all, right now there are plenty of tax code items just waiting to be redeemed by employers creating new jobs.

In fact, if Big Corporate entities wanted the tax cuts, that is all they would need to do -start hiring people again. Corporations could replace the convoluted voice mails with a receptionist or too. Banks could use Americans to collect the credit card balances that are delinquent. And on and on.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Huh?

Regrettably, almost nobody in Congress supported Single Payer HCR. It was never even "on the table", so, contrary to popular revisionism, it was never "negotiated away" to Big Insurers and Big Pharma (or anybody else for that matter). I believe that we will get Single Payer in this country eventually IMHO but it was simply not going to happen this/last year.

[unblock]

2. it's all about campaign contributions

whenever there's a big public "debate" on an issue like this, the powers that be start donating, visibly, to carefully selected campaigns and parties and committees. in this case, if whether or not to extend the tax cut for the rich becomes the big issue, then some rich beneficiaries will call up democrats, give them an earful, and write a check to their opponent or some other key campaign.

and to make their money go further, they threaten to donate more, maybe another check every week or every day until they drop the idea.

democrats see the polls but they also see the money and know that the money means the poll numbers will change down the road.


sometimes "issues" get floated as a shakedown to raise money, other times they get raised and they turn out to just steer money to the other side.

i think it's easy to forget just how much money is in politics and just how insidious it is.

[RandomThoughts]

3. You mean when groups of people

blow up oil wells and burn towns by terrible legislation and social governance?


Or do you mean when those things are in the media?

[defendandprotect]

4. Of course EVERYONE is on the side of ending tax cuts for the rich ....

but the rich aren't -- which explains why Obama has been hanging back --

[Orsino]

6. Dear Greg: they'd have to really WANT to win it...

...and right now, not enough of them care.