The White House is sharply denying the Huffington Post story

[DearAbby]

UPDATE: White House denies giving in on Bush tax cuts: The White House is sharply denying the Huffington Post story I noted below claiming that David Axelrod signaled a willingness to accept a temporary extension of all the Bush tax cuts, claiming that their position remains unchanged.

Axelrod emails:

There is not one bit of news here. I simply re-stated what POTUS and Robert have been saying. Our two strong principles are that we need to extend the tax cuts for the middle class, but we can't afford a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the wealthy.

And White House comm director Dan Pfeiffer adds:

The story is overwritten. Nothing has changed from what the President said last week. We believe we need to extend the middle class tax cuts, we cannot afford to borrow 700 billion to pay for extending the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and we are open to compromise and are looking forward to talking to the Congressional leadership next week to discuss how to move forward. Full Stop, period, end of sentence.

The question remains, though, whether the White House will hold fast to Obama's demand last week that the extension of the tax cuts for the middle class remain permanent while extending the high end ones temporarily. The main sticking point is that Republicans won't allow the two categories to be extended for different durations, because that would force them to push for just an extension of the cuts for the rich later.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/11/the_morning_plum_129.html

[SidDithers]

1. K&R...nt

Sid

[DearAbby]

2. lol thanks Sid...

:)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. Good, then my email to Obama worked!

I love it when that happens. Er, wait, no. It sounds like they still want to extend tax cuts for the rich. Dangit.

:hi:

edit for typo

[kysrsoze]

4. Alright! Do I see a little bit of spine there? Now they need to hammer on defense spending!

[Swamp Rat]

5. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO GIVE THE RICH BASTARDS A TAX CUT FOR ONE MORE GODDAMN DAY!!!

"but we can't afford a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the wealthy" -- QUIT FUCKING AROUND WITH OUR LIVES!!!!!

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. No, they are not.

The WH is pretending to deny the story while not denying the story at all.

The WH is not saying Axlerod was misquoted.

The WH is not saying "We will veto any extension of the $250K+ cuts."

The WH is saying they are open to compromise on the question. The WH is whining about the HuffPost characterization of that openness to compromise as "giving in."

[DearAbby]

7. Truth is

nothing has changed as of yet, Axelrod simply pointed out to Huffington, their primary objective was not raising tax on the middle class. So what has changed? If anything does change the Democrats would have to initiate it, the cuts expire December 31 2010. The Ball is in their court. I don't see this as caving. YET.

[TheKentuckian]

15. You know they are at least considering an extension but are quite defensive

hanging on for dear life with parsing and careful phrasing.

We already ran on this bullshit, the breaks should have been rescinded.

[gratuitous]

8. That's what passes for a "sharp" denial nowadays?

Because it looks like overlawyered weasel words that don't amount to anything, and certainly don't constitute a denial, sharp or otherwise, by the White House that the President wouldn't sign a bill that extends tax cuts for the wealthy.

I'll bet a $10 donation to DU to anyone who cares to put it up that should a bill reach the President's desk extending tax cuts for income over $250,000, even "temporarily," that Obama will sign it. I've heard a lot of big talk about "chicken littles" and "bilgewater" and how the White House hasn't caved in to the whining of the overrich. Ten bucks to DU says they will indeed extend the tax cuts for the rich, at the very least "temporarily." I'll go so far as to predict that any "temporary" extension will morph into a tax cut for the wealthy that we can't afford for the foreseeable future, but for the purposes of the bet, I'll take the position that President Obama will sign a bill that extends tax cuts for the wealthy.

[tigereye]

9. ah, ok. That makes me feel a bit better.

[laughingliberal]

10. "we can't afford a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the wealthy. "

Operative word here: permanent. Reality: they're caving and kicking it down the road.

[EFerrari]

11. I missed the denial part of this denial. n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. "..we are open to compromise.." Trans: We're gonna cave but claim it's a victory.

[madfloridian]

17. Exactly

[bluethruandthru]

13. The operative word in Axelrod's response is "permanent"...

...which means they'll extend the tax cuts for the rich...just not "permanently".

[DearAbby]

14. Vote on each cut separately.

Middle Tax cut - One Vote
Wealthy tax cut - One vote.

That would be the only way to do this.

[Bucky]

16. More complicated. Republicans have the right to write the bill.

Revenue bills have to start in the House. They can't start in the Senate. The Republicans will make this all one bill. When they do, then the Dems have to have their media message organized enough to make the case that the Republicans are trying to increase the very deficit they ran against by tossing trillions of dollars of unneeded tax cuts rebates to billionaires and holding hostage the needed tax cuts breaks for the middle class.

They have to make a case that the Republicans are engaging in class warfare and they have to hit first and hardest on this. Dems haven't done this since the Clinton years, but it's vital if Obama wants to not end up as another Carter--well meaning, personally admired, and generally ineffectual.

[qazplm]

18. well they don't get that right

until mid-January.

A proper bill will get out of the lame-duck house, the problem is we need Reps to forestall a filibuster and won't get them, AND even if we do, we won't get guys like Lieberman, and a few other conservadem senators.

Obama really isn't going to have a choice or even a say on this. The only possible way for this to work out is if Obama is willing to let the government shut down for months in a game of chicken with republicans.

[Scurrilous]

19. Thanks.

K & R :thumbsup:

[nenagh]

20. I emailed the WH and said..

Do they not see that if they give in to even a small extension on Tax Cuts for the Rich..

That then the Repubs will forever be able to spin that Obama gave tax cuts to the rich..

The fact that it may look like a legalese way out for the WH, means nothing..because they will forever be remembered as giving tax cuts to the rich....

And the Repubs will have more ammunition for 2012. :(