The Republican taxcut strategy: Roadmap to GOP victory in 2012

[andym]

1) either pass all taxcuts (including for the wealthy) now
OR
2) prevent Democrats from extending middle class tax cuts, now
which will further damage the economy and
make everyone in the middle class mad
both of which serve to defeat the Democratic President and Congress in 2012

if 2) comes to pass, then the GOP will repropose all taxcuts in next congressional session and blame Democrats if they block the taxcuts (due to taxcuts for the wealthy), while the economy suffers and the middle class are angry.

I can hear their rhetoric now: "Obama's job-killing tax increases taking away your hard earned money..." At the same time, they would hypocritically probably take credit for cutting the deficit due to the absense of taxcuts because they "control" the House.

I believe that they want this second alternative more than the first, because it benefits them more. Damage to the economy and the middle class is not their concern.

They can't lose it seems (since they calculate that the Democrats will get all of the blame)...

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Yep. eom

[andym]

2. The only hope is to use reconciliation to extend the middle-class taxcuts for 5 years

if this is possible during the lame duck session.

[gratuitous]

3. At least we kept our powder dry

Can you imagine what might have happened if the Democrats had simply rammed a continuation of tax cuts for income less than $250,000 down the nation's throat before the election? Anarchy, that's what. Instead, they kept their powder dry and now, in the lame duck session of Congress, they can address this niggling little issue. And if it's still too hard, then they can keep their powder dry until the next Congress.

I mean, you gotta believe that all those federal workers whose pay has been frozen for the next two years just can't wait until 2012 to let President Obama and the Democrats know just how much they appreciate that gesture of fiscal responsibility!

[andym]

4. It was incredibly shortsighted not to use reconcilation to extend (or just recreate) the middle

class taxcuts. Hopefully it can still be done,

[democrat_patriot]

5. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. Dems cannot get

their message out.

Why?

IT ADDS 700 BILLION TO THE DEFICIT. How can deficit-hawks like the republicans push them?

Because Dems are not pushing back. Why no address from the Oval office?

[B Calm]

6. Dems should call their bluff and say lets vote on no one has to pay taxes.

and we'll make each state a country!

[andym]

7. If this analysis is correct, there is only one "deal" available to Democrats

"capitulation," which is unacceptable.

Therefore, the only possibility to get out of this lose-lose situation is to ram the middle-class taxcut through using reconciliation as Bush originally did.

http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn

[andym]

8. Todays news that they'll block everything in the Senate until the tax cut resolution is dealt with

is clear confirmation of their strategy.

[leftstreet]

9. If they can pull this off, they'll deserve their WIN

A party that was deader than a doornail, revived by the Democrats for political cover, yet said Democrats apparently had no strategy for keeping a leash on that monster? Unbelievable