First thoughts: Scare tactics-White House uses scare tactics to sell the tax deal

[Poboy]

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Scare tactics: It’s far from the previous administration’s warnings of a “mushroom cloud,” or the inaccurate statement that Saddam Hussein “sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” But yesterday, the Obama administration began to use a little fear to sell its tax-cut agreement. “Failure to pass this bill in the next couple weeks would materially increase the risk that the economy would stall out and we would have a double-dip” recession predicted outgoing chief White House economic adviser Larry Summers. And on an OFA conference call yesterday, President Obama said that not passing the agreement would mean that “two million folks would have seen their unemployment insurance run out” and that it would be “damaging to the economy." And the president went even further, suggesting that a million jobs could be lost if no agreement was reached by the end of the year -- something administration officials have said economists have been warning them of privately.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/09/5616969-first-thoughts-scare-tactics

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YET not just two months ago...-
Bush Tax Cuts Not Important for US Economy: Summers
Maintaining tax cuts for top wage-earners should take a back seat to other more pressing measures, White House economic advisor Larry Summers said, in a signal the administration could be digging in its heels on the issue.

In an interview with CNBC, Summers stopped short of saying the Obama administration would oppose continuing the across-the-board cuts approved by former President George W. Bush. But he dismissed the importance of continuing the cuts for those earning over $250,000, a key part of the political battle raging in Washington. The cuts expire at the end of 2010.

"With deficits looming as seriously as they are, why is now the right moment to lock in several hundred billion dollars of tax cuts for 2 percent of the population when we could be using those revenues to strengthen incentives for investment in the country's future?" Summers said.

"I think the case is pretty clear, if you look at what the vast majority of economists are saying, (that) what will stimulate economy more are measures that are targeted at investments, it's measures that are targeted at research and development," he continued. "So I think those are the right steps forward."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/39210345

[dkf]

1. They needed the tax cuts to get unemployment extensions.

That is the efficient part of the package.

[Poboy]

3. This is untrue. 'They' set this up to come down like this, It is a MIHOP

operation. Social Security is being set up in this as well. Its as clear as day.

[Supersedeas]

4. An up or down vote on Unemployment benefits could have been had--but instead

[Poboy]

6. There are a multitude of ways this could have been played, but

this bullshit scare tactic is essentially terrorism being committed on the American people by the Obama Admin.

[Larkspur]

2. Larry Summers is the scumbag who helped the Republicans destroy our economy

Larry championed deregulation.

F*k Summers and ditto to Obama for hiring and listening to him.

[Ganja Ninja]

5. Who's holding who hostage?

:eyes: