Ezra Klein: Jon Kyl Gives Away the Game on Deficits

[flpoljunkie]

What seems to be the case here is that Republicans can get away with saying any kind of stupid sh*t they want--knowing the media will not call them on it.

"You should never raise taxes in order to cut taxes," Jon Kyl said on Fox News Sunday. "Surely Congress has the authority, and it would be right to -- if we decide we want to cut taxes to spur the economy, not to have to raise taxes in order to offset those costs. You do need to offset the cost of increased spending, and that's what Republicans object to. But you should never have to offset cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zaQf9kl248&feature=player_embedded

What's remarkable about Kyl's position here is that it appears to be philosophical. "You should never have to offset cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans," he said. Never! This is much crazier than anything you hear from Democrats. Imagine if some Democrat -- and a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, no less -- said that as a matter of principle, spending should never be offset. He'd be laughed out of the room.

Back in the real world, tax cuts and spending increases have the exact same affect on the budget deficit. This sort of comment is how you tell people who care about the deficit apart from people who are interested in exploiting fears of the deficit to shrink the size of government. It's also the sort of comment that makes clear that the deficit commission's work is doomed, even if they do go with three-quarters spending increases. Democrats won't accept an unbalanced product and Republicans won't accept a balanced product.

By Ezra Klein | July 12, 2010; 12:55 PM ET

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/07/jon_kyl_gives_away_the_game_on.html

[msongs]

1. the ads against repubs just write themselves nt

[hvn_nbr_2]

2. No No No! You have it all wrong!!!11!!1!!1!1!

Cutting taxes ALWAYS increases government revenues. If you cut ALL taxes to 0% (except taxes that poor people pay, of course), then government revenues would be infinite and we would have enough money to invade and conquer every square inch of earth's surface, give a yacht and a pony to every rich person, and subsidize corporate plunder beyond anyone's wildest dreams. It says so right here in Chairman Scrooge's Little Red Book. It also says there that if you take every penny from every poor person and give it to a rich person or a multinational corporation, we'll all live in Nirvana.

[Jennicut]

3. In other words, the deficit is a shell game to them. They will continue to harp on it but please

don't let those Bush tax cuts expire! It is downright laughable.

[ProSense]

4. Here's a good headline:

Democrats: GOP Is Like Robin Hood - in Reverse (CBS)