Obama Says It Would Be `Irresponsible' to Extend Tax Cuts for Wealthiest

[niceypoo]

President Barack Obama said it would be “irresponsible” for Congress to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and voiced support for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Chairman Lawrence Summers.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-20/obama-says-it-would-be-irresponsible-to-extend-tax-cuts-for-wealthiest.html

“I can’t give tax cuts to the top 2 percent of Americans” and “lower the deficit at the same time,” the president said during an hour-long town-hall discussion on jobs and the economy on CNBC television from the Newseum in Washington.

To give “tax relief primarily to millionaires and billionaires” would be “ an irresponsible thing for us to do,” Obama said. “Those folks are least likely to spend it.”

...

[Tansy_Gold]

1. But everything has changed since 9/20!!1!!11!1

:evilgrin:

[JamesA1102]

17. Yeah The Dems got their asses kicked in the last election

and the GOP is taking over the house in a few weeks.

[high density]

23. Perhaps fewer Democrats would've been shown the door had they acted with guts on taxes earlier

instead of running out the clock and having it come to this nonsense.

[gateley]

2. It's also irresponsible to plunge the country an additional $900 billion into debt. nt

[bushisanidiot]

3. He said that, assuming that they'd have the 60 votes needed to strip the uber-rich

from the current tax cuts and pass the bill before it expires. He was wrong in making that assumption.

The democratic led bill went to a vote TWICE without the extension of the tax cuts for the uber-rich, and it failed both times. So who loses when everyone's taxes go up and unemployment insurance ends? who suffers? the rich? hell no. they'll still be rich. it's the poor that will suffer on January 1 if something isn't done now.

[niceypoo]

4. The tax cutting caused the whole mess we are in

You are pushing the RW position.

[bushisanidiot]

9. The repuke position is to tell King Solomon to cut the baby in half.

do we give two sh*ts about the baby? if not us, then who does?

[niceypoo]

21. The repuke position on everything is tax cuts cure all

But we have seen with our own eyes that they destroy. The CBO solidifies that with their report that states tax cuts are the LEAST stimulative thing that can be done.

I didn't vote for more GOP.

[jenmito]

5. Unfortunately, the Senate didn't agree, so he had to be for them even though he

still feels the same way about tax cuts for the rich.

[CakeGrrl]

6. Isn't it annoying when CONGRESS gets in the way?

But if only Obama had been a REAL leader and gotten to the Senate and cut their meat and told them how to do their jobs for them, they would've done the right thing.

Then again, some have forgotten that Congressional votes are necessary to get anything passed.

[saracat]

8. Yeah, now Congress is actually getting in his way and refusing to go along!

It has dawnewd on at lreast some of them that the WH was leading them in the wrong direction.

[CakeGrrl]

15. And shooting themselves in the foot in the process for lack of LONG TERM thinking

This isn't just a tax cut extension on the table. Blocking it now is too little, too late posturing and it makes them look like the spoilers holding up UI benefits. They should've had their shit together sooner.

[saracat]

22. And what of Obama? Shouldn't he have "had his shit together sooner" ? He was the one that asked

Congress to wait on this.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

24. where did you get that fantasy from?

Last i checked he was quite vocal before the midterms about the dems needing to deal with this, the dems in congress balked since they thought it might hurt em in the election somehow.

[former9thward]

12. Yes a real leader like LBJ who did exactly what you describe.

That is how his Great Society legislation got passed.

[CakeGrrl]

14. Easy when you have over 60 votes in the Senate.

Let's talk when the filibuster is gone.

[former9thward]

20. Talk when you know the history of the rule.

When LBJ was president the rule required 67 votes to end not 60. Also during that time period filibusters required actual talking making them much harder to do. That was changed in 1974.

[jenmito]

16. Yup...

and it's a shame that so many people obviously don't know or care how it works.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. No, he does not have to be for them.

What a steaming load of hooey that is. Is he not an autonomous human being, free to speak his own damn mind? In what way was he forced to back this vile plan? An arched eyebrow from Tom Coburn? Oh, mercy, the poor President! He had to!

[jenmito]

18. HE felt he had to because he felt it was more important to help the middle class

and unemployed than "taking a stand" and getting NOTHING.

[saracat]

7. Remember he also said that he made promises that hr never realized he should have had a way to

implement . Just like promises on the campaign trail don't mean anything , neither do any of the statements made while in office. What was that about "Just words" ?

[eleny]

Too bad he didn't say that yesterday

[jenmito]

19. He's a leader. He has to make difficult decisions. n/t

[Aramchek]

11. but it would be even more irresponsible to let middle class tax cuts and unemployment insurance end

smarten up, poo.

[SkyDaddy7]

13. Nancy Pelosi could end this if she wanted...

I wonder how many will DUers are ready to call her all the hyperbolic names they have labeled Obama with if she allows this tax cut deal to pass the House?

How many greatest threads will be on the home page bashing Nancy if she does allow this tax cut deal to pass the House?

Any guesses?

[Imagevision]

25. If tax decision for Obama is too difficult simply switch to logical approach

[tomm2thumbs]

26. 'do as I do, not as I say' - or something like that