Howard Dean On Tax Deal: 'A Short-Term Washington Fix' Filled With Easy Promises

[KoKo]

[e-mail] | HuffPost Reporting

Howard Dean On Tax Deal: 'A Short-Term Washington Fix' Filled With Easy Promises...Sam Stein

WASHINGTON -- One of the more noteworthy parts of the fallout over the debate on the Bush tax cuts is the opening it has given for progressives to grab the mantle of deficit hawkish-ness and fiscal responsibility.

Getting the nation's budget in order has always been viewed by liberal-minded economists as a bit of political gimmickry -- the type of feel-good line Republicans make with an eye on the ballot boxes, not job reports. But now, as a $900 billion agreement between the president and the GOP is set to be reached on expiring tax cuts, progressives have begun making a similar pitch.

"This is a short-term Washington fix," former DNC header Howard Dean declared on CBS's "Face the Nation." "It does nothing about this biggest long-term threat to America, which is the deficit. I don't hear Republicans or Democrats talking about the deficit. There is no pain in this agreement. This is the easy way out for everybody, much as everybody is complaining, hooting and hollering, this is an inside-the-beltway fuss and somebody needs to do something about the long-term problems to this country. It is not in this bill."
-snip-

What piqued Dean in particular, however, was a provision in the "framework" that provides a one-year, two-percent payroll tax holiday that, critics say, could end up siphoning money from the Social Security Trust Fund. The nation's largest senior-issues lobbying organization, the AARP, said it was comfortable with the provision -- confident that it won't be extended down the road.

More at......

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/12/howard-dean-tax-deal_n_795501.html

[ProSense]

1. Howard Dean is wrong about the impact on Social Security, but this is funny

""It does nothing about this biggest long-term threat to America, which is the deficit. I don't hear Republicans or Democrats talking about the deficit. "

Wasn't the President being lambasted for talking about the deficit?

[ClassWarrior]

2. Anything to substantiate that, or is it wrong just because you declare it so?

NGU.

[ProSense]

3. The tax cuts are being paid for out of the general fund

so nothing is being siphoned. That's a ridiculous claim.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProSense]

5. Does this comment make sense?

There isn't even a link in the response. It's clear you have no valid point so why even respond?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. I think Obama is very concerned about the deficit however

Tax cuts are certainly not the solution. Manufacturing, exporting (especially alternative energy goods), investing in our infrastructure to create jobs...are....

[niceypoo]

9. But if he didnt extend Bush supply side...

...the republicans would jump up and down and yell and stuff!

[niceypoo]

8. It is the bandaid approach to curing cancer

It amounts to death of the Democratic party by 1000 cuts

"confident that it won't be extended down the road" = permenant

[KoKo]

10. The Deal is Done...and we owe thanks to Bernie Sanders and Howard Dean for trying

to explain what it was not a deal that Dems would be comfortable with.

But, as Thom Hartmann is saying. "Give it UP...Move on..." because this President needs to run for a Second Term because there's just too much at stake to "whine and complain" about what we lost.

WE, PROGRESSIVE DEMS GAVE EVERYTHING WE HAD WITH THIS...just like with support for Public Option in the "HC BILL." WE LOST! GIVE IT UP and work to get better and more Progressive Candidates to Run for House and Senate in the next election.

We NEED TO MOVE ON... Hartmann is correct in that!