The wealthy to the GOP: "Tax us more."

[giblets]

The entertainment industry is a major source of Democratic contributions and spread-the-wealth rhetoric, even as they prosper based on this tax cut, and numerous other bits of favorable treatment scattered throughout the Internal Revenue Code. It's time for a change given the current fiscal climate.

They prosper because of the removal of a special tax on gross revenues that only applied to them? I suppose so.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Yeah, we get it.

You get a partisan tool? In other news the sky gets dark at night.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Its what Obama really wants. Gets tax rates on everyone to go up. Cuts in defense. Gets to blame all the pain on the GOP when he is the one pushing it.

Hell, all the GOP has to do is say we'd accept tax hikes on the top % for spending cuts on (at least) a 3:1 level ($3 in spending cuts for every $1 in increase taxes). They do that and then Obama takes the blame for cliff diving - but they can't even bring themselves to do that.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

They've done more than that.

[Imran Siddiqui]

No they haven't. The whole "we'll close loopholes to raise revenue" fooled no one. Though, for some reason, it made Norquist all mad. Come up with a substantial proposal (ie, we'll take an increase in tax rate on the 1% in exchange for 3 times the amount in spending cuts and they can make Obama seem like the bad guy when the cliff comes - right now if/when the cliff comes the vast majority of folks are blaming the Republicans).

The Republicans used to have the smart politicians and the Democrats fell all over themselves screwing up in PR - seems to have completely flipped.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

AS a matter of fact they have. The loophole closure is intended to generate more revenue from the top 2% then a straight rate increase and further is felt important to spare the brunt applying to the small businesses. WHy else was Norquist apoplectic? AS for the 3 to one cuts to revenue what crack are you smoking? The counter was NO cuts and further a demand that the executive be ceded the constitutional authority forever more to raise the debt ceiling as he sees fit. It is such a joke intended to go over the cliff that when McConnell raised the issue that it be voted on in the senate, the senate majority leader AND the WH themselves indicated that do so was not a serious action. WTF the president makes an offer and then admits its bull**** and lays claim that the opposition is the culprit.

He intends and is happy to go over the cliff, It allows a roll back of all tax cuts which brings in the needed revenues that the piddling amount from the wealthy don't give. It gives him his desired cuts to defense. Finally if he can reverse (or even wants to. Reference Howard Dean's latest comments that all tax rates need to be rolled back) the rates for the middle class and lower class he gets to claim to be the hero at the expense of the GOP who allowed it to happen in the first place. IF you don't think he is playing the polls at 2/3 believing the hype that the GOP is to blame you are sadly mistaken.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The loophole closure was stunningly vague - akin to Romney's 'closing the loopholes'. Then again, people don't really consider closing loopholes to be the same as raising taxes.

Look at the polls - Republicans are getting smoked. And they aren't even going up against someone like Bill Clinton this time. Because if they propose a simple 3:1, including raising taxes on top rate and closing loopholes, and the President says no cuts, those numbers flip. But the Republican leadership is just that dumb and politically tone deaf.

[DinoDoc]

McConnell is alleged to have laughed in Sec Geithner's face when he delivered the offer to the Republican leadership.

[DaShi]

To be fair, some people have fell for the loophole argument.

[DinoDoc]

But the Republican leadership is just that dumb and politically tone deaf.

They lost an election in which the incumbent presided over this economy and this shocks you?

[Imran Siddiqui]

They lost an election in which the incumbent presided over this economy and this shocks you?

I'm not saying I'm that I'm all that shocked. Just that you would have hoped they wouldn't have doubled down.

[DaShi]

To be fair, they did create this economy.

[Imran Siddiqui]

To be fair, they did create this economy.

But you learn to (competently) blame the other guy for it!

[DaShi]

The tea party destroyed their ability to do that.

[DinoDoc]

I'm not saying I'm that I'm all that shocked. Just that you would have hoped they wouldn't have doubled down.

The top whatever percent lack the needed amount of money needed to bail the government out of its hole even if you tax them at 100% of their income and assets if we do as the President insists and accept his budgets as baseline spending and don't touch entitlements.