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The Spectacle Blog
The Wall Street Journal is wrong, and John Boehner right. on the matter of how to do this payroll-tax holiday. I explain why, here. One key passage from a longer post:
“The reality is that the Republican position of a year-long tax cut should be a political winner over the Dems’ two-month cut. There are ways to turn around the politics. They are ways that must be attempted, because the two-month cut is flat-out irresponsible.”
I repeat another point I made in that post: What in the (Bleep) were McConnell and the other Republican Senators thinking, to put Boehner and company in this position?
View all comments (13) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/12/21/boehner-is-right
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It is time for Simpson-Bowles| 12.21.11 @ 9:03PM
Now is the time to pass the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles plan.
The Senate payroll tax cut plan has bopartisan support within the Senate, whereas the Simpson (R)-Bowles (D) panel is bipartisan, and had bipartisan support in the Senate AND House.
Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Jay Carney have all lauded the Senate payroll tax cut bill being bipartisan.
Given that Obama, Reid Pelosi, and Jay Carney support bipartisanship, I am confident that they will support the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles plan.
Some have said Tea Partiers are holding Boehner hostage and keeping the House from passing the payroll tax cut extension.
But Progressives held Simpson-Bowles hostage, and effectively scuttled any chance of passage. And there was a decent amount of Tea Partiers that were willing to vote with the moderates in both parties.
sjccoach| 12.21.11 @ 10:55PM
I enjoyed seeing the RINO McConnell get his butt kicked. Why any Republican would want to work with Harry Reid is beyond me. Maybe McConnell will now get a backbone and stand up to the bully Reid.
Oldefarte| 12.21.11 @ 11:02PM
Boehner and House Republicans should be applauded not for demanding a twelve month deal, but for possibly/hopefully preventing a deal being passed at all. The truly insane part of this situation is that both D's and R's [along with the MSM etc] are cowardly avoiding this payroll tax cut by its proper name, and that is a cut in the Social Security Fund [from it's previous 6% to its current 4%]. The SS Fund has been robbed by these greedy morons in DC for decades, and now on top of that is these political thieves adding insult to injury by paying for their extension of governmental welfare by stealing 2% from the SS Fund. If the idiot Republicans had any intellectual brainpower, they should provide rolling proclamations to SS recipients that it is their fund's money that is being stolen and use to fund these governmental extensions of unemployment insurance benefits to deadbeats too lazy to find another job, or these physicians making $500000/year and refusing to treat Medicare recipients unless their pay rate per individual patient is restored to their Medcedes Benz likings. IT'S THE FICA [OR SOCIAL SECURITY FUND] PAYROLL TAX that is being decreased dummies, which means less money going into the SS fund, which means less money available to provide SS benefits to retiring/existing seniors who have EARNED their SS benefits by a lifetime of work and PAYROLL TAX/SOCIAL SECURITY deductions from their payroll checks as payment for their benefits. Tell the GD truth, please!!!!!!!!!!
Simon Templar| 12.22.11 @ 12:00AM
You, OF, are one of the few who truly can see and think and have nailed it. The question remains why Boehner can not take your advice and do something to expose this and use it to our advantage. The public should know the exact details of this sham. My god, the Dems would have taken this to the bank and cashed it in for political capital in an instant if the situation was reversed and republicans were trying to pull this stunt.
Simon Templar| 12.21.11 @ 11:53PM
The stupid party and its sycophants have struck again. Quin, get educated and stop playing defense for Boehner. This whole thing is a just another sham cooked up by Obama and the Dems and your good old boys are falling for it again and walking right into the trap. Boehner is being played as well and can not seem to think outside the box and find a way to effectively counter their manipulative move with something original and new that would expose the sham that is being purported. Once again, no control over the message, the situtation, or a bold counter move.
For those that would like it explained to them from someone who actually can think and express an original analysis check out the following article...
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/da....._house_gop
Brian| 12.22.11 @ 4:00AM
The trap was the two-month deal. Then, the Dems would be able to try to attach the new tax on "millionaires and billionaires" again in February. And if they couldn't get it to stick, they'd do another short extension and try again in 60 days. They want to keep pushing the millionaires' tax until either they get the GOP to cave (and then they would be able to claim victory) or until they can make it a campaign issue. Boehner is doing it right by telling Obama and Reid that it's either one year or it's nothing.
Simon Templar| 12.22.11 @ 11:14AM
Brian, thank you for your comment and the clarification. Boehner has taken the correct position but has failed to control the message and the optics, once again. It seems that too many here and conservatives in general just do not get it. It is not just about taking the correct position in politics but more importantly it is critical to take control of the optics and your message. Otherwise, you will continue to lose. They are being set up, can you see this?
SpiralArchitect| 12.22.11 @ 2:41PM
The power of persuasion he has not. Pity.
martin j smith| 12.22.11 @ 6:48AM
Hey Hillyer--I agree with you on this one. But it is not just the Wall St Journal whose 1%ers supported
Obama but the likes of John McCain--loser in chief of 2008 and that ilk. I wonder if he and others might switch parties. In his case anything is possible.
Oldefarte| 12.22.11 @ 11:11AM
First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR to MOST here [2012 is going to be a much better year I truly believe IF WE STUPIDS GET OFF OUR COLLECTIVE REARS AND DO THE NECESSARY ON 11/4/12]. That said, why aren't the public demanding that an increase in governmental spending [doc & unemployment fix] be paid for instead by a 2%-5% cut in governmental welfare, as opposed to sticking the political broomhandle up seniors' rears by once again robbing the SS fund? Want to cut something? How about the $trillions wasted on Medicaid, on foreign aid to American hating dictators or to savages in fifth world countries? I say CLEAN HOUSE [AND SENATE AND 1600 AS WELL] on 11/4/12 [and start the cleaning with with Demothugs] !!!!!!!!!!
WL| 12.22.11 @ 12:11PM
I am usually always Hawkish on making stands...However I am not for Boehner's stand on this one...it's a losing position and here is why...
1. Never take a stand unless you intend to hold the position. Boehner and the boys will cave.
2. Never pick a fight at Christmas. It's just NOT the time to do it.
3. The pipeline jam McConnell put the Bamster in is worth the whole thing.
4. The tax holiday is a joke, BUT Repubs had a chance to get out of this episode relatively unscathed, but won't now...
5. Let's all admit it...Through next year, it will be all about winning the election in November. NOTHING good can really come from Obama's presidency...and to get him to shut down the pipeline construction (in 60 days) would have been wonderful...only to be followed by Gas prices going up in the Spring/Summer...Canada shipping it to China...OR Obama selling out his wacko Greenie Followers and keeping them home in November...
BUT NO....Boehner gets to be the GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS....and NEW YEARS.
Oldefarte| 12.22.11 @ 1:38PM
If say the deal stays tabled [along with the included pipeline construction while will provide needed Canada oil for our domestic needs], while the Iran boycott results in their destruction of ME oil exported from same and the domestic price/gallon of gasoline increases up to say $10/gallon, let see which political party suffers from same [my guess is that it won't be the Republicans, since the Democrat-environmentalists have been facilitating our importation of ME oil due to their desired exclusion of domestic oil supply production for decades]!!!!!!!!!!
S Rubicon| 12.22.11 @ 1:35PM
What an incredibly & stunningly stupid move. Once again, Senate Minority Leader McConnell & his fellow Senate Republicans, have screwed up an issue. And, with the gung-ho support of the old mainstream media , they given President Obama another non-issue with which he can beat those nasty Republicans to death with, and in that very same biased media. The old mainstream media may as well be officially recognized as the media operation of the Democrat party since 99.99999% of what most do is support the actions of Democtrats in general & Obama specifically. Either Obama, Reid & other Democrats are politically brilliant, or and most likely, McConnell & other Senate and House Republicans are total fools! Honestly, I have already made up my mind.
Speaker Boehner has royally screwed this up. His pathetic whining at the microphone, comes across as out of touch & petulant, at best. He looks and sounds weak. Each day this supposed 'payroll' tax cut issue goes on, the President & Senate Majority Leader, plus every other Democrat whom a politically complicit biased media give any & all prime time openings to, so they can tearfully lament the evilness of greedy conservatives &/or Tea Party Republicans, all Republicans are being made to look like idiots, fools, and mean spirited greedy Republicans.
This is a NO WIN battle. The war will be over future extensions and the eventual November elections. Do the deal now & kill this issue so it does not linger in the minds of voters. Then, in January, put the President on the carpet to actually approve a full year deal, w/ no add on items we all know he will try to gob up an agreement with. Democrats want to keep the tax issue alive all year long & show Republicans protecting ONLY the wealthy. This is all about a future position to negotiate for additional Democrat wants. Its NOT about the people. If it was, we would not be depriving the people of Social Security funds by cutting that tax, but by actually cutting REAL taxes. This is what should have happened in the first place. There should never have been an SS cut, but a "real" TAX cut.
Too late now. Take away the Democrat's bully pulpit microphone & let this die quickly so we can make hay with other important issues instead, or face the reality you may be giving away the 2012 elections!!! If this is an example of the best strategic tactics Republican leaders have to offer us, we need new leadership. This and numerous past screw-ups, have left many of us wondering if these folks work for our party, country, and good, or if they are all befuddled with how to retain their own seats!