David Frum Defends "Read My Lips" Tax Hike

ATR ^ | 2011-07-08 | Ryan Ellis

[92nina]

David Frum makes the argument that the spending cuts promised in the 1990 "read my lips" tax hike budget deal indeed did come to fruition (contra to my argument yesterday). He argues that, since spending as a percent of the economy declined in the 1990s, the spending cuts must have materialized.

This is eminently-wrong for several reasons:

1. CBO data shows that the promise--$274 billion in baseline spending cuts--not only didn't happen, but that baseline spending actually increased by $22 billion. This is simply what the data show.

2. Spending as a percent of the economy did decline in the 1990s, but not as a result of the balanced budget deal. In 1990, spending was 21.9 percent of GDP. By 1992, spending had risen to 22.1 percent of GDP. It wasn't until the GOP Congress took over in 1995 that things started really turning around. From 1995 to 2000, spending declined from 20.6 percent of GDP to 18.2 percent of GDP...

Read more: http://www.atr.org/david-frum-defends-read-lips-tax-a6328#ixzz1Roe6uwbK

[92nina]

David Frum said that the 1990 budget deal was a success because spending/GDP declined in the 1990s. He wants to give Bush 1 credit for the GOP Congress.

Take this article and others I found to the fight to the Libs on their own turf; put the Left on the defensive at at Digg and at Reddit and in Stumbleupon and Delicious

[svcw]

This argument is so stupid. George HW Bush did not say, “no new taxes”, he said, “no nude Texans”.

[DManA]

Bush I compounded his sin by trying to weasel out of it by saying there weren’t any “NEW” taxes. Just increases on old ones.

[Diogenesis]

What is the connection of the site you’ve linked to
to Grover Norquist and the proillegal alien
and proSharia wings of the GOP?

Are the illegals and Sharia now triangulating
with Canadian RINOs?

[pallis]

David Frump knows the “Read my lips” tax double cross got Clinton elected. Of course he thinks it was a good thing. If there is one thing progressive Republicans love, it is bigger, costlier government. They love government growth and intrusion more than liberals do. That’s why we need to take the next election as an opportunity to rid ourselves of the progressive, liberal plague. This is the time to do it.

[pogo101]

Frummykins, even IF you are correct about the spending cuts: Bush 41 didn’t promise “No New Taxes UNLESS there are cuts.” He promised NO NEW TAXES. His breach of that promise made him a one-termer, as millions of pissed-off fiscal conservatives voted for Perot or even Clinton (or just stayed home).

[LibLieSlayer]

No doubt at this point... frum is truly a drooling idiot.

LLS

[92nina]

Diogenesis, this article is critical of David Frum. David Frum tries to praise tax hikes, but his argument falls flat on his face. Don’t worry, I have no love for Frum.

I also don’t support illegal immigration. I also don’t want Sharia law imposed on me or anyone else.

[Yo-Yo]

What’s worse is that Zero’s “stimulus” spending has now raised the baseline by hundreds of billions of dollars.

[kabar]

We would have more tax revenue if we had more taxpayers.

[bwc2221]

When I have to resort to quoting David Frum to defend the indefensible ....

Frum is as liberal as it is possible to be and still lay claim to being a Republican.

[Tublecane]

“he proillegal alien
and proSharia wings of the GOP?”

What alternate dimension do you inhabit where there’s a pro-sharia wing of the GOP?