Wasserman Schultz blasts Perry's flat tax plan as 'definition of insanity'

The Hill ^

[Sub-Driver]

Wasserman Schultz blasts Perry's flat tax plan as 'definition of insanity' By Geneva Sands-Sadowitz - 10/25/11 01:21 PM ET

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wassserman Schultz slammed Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's tax plan, saying his flat tax proposal would benefit the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class and increase the deficit.

"My reaction to Rick Perry's new/old plan is that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result," said Wasserman Schultz on MSNBC Tuesday.

Perry, the Texas governor, laid out a sweeping overhaul to the nation's tax code, entitlements and way of budgeting Tuesday. He called for an optional 20 percent flat tax, a privatized option for Social Security and a hike in the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare.

"This is not a new idea, this is not something that's proposed for the first time. A flat tax has been introduced in the past and it's been rejected because it blows a hole in the deficit," she added.

Wassserman Schultz, a congresswoman from Florida, said she believes Perry's plan will exclusively benefit the wealthiest Americans without helping the middle class.

"This proposal not only does nothing for them, it just leaves them out in the cold and focuses on the same trickle down economics," said Wasserman Schultz in reference to Americans making between $50,000 and $500,000 a year.

She told MSNBC her constituents are not concerned about dividends, capital gains, or estate taxes, but rather their annual income.

For more on Perry's economic proposal on The Hill's Ballot Box blog, click here.

Wasserman Schultz also weighed-in on Perry's recent "birther" comments.

In an interview that aired on CNBC Tuesday Perry expanded on the comments he made to Parade magazine over the weekend, in which he said he wasn't sure whether Obama is an American citizen.

He called keeping the issue of whether President Obama was born in the United States alive "fun."

Many political commentators said delving into this topic was distracting to his economic campaign message.

"I think it's clear whether it's Rick Perry or Mitt Romney that they think that politics is a cynical game," said Wasserman Schultz.

[DJ MacWoW]

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"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."

~ Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006

[SECURE AMERICA]

“My reaction to Rick Perry’s new/old plan is that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result,” said Wasserman Schultz on MSNBC Tuesday.

Wouldn’t we not had to have a flat tax in effect to make this doing the same thing over and over again???? Since we never did does that mean that Wasserman-Shultz is insane?

[Chode]

said the crazy cow... feh

[monkeyshine]

Well, Perry’s plan does do the same thing over and over again. It’s the same thing that Wasserman Shulz’ congress does. She is right, but for all the wrong reasons.