Posted on 12/24/2011 12:51:06 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Democrats believe their chances of recapturing the House have improved significantly after what was widely seen as a GOP meltdown in the payroll tax debate.
Democrats believe the messy fight has helped narrow the advantage Republicans have traditionally held on tax policy.
Democrats have long espoused populist tax policy, with mixed results in recent years. Democratic strategists think that is about to change as high unemployment rates have given new traction to their proposals, which Republicans dismiss as class warfare.
Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist, said he believes Democrats can recapture the House in part because of growing public resentment over wealth disparity. “The issue is really starting to be clarified for middle-class voters. It’s emerging as the biggest issue of the campaign, the fundamental unfairness of society where the wealthy are getting very wealthy and the middle class are falling behind,” Devine said.
He said House Republicans hurt themselves by taking a stand against a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut only to fold and pass it a few days later.
“The Republicans have shot themselves in both feet,” Devine said.
Minutes after the Senate passed a two-month extension of the payroll tax holiday Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) signaled Democrats would press their advantage by bringing the millionaires’ surtax back to the table.
Rodell Mollineau, former senior aide to Reid and president of American Bridge 21stCentury, a Democratic super PAC, said Democrats feel emboldened by the tax fight.
“Holding firm on any big issue gives you momentum heading into the next big issue. The stars are aligned that people are ready to hear this message,” Mollineau said.
Senate Democrats stood their ground by refusing to negotiate with House Republicans, daring House Speaker John Boehner to kill a Senate-passed short-term extension of the payroll tax holiday.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
The Democrats, who'd love to tax millionaires, are actually afraid to do that. They'd lose the very minor benefit they get from arguments about cutting it a bit, then extending it, then extending it a little bit, and then wrapping it up in zigzag paper and smoking it, or using it as a suppository, or whatever.
Now, for a follow on to this, barring some accident of fate that makes that idea look really good to the Democrats, Republicans should up the ante by REQUIRING that all FICA paid by employers be considered a deductible business expenses if and only if the employee on whose behalf that payment was made has been certified by E-Verify to be in the country lawfully.
Some "millionaires" will end up paying higher taxes on their profits ~ but some illegal aliens will abruptly discover that their going rate is too high for the market.
An American might well be able to get a job in America.
Except for Zero (who may be a complete doofus but sounds good if you don't pay attention to the words) Bubba Bill would be about their only shot.
The Dems are whistling past the graveyard if they think a $40 tax cut or $40 increase is going to make any difference at all when nobody is listening. Have you been near a shopping mall lately? I haven't seen crowds like that since Bush was president!
Can't be, that would make democrats politically motivated at the cost of what is best for the country.
......
Social Security withholding from a paycheck is not a TAX, nor a CONTRIBUTION. Rather the money is a LOAN. In that the money will be returned to you some day when you begin collecting Social Security. Unfortunately, the loan is interest free.
He cut their income, their health care, and their pension.
LLS
The dems are sob full of crap, their eyes are brown.
haha 40 bucks for two months does not buy a lot of votes.
But other than Hilary I don’t think any other Democrat would waste their time running against Obama with his huge war chest.
I like it!
How are the self employed to handle this? I can see the whole year holiday, simply pay 2% less on next years taxes. For 2 months it seems to me it’s going to be a mess.
That way Democrats get another meaningful tax increase on some people who are "millionaires".
Some American might get a job out of this.
I have some future permutations on this that'll curl David Axelrod's hair!
Anything that increases the use of E-verify and pressures illegals to leave sounds good to me.
Next fall, who exactly is going too even remember any of this? Dream on, ‘rats.
In fact, if republicans are smart they will point out to the vanishing middle class, that it was democrats in the senate, who insisted on reducing the extension to two months, and obama forced the house to give up extending for a year. Two can play this game—and use the 40 bucks constantly vs. the year.
When it comes up again in February— up the ante Republicans— push for a 5 year extension with a choice between getting the money (no withholding)or putting it into their own private account, like a CASH-401K. That’ll fix the dems for good, if they say “nooooooo”.
They may be able to stave off a veto proof House.
Wait I thought healthcare,finreg, doddfrank etc would of did this per the media, plz
You're right. The only people paying attention to this are the informed voters and Democrats certainly aren't that.
Boehner and McC are incompetents set on failure, but they have the support that counts: Republican members of the House and Senate, who expect to increase their ranks by 2013, but will they? The Republicans are offering only that they are not-Obama, but are they?
That is one of the best indicators of how gullible and naive the Democrats believe the liberals are. They already know the progressives and other socialist will vote for them regardless. This is evidence of how ignorant and unable to think they believe the hoi polloi are.
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