Mark Shields: Republicans Haven't Raised Taxes in 21 Years 'And That Is Irresponsible'

NewsBusters.org ^ | July 7, 2012 | Noel Sheppard

[Kaslin]

Liberal media's love for higher taxes is a thing of legends.

On Inside Washington Friday, PBS's perpetually pandering pundit Mark Shields told viewers that since 1991, "21 years, Republicans have not voted for a single broad-based tax increase, and that’s become the theology of the party, the ideology of the party, the definition of the party, and that is irresponsible" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Mark Shields: Republicans Haven't Raised Taxes in 21 Years 'And That Is Irresponsible'

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Obama has to defend the policies he’s instituted. Five trillion dollars of debt added leaving us with a 1.7 percent economic expansion. That is a disaster. I think, yes, the Romney argument is not lies. The argument is…

NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: [Laughs]

KRAUTHAMMER: ...you conducted a Keynesian experiment – here’s the argument - and it did not succeed, because it sprinkled all this money on programs, crony capitalism and government jobs, which is not the key to growth, and that’s the major distinction between the policies of the Left and the Right, Democrats and Conservatives.

MARK SHIELDS, PBS: Well we do all of this equal time of who’s at fault, I just point out one thing: George Herbert Walker Bush dared to raise taxes in 1991. Since that action, 21 years, Republicans have not voted for a single broad-based tax increase, and that’s become the theology of the party, the ideology of the party, the definition of the party, and that is irresponsible.

First off, Bush 41 didn't raise taxes in 1991. He did it in 1990.

Liberal media members can't even get their facts straight about their beloved tax hikes.

Not surprisingly, Shields also ignored Bush lost the two years later almost exclusively because he went against his campaign promise to not raise taxes.

Even more disgraceful, media members such as Shields who publicly bludgeoned Bush into raising taxes hammered him the following year for doing so thereby assisting Bill Clinton's effort to unseat him.

Such inconvenient truths always seem to get left out of press discussions concerning the 1991 tax hike.

Also missing was how Walter Mondale in 1984 for all intents and purposes lost the election that year the day he told the nation during a debate with President Reagan that he was going to raise taxes.

The fact of the matter is that only the Left and their media minions want higher taxes; the vast majority of Americans don't.

But that doesn't prevent folks such as Shields from calling it irresponsible.

[Kaslin]

No you idiot, it is not

[Norm Lenhart]

Republicans Haven’t Raised Taxes in 21 Years ‘And LIBERALS THINK That Is Irresponsible

That should be a 24/7 TV commercial.

[elpadre]

“..First off, Bush 41 didn’t raise taxes in 1991. He did it in 1990...”

Yes, and what many folks forget is that it was part of a deal with the democrats. They would cut spending by a certain unrecalled amount and he would agree to raise taxes. He held up his part, they did not. Then they used the taxes to beat him in the general election. The democrats have always snookered Republicans in deals like this - crafty bunch.

[Huskrrrr]

“Since that action, 21 years, Republicans have not voted for a single broad-based tax increase,”

..and your point is? Is it Un-american to NOT raise taxes, Panty Sheilds?

[ImpeachRoberts]

So the liberals are admitting that the goal is to slowly jack up the rates over time so that they get everything?

[mongo141]

F You M Shields, You J*rk off.

[karnage]

This site spends a lot of time blasting Republicans - often justifiably - but 21 years of not voting for tax increases is commendable.

[lag along]

Crafty?

Defined (for Democrats) pledging your honor and defaulting.

[Jack Hammer]

An idiot thing to say; but, then, Mark Shields is an idiot.

[Defiant]

Democrats haven’t cut taxes since Kennedy. They raised them to 90 percent, then made little cuts here and there. Only Republicans cut them, and they didn’t ever do it enough.

[SES1066]

So Mark Shields just stated that all tax increases since 1990 are the responsibility of the Democrats. Thanks, now lets see how this campaign ad goes;

"Liberal Democrat admits the truth, GOP does not raise taxes, Democrats do!"

[Sivad]

Question for Mark Maxi Shields: Did the fact that President George
Herbert Walker Bush raised taxes cause you to vote to re-elect him
in 1992? Thought so.

[Popman]

I see Mr. Shields has not stopped drinking...

[Kaslin]

I don't know if it was a deal or not. What I recall is that they forced him to renege on his promise and since the rats had the majority in both houses he had no other choice then to go along with it.

Anyone who thinks he could have vetoed it better think again

[Haiku Guy]

If a tax rate was appropriate 21 years ago, why should it not be appropriate today? Why should it be assumed that taxes must always increase?

Besides, the Republicans don’t need to raise taxes. We have Democrats to do that!

[Kaslin]

Those are third party members who blast republicans because their party and candidates don’t have any chances

[Wiser now]

What is irresponsible, Mr. Shields, is Democrats spending more and more and more.
How many years has it been since the Democrats ceased to increase their spending?
That needs to be the focus of the discussion.

[Haiku Guy]

BTW, Republicans... If you raise taxes, we will toss you out on your ass so fast, you won’t have time to pack. It doesn’t matter who you are. You raise taxes, you’re gone.

Just in case you were wondering on that point...

[Kanzan]

Yes, this clip is a fabulous endorsement of Republicans, up and down the ticket! Thanks, Mark Shields!

[Kazan]

Mitt Romney will solve that problem for you, Mark. He’ll make you proud.