Posted on 12/17/2017 1:44:22 PM PST by Kaslin
After making completely false claims about the GOP tax reform bill on ABC’s Good Morning America earlier on Sunday, Clinton lackey George Stephanopoulos spent most of This Week leading the discussion tearing it down.
After spending a couple minutes smearing the bill in his opening monologue, Stephanopoulos interviewed Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn where one of his first questions involved allegations GOP leaders bought off Tennessee Senator Bob Corker with a real estate provision:
There's a lot more scrutiny of the bill, which was just released on Friday in these final hours. Including an article in the International Business Times, that came out yesterday showing that a last-minute tax break, which was not included in the House or Senate provision, could bring millions of dollars to President Trump, and other Republicans, who get a lot of money from the real estate income through LLCs.Instead of asking Cornyn to explain why the provision was there and what it was for, Stephanopoulos read a statement from Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen who called the GOP “” “Will you remove that provision,” the ABC host demanded to know. That’s not to mention how he thinks a bill released five days before a vote was somehow released “in these final hours.”
“Meanwhile, the Democrats are also warning this is going to trigger a mandatory cut in many government programs, including a $25 billion cut in Medicare,” Stephanopoulos said to Cornyn a short time later. He then highlighted Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-D) saying Dems would play games with the program. “She's essentially saying, you won't get any Democratic votes to waive those cut. So, $25 billion in Medicare cuts are coming. Can you prevent the cuts on your own?"
ABC Goes All-In on Trying to Sink GOP’s ‘Nightmare’ Tax Reform
Stephanopoulos then spoke with two economists: Former Chair of Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, Glenn Hubbard who supported the bill, and Paul Krugman from The New York Times who opposed the bill and whose economic predictions were about as accurate as an astrology chart.
Krugman actually argued against the bill because it was “un-leveling the playing field” to the benefit of small businesses. “What this is doing is, it tremendously privileging people who own businesses of a certain kind. Who are really basically just workers but happen to have the right kind of business that earns enough money,” he smeared.
“It’s a crazy thing,” Krugman added, before getting one more punch before the commercial break. “I think this will be a wave of outrageous tax avoidance. And that there will be mass demands for people do something because this is a nightmare bill.”
In the last 15 minutes of the program, ABC’s make-believe Republican Matthew Dowd was mouthing off about how the GOP was passing a bill that was only for the wealth and asserted that “to me when the Republicans do this, they have abdicated any responsibility on fiscal conservativism. They can’t run on that anymore.”
Former Bush Political Affairs Director Sara Fagen noted most economic analysis of the bill “fails to give any credit for growth in the economy and higher tax revenues off a broader base and people making more money.” But Dowd did not want the facts known, so he talked over her, shouting: “There is no evidence at that that will happen! In history. None.” As Fagen began to counter him, he falsely declared that “there was no growth after the Reagan 1986 tax bill. There was no growth.”
This wasn’t the first time Dowd has tried to rewrite history. On the same program a few weeks prior, he claimed Republicans “empowered” Bill Clinton’s sexually predatory behavior by confirming Justice Clarence Thomas.
With all of the Republicans in the Senate and nearly all in the House supporting the reconciled tax reform proposal, passage and a presidential signature were all but assured. So it’s no wonder ABC was in crisis mode ahead of the pivotal vote on Tuesday that would have get a major win on the board.
Relevant portions of the transcript below:
ABC This Week December 17, 2017 9:05:29 AM Eastern
(…)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So you [Senator John Cornyn] think you have the votes right now. There's a lot more scrutiny of the bill, which was just released on Friday in these final hours. Including an article in the International Business Times, that came out yesterday showing that a last-minute tax break, which was not included in the House or Senate provision, could bring millions of dollars to President Trump, and other Republicans, who get a lot of money from the real estate income through LLCs. Our next guest, Senator Chris Van Hollen, has responded to that saying: “Slipping in a last-minute provision that could give more of a windfall to people like President Trump and some Republicans in Congress is unconscionable. It’s not too late for my colleagues to do the right thing.” Will you remove that provision?
(…)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Meanwhile, the Democrats are also warning this is going to trigger a mandatory cut in many government programs, including a $25 billion cut in Medicare. Leader Pelosi has written a letter to the Senate and House leaders of the Republican party, saying: “Given the lack of bipartisanship to date in your effort to provide massive tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of the middle-class while adding $1.5 trillion to the deficit. It will be your responsibility to deal with the consequences.” She's essentially saying, you won't get any Democratic votes to waive those cut. So, $25 billion in Medicare cuts are coming. Can you prevent the cuts on your own?
(…)
9:33:16 AM Eastern
PAUL KRUGMAN: By the way, this is un-leveling the playing field. Right now, anybody that wants to turn themselves into a C-corporation and pay normal corporate taxes can do that. What this is doing is, it tremendously privileging people who own businesses of a certain kind. Who are really basically just workers but happen to have the right kind of business that earns enough money. It's a crazy thing. It's creating a nightmare of loopholes. Possible exploitable things -- possible ways for certain people – there’s even a specific provision says that architects and engineers get a special tax break that other service providers don't get. So, this is insane tax policy.
(…)
KRUGMAN: I think this will be a wave of outrageous tax avoidance. And that there will be mass demands for people do something because this is a nightmare bill.
(…)
9:46:09 AM Eastern
MATTHEW DOWD: Besides the substantive serious problems, I think, with this, it doesn't simplify—it’s only going to primarily benefit the wealthy and all of that … To me, when the Republicans do this, they have abdicated any responsibility on fiscal conservativism. They can’t run on that anymore. After they pass a bill that raises the debt by $1.5 trillion and doesn't help the middle-class they no longer can run as the fiscal conservatives.
SARA FAGEN: In all this conversation though of the deficit, it fails to give any credit for growth in the economy and higher tax revenues off a broader base and people making more money. And so, I think that's just –
DOWD: There is no evidence at that that will happen! In history. None.
FAGEN: That’s not true.
DOWD: Yeah, it is.
FAGEN: There is evidence of it.
DOWD: There was no growth after the Reagan 1986 tax bill. There was no growth.
FAGEN: More people went to work and more people had higher wages.
(…)
Well, what would have you expected from the Media Party? I bet many of them were sad the day the Soviet Union officially ended.
I confess this is a rare instance that I won’t read past the first paragraph in an article. You could tell from the line-up released before the show that it was obviously intended to bad talk the proposed bill.
Paul Krugman: that’s all you need to know about today’s show.
They are insane over this. They hate anything that promotes growth. May they regret their words.
Every tax cut is an end of the universe nightmare to a Leftist.
What really irritates me, are the people who should know better, but continue to talk about how to pay for these tax cuts.
They know what a boost this will give Trump especially when most people realize they really are getting a tax cut. They are going to use anything and everything to stop this. It’s going to be a rough couple of days.
What they mean is their idiotic logic to cut taxes you have to raise them.
I’m enjoying the online tax calculators ... they all show just about everyone with a tax cut.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/17/upshot/tax-calculator.html
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/politics/calculate-americans-taxes-senate-reform-bill/index.html
Fave: http://taxplancalculator.com/
I agree.
“.....one of his first questions involved allegations GOP leaders bought off Tennessee Senator Bob Corker with a real estate provision:............”
Stephy is of course a far left Democrat. One of the major, and most commonly used out of their bag of dirty tricks is projection. “Buying off” is a Democrat trick used so often within their ranks it’s like the air they breathe to them, therefore it’s one of the first things they project, or accuse their opposition of. It’s something they would do, so therefore their opposition does it whether they do, or not.
I look forward to the sex harassment case that will take little Georgie off the air.
This will make the economy grow at 4+ percent. Midterms will be fine for Republicans bs and Trump will be re-elected.
That’s why they hate this bill. That’s why they’re going to the mat over it. Hopefully it will pass without Cochran (McCain won’t be able to vote no ;). My selfish and spiteful self wants McCain to be alive when it passes.
I do pray for his family.
Scaring senior citizens (whom they actually don't care a whit for) by lying to them. The Dems know no depths to their perpetual and obligate duplicity.
Well, if we're cutting them on the middle class, we'll need to raise them on the rich (Leftist fall-back boogie man0. Result: Net neutral in money freed up for the economy. A vapor trail instead of tangible freed up funds for the economy.
Anyone else ever notice that Stephy contributes absolutely nothing to GMA during the week?
Once this goes into effect, are any of the libtards who are screaming about this “tax cut for the rich” going to forego the money they will save and give it back to the government?
I’m guessing not a single one of those hypocrites will do it.
Get back to me when the tax “reform” either (a) lowers taxes for everyone, or (b) installs a flat tax. Until then, it’s all a shell game.
Since it raises taxes for millions of people, and gives credits to illegals, you’d think the media would be praising it. Instead, like me, they’re not supportive. Imagine that
I agree with your take on it
I support it because the bad things don’t change. Much of the bill is better. The bad stuff is already in there now. They may have tinkered to make it worse though.
It’s Trump, so that’s the only reasoning they need to think it’s bad.
I see it as a tiny step in the right direction, but better than nothing.
Hopefully we can get more, later. But Trump needs a win, any win right now.
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