Cut It Up – The Lawrence Arms
So the Democrats are going to actually have a vote on extending only the middle class tax cuts. I’m torn on this. I think it’s good politics, but it’s only good politics if they can actually control the message. It should be simple: ‘we want to give you tax cuts but the Republicans are holding that hostage to tax cuts for the very very wealthy.’ Part of the problem, though, is that a fair number of conservative Democrats are going to join the Republicans most likely.
We’ll have to see.
I’m also torn because I think the ‘middle class tax cuts’ are bad policy. I don’t really understand how we got the point where many people seem willing to accept that the initial tax cuts were a terrible idea when passed, particularly given the supposed mania for controlling deficits that has swept (a small set of people who imagine themselves to represent) the nation. If the deficit is a serious short term problem, then there are few bigger culprits than these very tax cuts.
It’s all enough to make you wonder whether these Very Serious People might in fact be Not Actually That Serious At All.
So my ideal world would be the one where there’s no compromise and ALL the cuts simply expire. Of course, that depends on the Democrats being able to withstand a new round of tax cuts that the Republican/conservative Dem coalition might muscle through in 2011. I’d be willing to put up with any amount of ridiculous demagoguery about the tax cuts as long as nothing actually passes. If Republicans want to scream themselves hoarse about the need for tax cuts next year, they are free to do so.