Nancy Pelosi is advising Barack Obama that he ought to immediately make good on his campaign promise to raise taxes on the wealthy:
Pelosi told reporters today that she “couldn’t be more clear” in opposing some Obama advisers’ wish to wait for the tax cuts on the highest income earners to expire in two years, as they are set to do under current law. “Put me down as clearly as you possibly can as one who wants to have those tax cuts for the wealthiest in America repealed,” she said.
Pelosi said the income tax cuts to the highest earning Americans — which were decreased from 39.6 to 35 percent as part of the 2001 Bush tax plan — have been “the biggest contributor to the budget deficit,” which now stands at $1.2 trillion for fiscal year 2009. That deficit figure does not include the impact of the pending stimulus measure, which will cost around $800 billion, nor does it include estimates for supplemental spending bills that will come later this year to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…
Pelosi said the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy “have not grown the economy, have not contributed to the our economic security.”
“I couldn’t be more clear: Put me down as one in favor for repeal as soon as possible,” she said.
This raises an important point: Barack Obama cannot control what Congress sends him. While Congressional leaders might want to cooperate with him and make him look good, they don’t regard themselves as bound by his promises. Nor do committee chairmen like Charlie Rangel and Max Baucus.
So while Barack Obama may oppose these tax increases, it doesn’t mean they won’t happen. We will see whether Congressional Democrats are willing to defy him and perhaps, whether he is willing to threaten a veto if they reject his requests.
Update: Pethokoukis has related thoughts.
Obama is driving the hearse
Scope Friday, January 9th at 12:36PM EST (link)As Rush said a few days ago- “Obama is driving the hearse, and he will take it to any funneral home he wants.” Looks like Obama is going to have to bit<h slap Pelosi until she understands who the boss is.
Who is in the casket?
izoneguy Friday, January 9th at 12:41PM EST (link)Nancy Pelosi is advising Barack Obama that he ought to immediately make good on his campaign promise to raise taxes on the wealthy.
Go ahead amigo - do that and it will be a full blown depression.
I think I will head to Mexico and work for MS-13 as a hit-man.
“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson
Pelosi
Scope Friday, January 9th at 12:49PM EST (link)In this case, I’d say Pelosi.
So it begins....
jano4 Friday, January 9th at 12:52PM EST (link)The power vacuum of a weak leader like Obama, whom Pelosi, Feinstein, Reid, etc….do not respect, is going to cause a huge headache for all of them. They all thought they should be president and are the most important people in DC. This is going to be a great show to watch…
Heh, Heh, Bama the lap dog
izoneguy Friday, January 9th at 1:39PM EST (link)At least that is what Pelosi thought….
Heh - more like a Rottweiler that is not house broken yet.
Bama - quit peeing on the Speaker….
“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson
Pelosi and Hillary
Scope Friday, January 9th at 2:11PM EST (link)The show has already started and the One hasn’t even been annointed yet. Who of the Beltway Bitches will shoot who first. I say Hillary shoots the first bullet at Pelosi, while she has her Clintonista posse behind her. Not much help for Pelosi with Feinstein and Boxer.
Pelosi & Reid Are The Gifts That Keep on Giving (nt)
IJB Friday, January 9th at 1:29PM EST (link)I thought that was only said about social diseases?
woodsman Friday, January 9th at 1:41PM EST (link)n/t
You have a better description of a House Democrat?
Fred Maidment Saturday, January 10th at 8:58AM EST (link)n/t
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“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
- - Thomas Jefferson, to Archibald Stuart, 1791
5 (nt)
George Claghorn Saturday, January 10th at 9:31AM EST (link)“Victory comes, though we know not when. We must be happy warriors until the end.
For those of you who struggle with what goes on, who see retreat and capitulation, and who feel like not just your political opponents, but those who hold dear all those things you hold as blasphemous — be cheerful. Be happy. Victory is already yours.
You must just have the courage to not get discouraged and have the will to fight on.” – Erick Erickson at RightOnline
It is all a scam, a head fake.
Achance Friday, January 9th at 1:56PM EST (link)Pelosi et al go extreme to help BHO look like the restraining voice of moderation. And our “leaders” will fall for it.
In Vino Veritas
Gotta believe it will get even better than this
izoneguy Friday, January 9th at 2:34PM EST (link)“When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson
It doesn't make sense
ss396 Friday, January 9th at 5:53PM EST (link)“Pelosi said the income tax cuts to the highest earning Americans — which were decreased from 39.6 to 35 percent as part of the 2001 Bush tax plan — have been “the biggest contributor to the budget deficit”
Biggest contributor to to the budget deficit…? How is that determined, Ms. Pelosi? Doesn’t the entire budget contribute to the budget deficit? How do some elements of the budget contribute more or less to the deficit than do others? Is it by the size of the budget item (like interest on the national debt that your Congress has run up)? Is it by the extent to which expenses overran budget (such as ethanol subsidies)? Is it by unbudgeted item amount (such as the $700-billion bailout you are so in love with)?
What is the basis for that statement?
If you pay people to sit on their duffs, you cannot be surprised when they do.
Popcorn All Around!
Whitehorse Friday, January 9th at 9:35PM EST (link)This could be very interesting as the power struggles & infighting increase, especially if & when Obama doesn’t want to go along with them or they don’t want to go along with him. We will have fertile ground & need to make the most of it!
Last year the IRS took in the most amount of money in its history, due to the Bush tax cuts
gekster Friday, January 9th at 10:51PM EST (link)nt
A political party cannot be all things to all people.
It must represent certain fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency, or simply to swell its numbers.
Ronald Reagan
Every deer hunter in Michigan still likes to take a shot at a squirrel, rabbit, or even a troll every now and then.
This looks a lot like the start of the Carter Administration
ehosterman Friday, January 9th at 11:09PM EST (link)A new inexperienced President and power struggles between an incompetent leftist President and an even more incompetent leftist Democratic congress. Their energy policies are even similar. We all better buy a bunch of Cardigan sweaters. Just think, we have double digit unemployment , inflation and interest rates to look forward to. I can’t wait.
No surprise there
CJB68 Saturday, January 10th at 8:45AM EST (link)Anybody remembers the Carter administration, right? That’s the president who basically rubber-stamped all of Congress’s budgets at a time when we were struggling with a faltering economy (the inflation and 10% unemployment of the late 1970s). A lot of good that was doing us…
I expect the Obama administration to be more of the same, only with Clinton-era relics, a more Soviet-like Congress run by the most corrupt generation of politicians to date and a cult of personality to boot.
Delusional and Arrogant. The 2008 Democratic Presidential Ticket.