Democrats Threaten to Take Country Over ‘Fiscal Cliff’ If They Can’t Raise Taxes
Posted by Jim Hoft on Monday, July 16, 2012, 4:38 AM
The Obama-Pelosi Democrats tripled the deficit and increased the national debt by over $5 trillion – now they want you to pay up.
Four straight years with a trillion dollar deficit–
(J. Hoft Chart)
Barack Obama added $5 trillion to national debt in a little over 3 years.
Another record.
(Heritage)
Soon to be $6 trillion.
Barack Obama and Democrats added over one trillion dollars to the annual Federal Budget in the last 4 years.
That’s at least a 30% increase in federal spending in just 3 years.
Today Democrats will threaten in a speech to take the country over a “fiscal cliff” if they can’t raise taxes.
The Washington Post reported, via Free Republic:
Democrats are making increasingly explicit threats about their willingness to let nearly $600 billion worth of tax hikes and spending cuts take effect in January unless Republicans drop their opposition to higher taxes for the nation’s wealthiest households.
Emboldened by signs that GOP resistance to new taxes may be weakening, senior Democrats say they are prepared to weather a fiscal event that could plunge the nation back into recession if the new year arrives without an acceptable compromise.
In a speech Monday, Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the Senate’s No. 4 Democrat and the leader of the caucus’s campaign arm, plans to make the clearest case yet for going over what some have called the “fiscal cliff.”
“If we can’t get a good deal, a balanced deal that calls on the wealthy to pay their fair share, then I will absolutely continue this debate into 2013,” Murray plans to say, according to excerpts of the speech provided to The Washington Post.
If the tax cuts from the George W. Bush era expire and taxes go up for everyone, the debate will be reset, Murray is expected to say. “Every proposal will be a tax-cut proposal,” according to the excerpts, and Republicans would no longer be “boxed in” by their pledge not to raise taxes.
“If middle-class families start seeing more money coming out of their paychecks next year, are Republicans really going to stand up and fight for new tax cuts for the rich? Are they going to continue opposing the Democrats’ middle-class tax cut once the slate has been wiped clean? I think they know this would be an untenable political position.”
Murray’s address, set to be delivered at the Brookings Institution, is meant to influence both the Nov. 6 election and the lame-duck legislative session in November and December, when the fiscal cliff will be at hand and the fight over taxes will be in full throttle. Regardless of the election’s outcome, President Obama and the current Congress will be in office for the session.
The speech comes less than a week after Obama assured Hill Democrats during a White House meeting that he would veto any attempt to maintain the Bush tax cuts on income over $250,000 a year, according to several people present. It also echoes the dismissive response by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) to Republicans seeking to undo scheduled reductions in Pentagon spending that even Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has said would be “devastating” to national security.
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Pete_Bondurant commented:
Hmmm, I do remember a certain former community organizer saying that it would be a mistake to raise taxes on anybody during fragile economic times. I believe that was in 2010, coming off of a quarter where economic growth was measured at about 5%.
Economic growth these days is at about 2.00%.
So, does President Politics think our economy is less fragile now? Obviously so since he wants to raise taxes and has stated that the private sector was doing fine.
Make the president choke on his own words and let the likes of Patty Murray (one of the more dumber senators) have to contradict Obama’s own words.
Hobbitually conservative commented:
So basically;
Democrats threaten to take country over fiscal cliff if they can’t take the country over fiscal cliff.
BurmaShave commented:
The Democrats have already taken us over a fiscal cliff.
It is the power-grabbing Dems that need to go off the cliff. Buh bye.
Stella Baskomb commented:
Democrats Threaten to Take Country Over ‘Fiscal Cliff’”
Threaten? We’re already in free fall.
OldSailor commented:
Don’t we already face 21 new taxes from Obamacare? Oh, right … the Dems passed that abortion (that should be aborted) without the support of one Republican.
These idiots think the so-called “Clinton boom” came about because of high taxes. As they say, you can’t fix stupid.
Whiskeytangofoxtrot commented:
Redundancy is not considered good sentence construction…besides, its too late.
Greg commented:
The 5 trillion dollar deficit already is a crisis unmatched by any tax increase on the wealthy. the crisis is just more class warfare and transfer of the blame
Finncrisp commented:
Tell the Demomarxists to pound Pelosi. Time to draw that proverbial line in the sand and start walking all of this crap back, way back.
These liars are so corrupt and so into the power trip, that they are incapable of cognitive thought aimed at doing the right thing. Evil begets evil. Nancy , Barry, Harry – all corrupt, all weasels who hate the America we love.
J. Ewing commented:
Here is hoping that the GOP points out this Dem brinksmanship and uses it to take full control of DC come November. Then, they can pass a retroactive tax cut of any size they want, while getting rid of the monstrous tax increases from Obamacare. Talk about a win-win-win.
JoyO commented:
That is just the way they behaved when they passed Obamacare ! They’re big bullies — but then they are Progressives/Socialists, so why would we expect any other behavior from them?
Like the Supreme Court said, it is our responsibility to vote these people out of office.
Blue Hen commented:
So. They’re threatening this and they still can’t be bothered to pass a budget? That’s their choice.
Robert commented:
It will end up like it always does, the Democrats will get some middling tax hike in return for a promise to reduce spending which never happens.
iamsaved commented:
First of all, it’s not a “tax cut”. It’s allowing a massive tax increase. The left loves to “word smith” their arguments with the intent of deceiving, something they are expert at. Their attitude is the money we have in our wallets is theirs on loan to us. They’re wanting it back.
Harry Reid hated the Tea Party and what it stood for and basically drew a line in the sand after the 2010 elections promising to prove his point by insisting on a tax increase. Old Harry wasn’t going to stand for “Taxed Enough Already” and let them get away with it. Why else do you think the Dems insist so strongly on a tax increase?
If the Republicans cave on this, then they are bigger fools than I thought. They’ve been snookered a number of times in the past – Sure, we’ll cut spending if you’ll give us a tax increase first. Guess what, the cutting never comes after getting their increase.
It sounds like the Dems are planning a scorched earth policy if they don’t get their way by “burning the bridges and country down fiscally as they retreat. Typical leftist tactics.
Mo commented:
This is no shock coming from the “we only know how to steal YOUR money for our own power-mad schemes” Dems, but it’s high time the Republicans stood firm, EXPLAINED why this is a threat that is disgusting and contemptible in a way that’s understood…I’m sometimes appalled that the Republicans make such a hash of things, or just go along with the Commie-crats…and then wonder why we’re cynical about the two parties not being dissimilar….this is THE TIME the Repubs can put this to rest.
It shouldn’t be simple intransigence about raising taxes, either, but showing how a fair tax system that would not be the Marxist plank of steep progressive rates but crony capitalist for the rich (and yes, it IS a problem when some corporations or hugely wealthy folks pay almost nothing…it’s not immoral or illegal, it’s what the Tax Code allows, and SHOULD be changed in a sane manner…so talk about Tax Reform that works, talk about how the middle class is going to suffer badly under the Obamacare taxes, how families making 250000 will quit hiring for their small businesses when they have to come up with LARGE chunks for increased taxes when the Dems let the rates zoom up…the Repubs need to talk squarely about how the Liar-in-Chief is totally wrong comparing Clinton times to today; 250k now is not 250k then…..and there are so many other ways the Repubs can rebuff this clown Murray (she is another Communist-on-Capital-Hill) and the POTUS and show how what the Dems want is economic insanity, is NOT fair, is not sane, is not smart and is going to cause irreparable harm.
The numbers are out there. GAO and other GOVERNMENT bodies who show that allowing these taxes to be raised again, or the new taxes of Obamacare, will plummet GDP growth and job growth. Why don’t these idiots USE those projections?
If the Repubs can’t do it now, if they can’t learn and stand up to the worst bunch of Dems in my lifetime, if they can’t stand up and communicate and do what’s right for this country…then it’s time for the fabled third party and to start anew, that is, if we can stay together as a country for 4 more years of Cloward-Piven-Obama (and with all these stories of how the government is officially pitching for folks to sign on for food stamps…with massive increases in food stamp spending, of disability spending…this IS CLoward Piven on a huge scale.
Militant Conservative commented:
If you took all the money (100%) from the rich you could run the government for
8 days. So, it is obvious the burden falls to the middle class.
Once again democrats= liars.
Carbon Pootprint commented:
Let the progressive sewers break down into chaos and burn then beotches
oncebitten commented:
The proper response, as it should have been during the last “budget crisis” (hard to have a budget crisis when there is NO BUDGET!), is to refuse any budget or continuing resolution that exceeds 110% of tax revenues. Cut everything to the bone. Eliminate extra-Constitutional agencies. Cut off foreign aid to our enemies (Egypt et al).
Finncrisp commented:
This utter nonsense that low taxes are our problem is pathetic. Who actually would believe that argument? Pound Pelosi. The House needs to stand tall and tell the Botox queen to fortget about it…
Harry is a parody of a human being. Who could believe anything this crazy uncle says? Nuttier than a fruitcake.
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