Obama, Pelosi, Reid: Tax Cuts Solution - Listen Up!

[Toucano]

It's way past time for you to start playing hardball.

The Bush-era tax cuts will expire at midnight, 31st of December if no action is taken.

Take no action. Let nothing come up for a vote and let ALL the tax cuts expire.

As GHW Bush did in 1992, Obama can order the IRS to adjust the employer withholding tables down, so middle class taxpayers have more money in their weekly check, effectively extending the middle class tax breaks.

This gives you 12 months to blast the Republicans on the issue before the wage earners have to file their 2011 returns - which would cause many of them to owe money or get no refund.

A lot can happen in 12 months. Meanwhile, middle class taxpayers have a bit of relief and will dump that money into the economy. Stimulus and relief in one shot.

It's a hail Mary pass of a flaming, toxic ball of political shit right into the laps of Republicans.

If the Republicans can't be persuaded in those 12 months, your hands are CLEAN because you fought to put money in workers' paychecks and the Republicans took it away.

Compromise and extension of the tax cuts are WORST option available to you.

[Angry Dragon]

1. I like it

[opihimoimoi]

2. Its BALLS TIME...let it EXPIRE

[phleshdef]

3. Thats actually kinda brilliant.

[Toucano]

5. Thanks. I really think it will work.

With the coming Republican house majority, it will be powerful ammunition, like a right hook in Boehner's orange face.

[Lance_Boyle]

4. Compromise and extension of the tax cuts are WORST option available to them from

our perspective. From their perspective (i.e., the perspective of the people who control them, not the perspective of the people who voted for them) extending tax cuts for the crusty upper 2% is the desired option, and one they'll not fight against.

[no limit]

6. The problem is I think they actually want to extend the tax cuts for the rich

despite what they tell us. That's the only logical explaination I can think of. Nothing else makes any sense.

[gkhouston]

13. They need to understand that they can either appease side A (lots of money)

or side B (lots of votes). The midterms showed that if you have buttloads of money you can influence elections (duh!) but even in some heavily targeted elections (Reid), it was not enough. Does Obama want to give up re-election over this? I can't imagine he truly does, not with so much popular cover.

[Toucano]

14. Extending tax cuts for the wealthy is SO COMPLETELY WRONG

fiscally, morally, and politically that I dare say an extension could be Obama's Waterloo.

They'll hammer him on the deficit, the economy won't improve, and he'll be a one-term loser rather than a legendary, equation altering statesman.

He campaigned on this, and I think it's vital.

[gkhouston]

17. He simply cannot be this stupid. He is not a stupid man. n/t

[abelenkpe]

7. love it

Just let them expire. I do hope you've written this suggestion, yes?

[Toucano]

12. I'm not sure what you mean?

Have I written Pelosi or Obama?

No, because I doubt they would read it.

Have I written the OP? Yes. I remember this trick Bush the first used and it seems like something that could benefit the administration in this current situation.

Do I want credit for saving the world? Yes. I want a cookie, and a medal and a chest to pin it on! ;-) LOL!

[yodermon]

8. K&R for "flaming, toxic ball of political shit" reference

lol

And, i didn't know about the whithholding-tables trick, is that done by an Executive Order?

keeping this kicked!!!

[Toucano]

9. Bush did it in 1992. I remember it because it was the first time I wrote a check to the IRS.

Here's the only reference I could find:

"Small-business owners are grousing about having to adjust their payroll systems to reduce federal withholding taxes, thanks to President Bush's order to adjust withholding tables to give workers more up-front cash."

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-31/business/fi-1179_1_small-business-owners

Surely someone in government could tell us if I'm wrong.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

10. K&R

[laughingliberal]

11. K & R nt

[Qutzupalotl]

15. Interesting, but if nothing changes by April 2012

people will have to pay taxes using money they've already spent.

Granted, it should stimulate the economy a little, just as Obama's payroll tax stimulus did. It might also go unnoticed as Obama's did. A wiser course for workers would be to stick that extra money in the bank rather than spend it, since they might need to pay most of that in taxes. So because of the uncertainty, it might not be as stimulative as we hope.

I do like the aspect of pressuring Republicans. People will be outraged when they see what they owe. I think a number of people will blame Obama no matter what, but as you said, if he visibly hammers the Republicans on this, he could escape some blame.

Personally, I'd like to see all the Bush tax cuts expire because of our debts, but that's probably unwise politically.

[krispos42]

16. I like it... let's play hardball

I'm tired of extending a hand and pulling it back spurting blood!

[Toucano]

18. At which point the only thing you can do is cram your bloody stump

down their orange-faced throats!

Its so clear: Obama can say, "I put that money in your paychecks, and THEY took it away."

[krispos42]

21. Or do an "Evil Dead" kind of thing

I'm in that kind of mood right now.

[Abq_Sarah]

19. One problem

President Obama can change the withholding tables but the tax due at the end of the year remains the same. That means in many cases, people would end up owing the IRS money in April and I doubt the President would be thanked for it.

[Toucano]

20. I think I addressed this.

Obama is responsible for GIVING you money in your check...the Republicans would be responsible for taking it away.

The ball of flaming politically toxic shit is in THEIR court.

No one is going to thank him for caving into the extension of crippling tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% either, but if Republicans refuse to cut taxes for the middle class throughout 2011, people might at least respect him for doing all he could to make his words match his deeds.

[Abq_Sarah]

22. Not going to work

And has the potential to backfire in a big way.