Clinton "double talking" or misquoted in Iowa, regarding Bush's tax cuts.

[flpoljunkie]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-10-15T050028Z_01_N14265662_RTRUKOC_0_US-DEMOCRATS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

"People know things are out of whack, that fundamentally the order of, the rhythm of public life and our common life as Americans has been severely disturbed," he said.

Clinton criticized the tax cuts President George W. Bush pushed through Congress and urged Democrats running for office this year to promise to correct the imbalance -- and promise not to raise taxes in the process.

(Huh? Pelosi has suggested she will look at rolling back the tax cuts for those making an AGI of $250,000-$300,000. And, why this statement below--an apparent absolving of responsibility for most Republicans for the past six years?)

"You cannot blame the entire Republican party for this reason. The entire government of the United States, the Congress, the White House and increasingly the courts for the last six years has been in the total control not of the Republican party but of the most ideological, the most right wing, the most extreme sliver of the Republican Party."

[Benhurst]

1. If past is prologue, then I fear Ma Bush's adopted son was

double talking.

[liberal N proud]

2. I think he was trying to demonize those who have lead the whole astray

He is saying that the weak are following the evil leadership of both the House and the Senate. They are still wrong and need to suffer the defeat which will one day come their way for their actions.
But the extreme part of the republican party that is lead by the PNAC to destroy the democratic republic are the ones who should be prosecuted and locked up for treason.

[flpoljunkie]

3. What about the part about Bush's tax cuts?

[CoffeeCat]

4. I think I see what he's doing...

Clinton's tax comment is reasonable. He's saying that he "promises not to raise taxes"--because Clinton knows that when we talk about rolling back tax gifts for millionaires the Republicans become hysterical and blubber, "OH MY GOD THEY'RE GOING TO RAISE YOUR TAXES!!!!".

My guess--Clinton is making a concise distinction between "raising taxes" and taking away the hefty, tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires that were crafted by the Republicans.

I also like Clinton's statements on the Republican party, and the "most extreme sliver". He's playing hardball. Clinton is identifying and putting under a magnifying glass, the extreme nutjob wing of the Republican party. He's saying...these people who have hijacked the Republican party--are not the entire Republican party. They're a "sliver"...a small faction of howling Fascist scumballs. He's positioning them as a dangerous, perverse minority.

I like the things that Clinton said.

[Mass]

5. I have to disagree with Clinton. It is both the fault of the extremists

in the party and of the rest of the party that let it happen. People like Chafee, Snowe, Hagel, Collins, ... are as much to blame as Trent Lott and Tom Delay because they did not do anything to stop that.

As for the tax cuts. This is classic Clinton triangulation. I imagine he means to get rid of the tax cuts for higher brackets and not increase taxes over that, but he does not say it, of course, so you can think whatever you want.

[flpoljunkie]

6. I think you are right on both counts, but is it really "triangulation"?

Or is it, shall we say, disingenuous?

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. I don't see that as triangulation at all. It's pretty straightforward --

don't pass laws to raise anyones' taxes, simply eliminate some of the tax breaks that have been given to the 1% and the corporations.

it's the flip side of the estate tax deal, where it was arranged to suspend the "death tax" on the reupb watch, then let that bit of legislation expire on what would predictably be the dem watch, so they can scream "the democrats raised our taxes".

It just needs to be reframed as eliminating welfare for the rich.