The Bizarroworld Gambit
by digby
Does anyone want to lay odds on whether or not the Republicans will manage to convince a majority of Americans that this makes sense? Greg Sargent reports:
Michael Steel, a spokesman for John Boehner, emails a response to the news that House Dems are planning to hold a vote just on extending the middle class tax cuts:
"The last thing our economy needs right now is a massive tax hike on families and small businesses -- and that's what this plan would mean."
This is classic up-is-downism, a craft perfected by George W. Bush and one that's making a big comeback. (I expect to see it put into use on the Tea Partiers as well.)
I think Obama should polish up his "hoodwinked and bamboozled" speech and hit this hard before too many people are convinced that the Democrats are voting to raise taxes and all the allegedly liberal gasbags on TV screw it up by blubbering defensively about what constitutes a small business or whether or not someone who makes 250k a year is middle class. (You know they will.)
Sadly, I haven't gotten the idea that Obama particularly wants to have this fight. I'm guessing savvy pals like Jamie Dimon and Lloyd Blankfein aren't too keen on it.
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