Pirate's Cove

Of course, what Team Obama really wants is more “revenue”, ie, tax increases

(The Hill) The White House on Sunday sought to pressure Republicans to “come to the table” to strike a deal to avert sequester cuts slated to hit at the end of the month.

In a blog post on the White House website, senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer argued the cuts would affect the nation’s job creation, national security, and economic growth.

Can anyone point towards where Obama has cared about any of those three? His pivots to the economy ever 6 months or so before moving on show that his policies are failures, as do the poor economic conditions of the country.

Pfeiffer took aim at congressional Republicans, blasting their call for offsetting cuts as a “my way or the highway approach.”

I’m highly tempted to follow the pattern of the previous post and insert a gif of someone laughing, but I’ll refrain and just point out that Pfeiffer is using some marvelous projection.

The two parties are split on how to best address the $85 billion in automatic cuts. Democrats, including President Obama, have said they want to offset that amount with a mixture of spending cuts and tax revenues gained by eliminating certain deductions and loopholes. Republicans have said they are unwilling to accept new taxes as part of a deal.

“If Republicans in Congress want spending cuts, there is a simple way to get them that will not imperil our economy, our national security, or vital programs that middle class families depend on: come to the table for a balanced plan that also closes loopholes for millionaires and billionaires,” Pfeiffer argued Sunday. “The unbalanced Republican approach does not reflect our values as a nation, and would not help our economy continue the important progress we are making. It’s time for Congress to act.”

Every time the GOP comes to the table Team Obama proposes mostly tax increases (he also then tanks the deal by demanding more). Any cuts they offer are marginal and drops in the bucket. Not that the sequester is that big a deal in the first place. In Washington spending terms, it is tiny. $1 trillion over 10 year? Which will surely be discarded within a few years.

The GOP has already voted on two plans in the House. So far, Obama and Senate Democrats have failed to produce a viable plan which includes serious cuts. Their plan is, surprise, tax increases in the middle of an economic downturn.