Video: Obama officially retreats on zero tax increases for middle class
posted at 12:57 pm on July 23, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Most of the media’s focus from last night’s press conference has been directed towards Barack Obama’s response to Lynn Sweet’s question about Henry Gates’ arrest, but they missed a key exchange — and a major walkback on tax policy for Barack Obama. Obama has insisted that middle-class Americans would not see “any form of tax increase, not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes,” both during the campaign and while in office. David Axelrod started backing away from that pledge last month, when CBO scoring on ObamaCare turned really ugly, but until last night Obama had not retreated in the least. Buried in the interminable answer given to Ben Feller of the AP on how Obama planned to pay for health-care reform was this nugget, which I’ve paired with Obama’s pledge from a year ago:
The one commitment that I’ve been clear about is I don’t want that final one-third of the cost of health care to be completely shouldered on the backs of middle class families who are already struggling in a difficult economy.
And so, if I see a proposal that is primarily funded through taxing middle class families, I’m going to be opposed to that because I think there are better ideas to do it.
I’ve bolded the weasel words. This represents a major shift in Obama’s tax positions. No longer will middle-class families see their taxes “actually decrease,” as Obama pledged in the campaign. Now, he will be fine with raising their taxes to pay for his massive socialization of health care, as long as he can say that the taxes won’t “primarily” come from the middle class. He doesn’t want the burden “completely shouldered” by the middle class, but that leaves a lot of room as to how much they will pay in higher taxes and fees for it. Finally, Obama says he would “be opposed” to such an approach, but never says that he would veto it if it hit his desk.
We knew this expiration date was coming. The question will be whether the press will report it.
Blowback
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Sorry, thought you meant Jake Gibbs who preceded the Thurman Munson.
sibobr on July 23, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Obama lied, our economy died.
Mojave Mark on July 23, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Backtrack Obama
LibTired on July 23, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Worked with a guy whose response to a question often started: Well, to tell you the truth…. No, stupid, I’d rather you lied to me.
Obie can’t stop doing the same thing, but his intent is to make the statement, and then toss out a blatant lie. To the post above, where you don’t think he is parsing words, maybe you should listen to him more often. He is always tossing out those parses.
TimothyJ on July 23, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Obama’s war on prosperity marches on.
daesleeper on July 23, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Sorry, where you think he is not parsing words.
Read before you post, read before you post, read before you post. Sorry
TimothyJ on July 23, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Move along nothing to see here.
RED DAWN
igglesphan on July 23, 2009 at 2:45 PM
IM. PLO. SION.
Sugar Land on July 23, 2009 at 3:00 PM
That ought to strike fear into the hearts of the blue-dogs.
Any collaboration with Obama in 2009 can be brought back around and pitched as “he (or she) voted to raise our taxes!”
The ads almost write themselves.
Alas, I’m still not sure what we need to strike fear into the hearts of the RINOs.
Mew
acat on July 23, 2009 at 3:05 PM
I don’t like throwing the “stupid” label around because of glass houses and all that, but if anyone thought Obama could realize all his socialist dreams without taxing the middle class, well…
SKYFOX on July 23, 2009 at 3:05 PM
I am Barack Obama and I lied to get elected.
Now I, the One, has won, so SUCK IT B!TCHES!! NOTHING YOU CAN DO FOR $ YEARS!!! MUHAHAHAHAHA!
Good Gawd i hope we can survive this marxist moron racebaiting liar.
BillaryMcBush on July 23, 2009 at 3:10 PM
“Your taxes are absolutely not going to go up, not in any way whatsoever, and also they sort of will.”
Jim Treacher on July 23, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Actually, what he said was that he didn’t want the burden “shouldered” on “the backs” of the middle class. I am also tired of hearing this, but can you imagine what the MSM would have done with that had a certain unnamable prior POTUS unttered that remark? CBS would have ran a five part series on mainstreaming of the retarded.
Hucklebuck on July 23, 2009 at 3:35 PM
Cue the BeeGees…
Its just your jive talkin
Youre telling me lies, yeah
Jive talkin
You wear a disguise
Jive talkin
So misunderstood, yeah
Jive talkin
Your really no good
ProudPatriot on July 23, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Obama never tells lies except when he claims to tell the truth.
Obama says “I always to the truth except when I don’t.”
Here’s another one. He’s always right except when he’s wrong and that folks is all the freak’in time.
If by chance he comes out and claims to be a socialist, we may have to change those facts of just swallow the flies as our jaws will fall open in disbelief.
larvcom on July 23, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Obama is just borrowing my excuse to my husband, when I’ve spent too much money shopping.
Husband: So, how much did you spend at the mall today?
Wifey: I spent $500 on a purse.
Husband: Your kidding me?
Wifey: No, I actually wanted to buy the purse that was $3500. I knew that was way too much money, so I bought the cheap purse and saved you $3000.
luvstotango on July 23, 2009 at 4:58 PM
It’s quite simple, really. Just alter the bill to read “The entire cost of this program to be born solely from the personal wealth of, and trust funds that benefit the current Congress and Mr. Obama.” Put that on page 967 or so. They never read these things. Problem solved.
Dowager Duchess on July 23, 2009 at 6:28 PM
Ed, is it easy to keep track of all these expiration dates given we know they’re coming with virtually everything he promised to get elected or does the sheer volume of these expirations make your job very difficult?
Yakko77 on July 23, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Dude. Who says he will ‘see it’? Honestly, the bill isn’t even written and ObamACORN isn’t going to read the thing. There’s your weasel words.
FeFe on July 23, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Do I have to keep repeating myself over and over ad infinitum?
The tobacco tax increase that Barry O signed hit lower and middle income Americans. Got that?
corona on July 23, 2009 at 9:07 PM
100% has two zeros.
Dr. Charles G. Waugh on July 23, 2009 at 9:19 PM
So what’s new? The Prince of Incompetence has to support his ignorance.
Cybergeezer on July 24, 2009 at 9:18 AM
When he said that stuff about the “final third” I just figured he meant the middle class was already “shouldering the burden” of the first two-thirds and he just didn’t know how much of the rest would be carried by the middle class.
taznar on July 24, 2009 at 10:10 AM
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