Let’s go over the fiscal cliff
Letting these tax policies expire would level the playing field for Republicans in tax negotiations next year. Instead of being in a “box,” Republican leaders would have leverage again — something the Democrats want and would have to make concessions to get.
Going over the fiscal cliff would help the GOP in another way: It would save Republicans from having to break their pledge not to raise taxes. If GOP leaders hold the line on taxes this fall, and the Bush tax cuts expire despite their best efforts, it would not harm their reputation as the party of low taxes. But if Republicans vote proactively to raise taxes as part of a “grand bargain,” the GOP brand would be irreparably damaged. Raising taxes and losing a fight to stop automatic tax increases are two different things.
Moreover, if the Bush tax cuts expire, the baseline for future negotiations would be reset. A bipartisan agreement would be within reach that reforms and simplifies the tax code, with a top rate lower than the Clinton rate but higher than the Bush one. Instead of Republicans being under pressure to raise taxes, Obama and the Democrats would be under pressure to reduce the top rate from the Clinton level as part of an eventual deal.
Blowback
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Hey – our kids don’t matter. Viva bankruptcy!
Great chess, gang.
beatcanvas on November 19, 2012 at 2:42 PM
Let. It. Burn.
JPeterman on November 19, 2012 at 2:45 PM
There’s not much more you could DO to screw over my generation at this point.
MelonCollie on November 19, 2012 at 2:48 PM
Sounds nice on paper, but have you forgotten the teams? Republicans. They always mess things up. Always.
conservative pilgrim on November 19, 2012 at 2:50 PM
If the fiscal cliff is so bad, why aren’t the Republicans playing for bigger stakes, like repealing Obamacare or slashing government spending? What’s with these guys?
Iblis on November 19, 2012 at 2:50 PM
Elections have consequences. Over the cliff we shall go.
Punchenko on November 19, 2012 at 2:51 PM
I’m fine with letting the Bush tax cuts expire if only to stop having to hear about the Bush tax cuts, as if the tax rate before them was the Providentially Established Rate for Taxes Ad Eternum, and because there will be maudlin entertainment value to watching the deficit increase under reduced revenues on the Democrat’s watch, and still without a budget.
But the notion of an eventual deal is fantasy, particularly one in which Reasonable Tax Reform takes place. The fiscal cliff was set up because we couldn’t get a deal before under the exact same conditions as we have now. But there will be one eventually? Right.
Let the military be slashed, and let overseas State department posts become a giant dead pool, all on Obama’s watch. My one request would be that the GOP hold to one simple standard: no debt limit increase. Period. And yes, I’m aware that that’s also a fantasy.
TexasDan on November 19, 2012 at 2:52 PM
Democrats are ready and willing to keep taxes at the current rate for the vast majority of Americans. All they need is for the GOP to sign on to the idea. If the GOP does not sign on to the idea, taxes will go up for everybody. There’s no possible way the GOP can spin this to a non GOP kool aid drinker that the GOP isn’t the reason everyone’s taxes went up.
CoffeeMan on November 19, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Isn’t it part of Leftist mythology that:
They’ve already socked the economy with all kinds of new regulations, and all kinds of new taxes via Obamacare.
Given those facts, Leftist legend has it that the economy will come roaring back – Why hasn’t that happened yet?
Chip on November 19, 2012 at 2:54 PM
The problem is not the tax cut. The dodge described here will work just fine. The Dems would restore the taxes cuts for everyone except those making over 200K. The problem is the defense cuts. I seriously doubt Obama would sign anything that restored all of those even with some Dem support.
Rocks on November 19, 2012 at 2:54 PM
The Clinton era tax code was also the Domenici, Kasich, Gingrich and Army tax code. It was better than Bush’s tax code in some respects. More people were paying at least a nominal amount of income tax then, and so had some stake in seeing the federal government was not spending their money recklessly.
Ted Torgerson on November 19, 2012 at 2:56 PM
JPeterman on November 19, 2012 at 2:45 PM
Sometimes you just gotta let it burn.
HerneTheHunter on November 19, 2012 at 2:58 PM
Because they aren’t just fighting the Democrats. They are fighting 75% of the media complex, every “news” channel except one, and even Fox is an unreliable friend in this. The Democrats have the benefit of every move they make in this battle painted as “compassionate” and “fair” by the media, while every GOP positions is “austerity”, “unfair”, “the party of no”, “intransigent”, etc.
I think the GOP in unsafe districts should vote present, that should give the dems enough to pass it and a quorum to make it valid. Let them own it. Let the media champion the Dems “accomplishment” in passing a grand deal.
Then when the economy burns, GDP collapses, unemployment goes back up over 10% despite best efforts to fudge, it will be all their fault. The media will wish they hadn’t championed it and they’ll be scrambling to put out Dem talking points.
PastorJon on November 19, 2012 at 2:58 PM
I wish every time a nitwit democrat said “we need to raise taxes to raise revenue” the GOP would say “fine, what was the rate when government took in the most revenue? We will set it to that rate”.
Hint: it was after the bush tax cuts.
MechanicalBill on November 19, 2012 at 2:59 PM
Agreed. Obammy voters need a pure, unadulterated dose of Obamanomics. Why should they be spared the natural full consequences of their vote? Someby has to pay for the Santa goodies. Let’s ALL do it.
Obama loves saying we “are all in this together.” Let’s hold hands, jump, and put the ‘all’ in together!
marybel on November 19, 2012 at 3:00 PM
If the cliff means over 50% pay income tax then I could support jumping.
MechanicalBill on November 19, 2012 at 3:03 PM
A great number of American’s who are not informed by the bhopress as to what bhocare has in store for them in taxes are in for the shock of their lives! And to have the Bush tax rates expire, katy bar the door!
Big bro can’t deal with funding all those who want ‘free stuff’ when less and less people are working to fund them?
L
letget on November 19, 2012 at 3:04 PM
I say lets do it. If America voted for fantasy level spending as far as the eye can see all Americans should have to pay for it. Someone’s going to have to pay for it eventually, I’d rather the people who get the benefit of the spending have to pay for it now as opposed to young people have to pay for it down the road, once all the benefits have dried up, with trillions in interest thrown on top.
Fezzik on November 19, 2012 at 3:05 PM
This makes a lot of sense, but they need to do something about the estate tax. The $1 million exemption is way too small, especially now that our dollars are worth less due to QE. A lot of small businessmen and ag people will have to pay for expensive legal work to mitigate that tax hit.
juliesa on November 19, 2012 at 3:09 PM
My taxes are going to go up either way. I want everyone who voted for Obama to suffer to. Let it burn.
ctmom on November 19, 2012 at 3:18 PM
L. I. B.
Nathan_OH on November 19, 2012 at 3:22 PM
Little different spin from what I would propose, but I like this idea too – to some degree.
Personally, I think the GOP should ask the President to write the legislature that he guarantees will return the country to at least meet the average growth following a recession, and return the workforce to what it was prior to the collapse. Net zero on employment and on par with past recoveries. On top of that, a reasonable expectation, with support by non-partisan groups (plural), for a date certain to halve the outstanding debt, close the annual deficit, and provide 50 years of sustainability to Social Security, Medicare, and Obamacare. His legislation. Complete ownership by the Democrat party and progressive economists.
Then, I think every GOP Senator and Congressman goes to the floor of their respective chamber and makes the GOP rebuttal; none of Obama’s predictions will materialize and measurables will prove wildly off by the beginning of 2016. Then vote present, or sign on to it with the caveat that “He won”, and it’s time for Obama voters to get what they voted for.
We need the White House because we need the Judiciary. If we continue to fight him, which is his hope, they’ll run on it in ’14 and ’16, and we’ll continue to lose. Let them eat their cake.
BKeyser on November 19, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Let the tax cuts expire.
Let sequestration happen.
Let the debt limit hit the ceiling.
Boom!… instant balanced budget.
Then, start negotiating…
JohnGalt23 on November 19, 2012 at 3:24 PM
No Republicans need to vote for a tax increase, if they are too cowardly to stop it they should just vote present, let the Dems own it.
agmartin on November 19, 2012 at 3:37 PM
Whatever happened to Cut, Cap, and Balance?
The problem with the GOP is that they are ADD, they can never stick to one (winning) argument long enough to make an impression on the lower information populace before they’re distracted by a squirrel.
moo on November 19, 2012 at 3:43 PM
THIS. Thisthisthisthisthis.
This fight has NOTHING do do with fairness or deficits. It’s all about MAKING REPUBLICANS VOTE TO RAISE TAXES.
But Republicans don’t have to vote to raise taxes. If they’re just smart enough to realize it.
rockmom on November 19, 2012 at 3:46 PM
I would rather deal with it than have my kids deal with this crap. Rather than just kick the can down the road and play “Lucy’s football” with the entitlement reform, let’s just deal with this now and be done with it.
Like an addict, sometimes the only cure is to hit rock bottom. The only difference in this case is the “bottom” only gets lower the longer we let it go. It will suck, but let’s just get it over with – let the Dems have their stupid huge tax increase (vote present) and we’ll rise from the ashes with hopefully a better sense of fiscal sanity. Santa’s broke.
batter on November 19, 2012 at 3:47 PM
Going over the fiscal cliff may have some political advantages for either party but it is bad for America.
lexhamfox on November 19, 2012 at 4:00 PM
And shame on those promoting this ‘let it burn’ crap. It’s no better than those morons on the far left hoping for American military defeat and dead soldiers to undermine Bush’s foreign policy.
lexhamfox on November 19, 2012 at 4:05 PM
It is true that the Entitlements Wagon ain’t gonna pull itself.
sharrukin on November 19, 2012 at 4:37 PM