Via Dan Riehl, this may well be the single most obnoxious soundbite he’s uttered since his immortal bitter/clinger bon mot during the campaign. Which, if I’m not mistaken, also occurred at a fundraiser. Funny, the thoughts that bubble up when he’s among friends.

You’re welcome, America.

President Barack Obama said Thursday he’s amused by the anti-tax tea party protests that have been taking place around Tax Day.

Obama told a fundraiser in Miami that he’s cut taxes, contrary to the claims of protesters.

“You would think they’d be saying thank you,” he said.

At that, many in the crowd at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts stood and yelled, “Thank you!”

Let’s see. For starters, he’s lying: He has raised some taxes, contrary to his campaign pledge two years ago. But more than that, he seems almost to be laughing at people for being concerned about deficits. Did we or did we not learn just last night that a majority of tea partiers think their taxes are fair? They’re not some fanatic “zero tax” movement, in other words. They’re willing to pay what they’re paying now; what they want is a government small enough to make ends meet with what they’re paying. By The One’s logic, if he lowered the top marginal income tax bracket to one percent, we should expect tea partiers to fall on their knees and shout hallelujah even though it would mean annual deficits many times the trillion-dollar leviathans we’re currently saddled with. Anyone think that would happen? Anyone except Obama not yet grasp that conservatives want fiscal responsibility, not lower taxes at any and all costs?

What’s most amazing about this is that everyone understands the feds will need to raise taxes, and soon, to try to put a dent in our Everest of liabilities. That was the entire point of Paul Volcker, Obama’s own advisor, whispering about a VAT a few weeks ago. Tax hikes are simply a fait accompli, due in no small part to The One’s own unprecedented spending, and we’d probably have them already if not for his political cowardice in refusing to demand them before his reelection bid. And yet here he is, actually patting himself on the back for being a tax-cutter. Unbelievable.