Get this:
Two more Senate Democrats called for extending tax cuts for all earners—including those with the highest incomes—in what appears to be a breakdown of the party’s consensus on the how to handle the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts.
Sen. Kent Conrad (D., N.D.) said in an interview Wednesday that Congress shouldn’t allow taxes on the wealthy to rise until the economy is on a sounder footing.
Sen. Ben Nelson (D., Neb.) said through a spokesman that he also supported extending all the expiring tax cuts for now, adding that he wanted to offset the impact on federal deficits as much as possible.
They are the second and third Senate Democrats to come out publicly in recent days in favor of extending all the tax breaks for the time being. Sen. Evan Bayh (D., Ind.) made similar comments last week.
This Wall Street Journal article is fascinating for a number of reasons, but I’ll just mention a few things.
Some Democrats, whether intentionally or not, are completely blasting out of the water the notion that tax cuts damage the economy—an endlessly repeated (and laughable) tenet of their political ideology. But now they’re openly discussing extending the Bush tax cuts (set to expire at the end of this year) for everyone, not just those making less than $250,000/year. In doing so, they’re (a) admitting that it is, in fact, tax increases that damage the economy, and (b) validating the Tea Party’s stance on the issue.
They must really be feeling the heat for the damage they’ve done to this economy. They can’t hide from it, and they know it. Though they have passed some truly atrocious legislation (with the help of a few Republicans), it’s clear we are winning the overall debate and having an enormous impact on the political process.
With that in mind, I do believe it’s time contact our own Democratic Senators Webb and Warner and tell them to do what their colleagues have already admitted will help struggling Americans: extend the tax cuts. For everyone.
