Obama calls on Congress to pass a 1 year extension of the Bush tax cuts for people earning less than - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama revitalized his push for holding down middle class tax rates Monday, calling on Congress to pass a one-year extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for people earning less than $250,000 a year. In a White House statement delivered while people described as working Americans stood behind him, Obama said his proposal would provide the certainty of no tax increase next year for 98% of Americans. Noting that Republicans seek to maintain all of the Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, Obama said both sides therefore agree on extending the lower rates for middle class families. "Let's agree to do what we agree on, right?" Obama said to laughter and applause in the East Room. "That's what compromise is all about." Facing a tough re-election fight in November against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, the Obama campaign seeks to frame the contest as a debate between the president's goal of restoring middle class opportunity versus GOP policies that it says would primarily benefit corporations and wealthy Americans. A Romney campaign official criticized Obama's announcement as more bad policy from the president in the wake of the latest disappointing jobs report. "President Obama's response to even more bad economic news is a massive tax increase," said Andrea Saul, the Romney campaign's spokeswoman. "It just proves again that the president doesn't have a clue how to get America working again and help the middle class." Unlike Obama, Saul continued, Romney "understands that the last thing we need to do in this economy is raise taxes on anyone." Republicans also complained that Obama's plan would raise taxes on more than 900,000 small business owners who report their income in individual returns as so-called flow-through enterprises. "The proposed tax increase on 53% of all flow-through business income would be especially harmful to small businesses," said a statement by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, a leading conservative. Obama, however, said that under his proposal, 97% of the nation's small business owners would benefit from having their lower tax rates maintained at current levels. "This isn't about taxing job creators," Obama said. "This is about helping job creators." Monday's statement was part of a new presidential push on the tax issue following the weak June jobs report that came out Friday. Congress is returning from it's weeklong Independence Day break on Monday. An Obama campaign official said his re-election team will "amplify the president's message on middle-class tax cuts" by hosting a series of events this week in battleground states. In Las Vegas, for example, local elected officials will discuss Obama's efforts to fight for the middle class, the campaign official said. In Colorado, Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland, Colorado Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio and state Sen. Gail Schwartz will hold a news conference to discuss the contrasting economic visions of Obama and Romney. Obama signed a bill in 2010 to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts until the end of 2012, citing the need for economic stimulus at the time. He has since vowed he would not permit another extension of the lower tax rates for wealthy Americans. His proposal Monday would maintain the current lower tax rates for families making up to $250,000 for another year while allowing tax rates to return to 1990s levels for those earning more. The president sounded major themes of his re-election campaign, saying his goal was "putting people back to work but also rebuilding an economy where that work pays off." He blamed a political stalemate in Congress for the failure to take decisive steps toward addressing rising deficits and other economic issues, saying he and Democrats disagreed with what he called "top down" policies of Republicans who favor tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. "I believe our prosperity has always come from an economy that's built on a strong and growing middle class," Obama said, noting that he has cut middle class taxes as president. "... So that's why I believe it's time to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, folks like myself, to expire." Extend the tax cuts for the middle class now, and then let the result of the November election decide the debate on broader tax reform, including how much the wealthy should pay, the president said. On Sunday, a top Obama campaign adviser said the president is entirely dedicated to ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy at the end of this year. "He is 100% committed to it," Robert Gibbs said on CNN's "State of the Union." The tax breaks are set to expire in what has become known as the "fiscal cliff," a package of spending cuts and the removal of tax breaks that will take place on January 1 if Congress fails to act. In total, they could add up to $7 trillion. Tax breaks that would end include the Bush tax cuts, middle class protection from the Alternative Minimum Tax and more than 50 "temporary" tax breaks for individuals and businesses that have been on the books for years. Obama also has backed the so-called Buffett Rule, named after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, which would impose a minimum 30% tax rate on those making more than $1 million. The measure was blocked by Senate Republicans in April. Republicans say the solution to the country's deficit problems should focus on shrinking the size of government, rather than raising taxes on anyone. "In the wake of another weak jobs report, the president is doubling down on his quixotic call for the same small businesses tax hikes that have been routinely rejected by the House and Senate," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement Monday. "How will these small business tax hikes create jobs?" House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, said the chamber would vote later this month on a measure extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone for a year. "Two years ago, President Obama said extending these same tax rates was 'the right thing to do' for the middle class, for jobs and for small businesses," Cantor noted, adding that "keeping taxes low is still 'the right thing to do' to get the economy growing again." White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday that Obama would not sign the House measure if it reached his desk.[/quote] Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/09/politics/obama-bush-tax-cuts/index.html?hpt=hp_t2[/url]

Come onnnn don't fucking cave again

"Guys, everything Bush did was a stupid fuck up and was bad." five minutes later... "Congress, please extend the Bush tax cuts again."

This is actually going to push the discussion into an ideological argument and not records(Either way Romney loses, but that's neither here nor there.) Obama won't cave, especially when a majority of Americans are against the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest.

I'm definitively voting for Obama but that's a pretty obvious re-election ploy. 50-100K is one thing, 250K is another.

Republicans will whine and scream and throw a temper tantrum as usual until they get their way. As in, this will go nowhere unless it offers Zero Taxes for the Super Rich.

[QUOTE=draugur;36692041]"Guys, everything Bush did was a stupid fuck up and was bad." five minutes later... "Congress, please extend the Bush tax cuts again."[/QUOTE] Uhm. No. This is for people who actually need to have the little boost in pocket cash.

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;36692055]Republicans will whine and scream and throw a temper tantrum as usual until they get their way. As in, this will go nowhere unless it offers Zero Taxes for the Super Rich.[/QUOTE] And then we have people like you, who have no idea what they are talking about.

Snip, I needs to learn to read.

[QUOTE=G3rman;36692384]I'm more interested to see when he is going to get rid of the cuts for those above $250,000.[/QUOTE] That's what this is [editline]9th July 2012[/editline] The Bush tax cuts need extensions every year. Obama says this year they should only extend the tax cuts below $250,000, allowing the top cuts to expire

[QUOTE=smurfy;36692412]That's what this is [editline]9th July 2012[/editline] The Bush tax cuts need extensions every year. Obama says this year they should only extend the tax cuts below $250,000, allowing the top cuts to expire[/QUOTE] Wait is it getting rid of those cuts or just making new cuts for the Middle Class?

Not sure if you guys understand this. He wants those under the $250,000 level to receive one more year of tax breaks because giving the breaks to these people actually helps the economy. 97% of all small business owners are under the $250,000 level. Those above the level will return to the Clinton era 39% tax rate.

[QUOTE=King Tiger;36692629]Not sure if you guys understand this. He wants those under the $250,000 level to receive one more year of tax breaks because giving the breaks to these people actually helps the economy. 97% of all small business owners are under the $250,000 level. Those above the level will return to the Clinton era 39% tax rate.[/QUOTE] This guy is gold member for a reason

I really regret not adding "for the middle class" in the title since that's all anyone here reads.

I wouldn't mind letting them expire on the middle class either. But at least with preserving them for the middle class will put Republicans in a tight spot.

People need to understand that the Bush Tax Cuts aren't at all a bad thing. They're just a bad thing when they're abused and when people use loopholes to get tax breaks even though they're well off.

[QUOTE=Nikota;36692261]Uhm. No. This is for people who actually need to have the little boost in pocket cash.[/QUOTE] But people make out the Bush Tax Cuts like they were the worst thing in the world when they obviously benefit the middle class. It really isn't about whether the tax breaks helps people, or whether policy is effective, it's whether the person passing the act has a (D) or (R) next to their name.

[QUOTE=RichyZ;36698760]therefor they are a bad thing[/QUOTE] They have loopholes that should be fixed, but in terms of general financial aid to the middle class and below, it's still a huge break for them. Better than no breaks at all.

I think people might have missed the "For people earning less than 250,000 dollars" part of the title.

The GOP would rather force a tax hike on everyone and use it as political ammunition than to ask the wealthy to pay a dime more.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;36700049]The GOP would rather force a tax hike on everyone and use it as political ammunition than to ask the wealthy to pay a dime more.[/QUOTE] Could you seriously be more partisan? Could you have any more irrational intolerance of differing ideologies than you do now?

[QUOTE=yawmwen;36700102]Could you seriously be more partisan? Could you have any more irrational intolerance of differing ideologies than you do now?[/QUOTE] I point you to the Paul Ryan budget.

[QUOTE=Nikota;36700118]I point you to the Paul Ryan budget.[/QUOTE] Can't find it, but I do see a lot of articles on why it is a bad thing. Is it Path to Prosperity?

[QUOTE=yawmwen;36700134]Can't find it, but I do see a lot of articles on why it is a bad thing. Is it Path to Prosperity?[/QUOTE] I can't recall the name of it. I remember there was a lot of coverage on it a while back and even the republicans kinda laughed at it. They called him an adult for drafting it. [editline]10th July 2012[/editline] Like, it would drive up everyones taxes but the rich, end medicare, all sorts of things to fuck over the common man and make it so the guys at the top have it better.

[QUOTE=Nikota;36700158]I can't recall the name of it. I remember there was a lot of coverage on it a while back and even the republicans kinda laughed at it. They called him an adult for drafting it.[/QUOTE] If it's Path to Prosperity, then I can see the criticism. It isn't some evil plot, however. The Medicare part is the one that really scares me, however. [editline]10th July 2012[/editline] It also doesn't seem to raise taxes at all. However, it does get rid of a bunch of exemptions and deductions. It supposedly lowers the income tax to account for that. It seems really uninspired.

[QUOTE=QuikKill;36692323]And then we have people like you, who have no idea what they are talking about.[/QUOTE] *cough,* *cough,* Affordable Care act being gutted by the GOP because it helped people, *cough.*

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;36705347]*cough,* *cough,* Affordable Care act being gutted by the GOP because it helped people, *cough.*[/QUOTE] Thank you for proving his point.

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;36705347]*cough,* *cough,* Affordable Care act being gutted by the GOP because it helped people, *cough.*[/QUOTE] Quit with the strawman arguments.

He's entirely right. And they're still trying to destroy the thing.

[QUOTE=QuikKill;36692323]And then we have people like you, who have no idea what they are talking about.[/QUOTE] oh i'm sorry do we live in some alternate universe where the Republicans did not pledge to veto everything Obama proposed?