I Believe in a Thing Called Left

With Herman Cain rising in the polls, more attention is being given to his 9-9-9 tax plan. He would...

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:46:01 -0400

With Herman Cain rising in the polls, more attention is being given to his 9-9-9 tax plan. He would scrap our current tax code (save specific excise taxes such as gasoline) and replace it with a 9% income tax, 9% business transactions tax, and a 9% sales tax. It resonates with the Republican voter because of a few reasons:

1. The tax code is confusing as hell. Scrapping it and replacing it with a much simpler one makes sense.

2. 9 is a low number.

Even as articles are starting to pop up showing that this plan would bring in less than what we currently do (as opposed to revenue neutral like Cain claims), I think people are largely ignoring the most significant part: the sales tax. This would be 9% added on top of what you already pay in state and local sales taxes. When I was working retail in Chicago I would hear complaints from tourists about the 9.75% sales tax in the city. Imagine if that went up to 18.75%. There are some states that charge no sales tax on items such as food and clothing. Now it would cost everyone an additional 9%.

Paying 9% more for every transaction because of Herman Cain is not going sit well with voters. Even if the plan lowers their income tax rate, the negative emotion that will come with knowing every single purchase costs more because of Cain’s plan will outweigh the positive. Once 9-9-9 has a chance to be closely examined and explained, I think public opinion of it will take a sharp dive.

After last night’s debate it seems everyone is ready to pack it in and give the Republican...

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:20:08 -0400

After last night’s debate it seems everyone is ready to pack it in and give the Republican nomination to Mitt Romney. His steady polling and the Gov. Christie endorsement are causing some people to call Romney’s nomination inevitable. But I just wanted to remind everyone about how the polls were looking in October of 2007. Here’s an AP poll on the Republican side from that time:

And here are the Democrats:

In politics things can change in an instant. To say anyone at the top of the polls right now is going to be the nominee would be foolish. I think you can use the polls to say who is (Romney, Perry, Cain) and isn’t (Santorum, Gingrich, Bachmann, Huntsman, Johnson, Paul) in contention but to start handing out the medals is silly. Potential candidates still have until the end of the month to get their names on the ballot in the early primary states, so the crop of candidates we see now might not even be complete. Everyone’s rushing to conclusions but until January comes around it’s nothing more than speculation.

The Texas Unmiracle

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:58:28 -0400

The Texas Unmiracle:

“So what you need to know is that the Texas miracle is a myth, and more broadly that Texan experience offers no useful lessons on how to restore national full employment.”

Paul Krugman’s preemptive counter to what is assumed to be Governor Rick Perry’s central campaign talking point.

John Boehner and the Bunker Mentality of the GOP

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:35:12 -0400

John Boehner and the Bunker Mentality of the GOP:

FTA

“If our current crop of Republicans had been at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, we would have no Constitution today…”

"A Senate Democratic aide emails: “While no one can predict how this drama will end, one thing..."

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:22:40 -0400

“A Senate Democratic aide emails: “While no one can predict how this drama will end, one thing seems apparent: the President has just about checkmated the Republicans. At this point, the GOP seems to have only four possible moves: (1) force a default, which both Mitch McConnell and the Wall Street Journal editorial page are openly warning would be a political disaster for Republicans that would ensure Obama’s reelection; (2) accept revenues in a final deal, as even Bill O’Reilly is now saying they should do; (3) accept a smaller package of cuts that doesn’t meet Speaker Boehner’s ‘dollar-for-dollar’ requirement; or (4) settle for a version of McConnell’s ‘punt’ plan, which, after all this, would not mandate any spending cuts whatsoever. Needless to say, none of these are winning scenarios for Republicans.””

- An excerpt from the Politico Playbook on the debt limit talks.

"In the Monday White House meeting, Cantor proposed cuts to Medicare benefits, but nothing that might..."

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:11:00 -0400

“In the Monday White House meeting, Cantor proposed cuts to Medicare benefits, but nothing that might entice Democrats. Go learn the definition of “shared sacrifice,” Obama scoffed. He assigned Cantor homework: We are short of the $2.4 trillion goal that will get us past the 2012 elections, find some cuts that Republicans don’t particularly like to put on the table, we’ve already offered you a bunch of cuts Democrats don’t like. You must, Obama said, work to meet us in the middle.”

- Excerpt from a TIME article on Eric Cantor and the debt negotiations, written by Jay Newton-Small.

"Earlier this year House Republicans produced a report noting that an 85%-15% split between spending..."

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 12:59:21 -0400

“Earlier this year House Republicans produced a report noting that an 85%-15% split between spending cuts and tax rises was the average for successful fiscal consolidations, according to historical evidence. The White House is offering an 83%-17% split (hardly a huge distance) and a promise that none of the revenue increase will come from higher marginal rates, only from eliminating loopholes. If the Republicans were real tax reformers, they would seize this offer.”

- Short piece in The Economist on the debt ceiling negotiations.

Interesting polling data on how many government program...

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 03:05:20 -0400

Interesting polling data on how many government program beneficiaries believe they are not using a government social program.

"Tell Newt Gingrich that he’s wasting everyone’s time."

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:24:28 -0400

“Tell Newt Gingrich that he’s wasting everyone’s time.”

- Meghan McCain, Daily Beast contributor, in her article on 7 tips for the GOP field.

Jon Stewart on Fox News Sunday

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:10:00 -0400

Jon Stewart on Fox News Sunday:

Couple of points I wanted to touch on with this interview:

1. Jon Stewart is right about how what is branded as “liberal media” is simply sensationalist, lazy, and conflict-driven. And that there is a difference between the lazy media and the work done at Fox.

2. Fox needs to stop playing the victim and refusing to label themselves “mainstream media”. They’ve dominated ratings for the last 5 years. You are the most mainstream of the mainstream media.

3. Every time Jon goes on Fox the interviews always jump around in topic because Jon does an excellent job of explaining himself and defending his positions and the interviewers realize they don’t have much ground to stand on. One would think they would be able to conduct a better interview than “You maybe said something about how the liberal media isn’t biased! Look at this irrelevant clip that doesn’t even compare to our own obvious bias! Gotcha!!”

4. I understand it is impossible for any Fox News member to admit Jon is right about his opinion of the network. I just wished these were better interviews with honest discussions instead of disjointed talking points.

President Obama, Vice President Biden, Speaker Boehner, and...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 01:11:00 -0400

President Obama, Vice President Biden, Speaker Boehner, and Governor Kasich after a round of golf.

Washington needs more bipartisan “hanging out” where politics isn’t allowed to be discussed. A lot more compromise would happen that way.

Side Note: Looks like Speaker Boehner is downing a Bud Diesel in that new July 4th can. AMERICA.

"Well, fuck it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing."

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:07:33 -0400

“Well, fuck it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing.”

- GOP State Senator Roy McDonald of Saratoga, NY, on his support for gay marriage.

Anthony Weiner to Resign

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:20:29 -0400

Anthony Weiner to Resign:

Many thanks to Rep. Weiner for fighting the good fight. Now he’ll be able to make the switch to the corporate world and earn way more money than he ever would in government.

Can the next great young progressive at least keep it in his/her damn pants? Soon we’ll find out that Elizabeth Warren is into horse porn.

"I fully understand the desire to use the debt limit deadline to force some necessary and difficult..."

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:18:38 -0400

“I fully understand the desire to use the debt limit deadline to force some necessary and difficult fiscal policy adjustments, but the debt limit is the wrong tool for that important job.”

- Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve

Photo

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 02:16:48 -0400

"The full consequences of a default — or even the serious prospect of default — by the..."

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:35:00 -0400

“The full consequences of a default — or even the serious prospect of default — by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and on the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The nation can ill afford to allow such a result. The risks, the costs, the disruptions, and the incalculable damage lead me to but one conclusion: the Senate must pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns.”

- Ronald Reagan, in a letter sent to Senate majority leader Howard Baker in 1983 urging for the passage of a debt limit increase.

A Brief History of the Debt Limit Votes in the House

Mon, 30 May 2011 03:10:00 -0400

A Brief History of the Debt Limit Votes in the House:

The history of debt limit votes can be summed up in the words of Republican Congressman Michael Simpson. He said, “That is the burden of the majority.”

The linked article provides a nice table showing Republican House support for debt limit increases over the last decade. OpenCongress has a table about Republican Senate support for past debt limit votes as well here. If you take a closer look you’ll find that most Congresspeople follow their whip. So while it’s politics as usual for any Senate Minority Leader to threaten to not vote in favor of the debt limit increase, I just think it’s dishonest for someone that has previously voted in favor of an increase seven times to suddenly be against it once a Democrat is in the White House.

"I don’t think we should raise the debt ceiling. And if the Congress moves in that direction,..."

Mon, 30 May 2011 02:31:09 -0400

“I don’t think we should raise the debt ceiling. And if the Congress moves in that direction, and the president, they’d better get something really good for it and it better be permanent and it better be structural, like a balanced budget amendment and like permanent caps and limits on spending that are specific, not just aspirational.”

- Tim Pawlenty, GOP Presidential Hopeful, showing he has no idea what is going on right now with the debt limit negotiations.

"“To get my vote, for me, it’s going to take short term [cuts, via spending caps]…..."

Sat, 28 May 2011 02:39:33 -0400

“

“To get my vote, for me, it’s going to take short term [cuts, via spending caps]… Both medium and long-term, entitlements.,” McConnell said. “Medicare will be part of the solution.”

To clarify, I asked “[I]f [the Biden group] comes up with big cuts, trillions of dollars worth of cuts, but without substantially addressing Medicare, it won’t get your vote?”

“Correct,” McConnell said.

”

- Senator McConnell, discussing his vote for the debt limit increase.

Your party just lost a heavily Republican district in a special election that became a referendum on Medicare. Are you sure you want to keep having this argument?

"Never in our history has Congress failed to increase the debt limit when necessary. Failure to..."

Sat, 28 May 2011 02:33:21 -0400

“Never in our history has Congress failed to increase the debt limit when necessary. Failure to raise the limit would precipitate a default by the United States. Default would effectively impose a significant and long-lasting tax on all Americans and all American businesses and could lead to the loss of millions of American jobs. Even a very short-term or limited default would have catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades. Failure to increase the limit would be deeply irresponsible.”

- Timothy Geithner, in a letter to Congress 1/6/2011

On a side note, the debate surrounding this issue has been maddening for someone outside the beltway like myself. I can’t tell if this is just posturing or if they’re serious about letting America default on its financial obligations. If you want to do what’s right for this country you vote to raise the debt limit. I can guarantee with 2012 looming there will be efforts on both sides to cut government spending. The debt limit is not the issue you hold hostage.