Alan Colmes: Obama To Draw Sharp Distinction From Republicans On Budget

[Tx4obama]

President Obama on Wednesday plans to announce budget plans very different than what we’re hearing from Republicans.

He will call for shrinking the nation’s long-term deficits by raising taxes on wealthier Americans and requiring them to pay more into Social Security, drawing a barbed contrast with a Republican plan to save money by deeply slashing Medicare, Medicaid and other domestic spending.

Obama will offer some spending cuts, including trims to the Pentagon’s budget, but his speech Wednesday is likely to provide Americans with a vivid choice between higher taxes or fewer benefits, issues that will color the national debate straight through the 2012 election…

Obama would end tax breaks for households earning more than $250,000 a year, trim Pentagon spending, lift a cap on the amount of income that is assessed for Social Security, and save on Medicare and Medicaid through alterations to healthcare delivery, administration officials said. He will speak about 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on the campus of George Washington University.

http://www.alan.com/2011/04/12/obama-to-draw-sharp-distinction-from-republicans-on-budget/

[jaxx]

1. K&R

[Tx4obama]

2. Bump. n/t

[Marr]

3. Of course, he could've raised taxes on the rich by just allowing the Bush cuts to expire...

but he chose instead to endorse those cuts at that time.

Now that it's impossible to actually get such a thing to his desk, he's "for it". The same way he was "for" a Public Option and a bunch of other things. He's always "for" things once they've been safely maneuvered into the trash can.

[JoePhilly]

5. While also raising taxes on the 95% of Americans making under 250k., for which

the media, and many of DU, would CRUCIFY him.

It would have been his "read my lips" moment ... and the media would be running the tapes of Obama and Bush #1 breaking that promise on endless loops.

And here on DU ... it would be used as an example of how Obama hates the middle class.

[Marr]

6. Two things. First, the middle class tax cuts are paltry in comparison to those

for the wealthy. We all agreed on that point when Bush was pushing them through. Remember that?

Second, there was nothing preventing the Democrats from pushing working class tax cuts on their own, with the assumption that the Bush Tax Cuts would be allowed to expire. Do you think Republicans would've wanted to fight that battle during an election season? Hell no. Luckily for them, they didn't have to.

[JoePhilly]

8. Two points ...

1) The middle class disagrees with you. They would be fine if the tax rates for the rich went UP, they support that, but they are against having their own taxes increase, even if those are only "paltry" from your perspective. And if they have to lose their tax cut to ensure that the rich lose theirs, they do not support that.

2) Correct about the dems. The Democrats in the House could have made this a campaign issue in the summer and fall of 2010. The blue dogs were unwilling do do so. Nancy was unable to get them to make it an issue. Personally, I think it was a WINNING issue for the Dems, but they PUNTED. Which put Obama in a position in which he had to break a promise. End the tax cuts for the rich, or raise taxes on the middle class.

And as I said, if he increased the taxes on the 95%, he'd be crucified, by the media and by many on DU.

[KittyWampus]

11. Obama could "just allow Bush tax cuts to expire". Obama is Congress?

[Marr]

12. He didn't need anything from Congress to allow the Bush Tax Cuts to expire.

[Bluerthanblue]

4. this is hopeful- I'm looking forward to finding out the

actual particulars.

:hi:

[white_wolf]

7. It is really hard for me to respect Colmes after his terrible and weak showing

on his show with Hannity. He barely ever fought back.

[Tx4obama]

9. Whatever, but the last paragraph in the OP text above is from administration officials. n/t

[ddeclue]

10. Alan Colmes? Really? Obama is going to talk about cutting Social Security and Medicare..