Monday, September 13, 2010
Will Republicans Keep Their Word on Tax Cuts?
Recently House Minority Leader John Boehner said that he would support the phasing out of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and support Obama's plan to reduce taxes on middle class Americans making less than $250,000 a year. However given the current political climate and the upcoming 2010 midterms which indicate there will be a strong public backlash against current Democratic leadership, I question Boehner's sincerity. Will he be pulled down by the rest of his party if they unite against Democrats in order to keep the Bush tax cuts or will he stay true to his word and help push through much needed middle class tax relief? Our economic recovery has been incremental at best. Giving the middle class the chance to use their tax cuts to further boost the economy might be a welcome opportunity to pull this country out of its long recession.
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2 comments:
The news regarding House Minority Leader John Boehner’s alleged support of middle class tax relief is very refreshing, especially when you consider the extreme polarization of the current U.S. political climate. The severe partisanship has caused a lack of legislative progress, as each party has jockeyed for political dominance, vehemently opposing the other party’s political agenda. It is unfortunate that the U.S. political landscape has become so party-dominated, rather than progress-dominated. Politicians must begin considering what is most beneficial for the country as a whole, rather than for their respective political parties. Boehner’s support of democratic policy is encouraging, because it indicates a willingness to reach across partisan lines for the implementation of necessary policy. If more delegates were able to conduct themselves in this manner, perhaps the legislature would be able to implement policy with greater efficacy. Boehner is taking a political risk by stepping across partisan lines, but it is admirable that he is taking the interest of the country as a whole to heart, rather than just his electoral status.
I'd like to agree with you, but after reading this article, it seems that Boehner is still very much concerned with his own party's interests. Although I appreciate his acquiescence in order to achieve some legislation, he makes it very clear that he fully supports George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, yet he will support the current movement to allow such cuts to expire "if he must." Furthermore, it seems likely that the Republicans are only temporarily agreeing to support Obama's tax cuts with hopes that they will revisit the issue of tax cuts for the wealthy when they regain control of congress in January. Finally, Boehner's actions can hardly be seen as a compromise. The republicans intend to cut taxes for all levels of income; therefore, agreeing to cut taxes for the middle class is simply pushing forward a piece of legislation that they already do agree on.
While I do not mean to mitigate the steps that Boehner took toward bipartisanship in supporting middle class tax cuts, I do think that his actions are still tinged with partisan interests. I do not see him as a hero or political risk-taker, but a smart politician capitalizing on an opportunity to push through a piece of his desired tax cut plan now with hopes to finish the job later on.
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