Just read the White House briefing for today. One journalist asked a very poignant question. Scottie got very defensive, didn't know what to say, and quickly tried to move on to another subject. In the process, he showed EXACTLY what the white house and every republican fear the democrats will say in 2006. More on the flip.
Here's the exchange
Q I'm going to yield the floor, but I just have one more question. Why does the President believe it is morally justified, why is it the right thing to give some of the richest people on the planet a huge tax cut right now?
MR. McCLELLAN: It's not a fair --
Q Well, that's what the estate tax cut repeal, making it permanent, is, isn't it? There are some people who want to hand on billions -- hundreds of millions of dollars to their --
MR. McCLELLAN: No, no -- the tax cut you're talking about -- I don't know of any that are expiring this year. They expire in later years.
Q Right. But why at this point in our history is it justified, morally right to do that?
MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, I'd have to dispute your characterization, because all Americans receive tax cuts. We went through a very difficult time, economically, and our national economy is really a lifeline for that region that has been hit by this hurricane. We must continue to keep our national economy growing and creating jobs. The latest unemployment numbers are down to 4.9 percent last week, more than 4 million jobs created since May of 2003. We've made tremendous progress to keep our economy growing and get people -- and create jobs.
Q And there's no way to ask the richest people in America to sacrifice?
MR. McCLELLAN: And the economy -- keeping our economy growing stronger is important to helping with the rebuilding and recovery efforts on the ground. The last thing we want to do is take more money from lower-income Americans that have been affected by this and that have received significant help from those -- from those tax cuts.
Q That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about taking money from higher-income Americans.
MR. McCLELLAN: And we're going to remain focused right now on our highest priority. Well, again, these tax cuts you're talking about, many of them expire in later years. I don't know of any that are expiring this year. But it's important to keep our economy growing and keep jobs being created.
Talk about a dodge. The best part of this attack is that the Republicans can no longer use the ol' "death tax causing family farms and business to go belly-up" excuse for eliminating the estate tax. This is because the exemption to the estate tax is currently at $1.5 million dollars (it is also worth noting that it has never been shown that a single family farm has ever gone under because of the estate tax). So who exactly are the administration and Tom DeLay trying to help out when the only people the tax now affects are the super-rich?
The results of this line of questioning are truly amazing to watch as evidenced above.
Pose this question to every Republican member of Congress. Pose it exactly as the journalist has posed it in today's (9/8/05) White House briefing. Pose it in the context of the Iraq War and Katrina. Pose it and watch the clothes quickly come off the emperor right before everyone's eyes.