The President’s tax reform proposal (summarized here: http://www.vox.com/... ) is Obama's answer to the Republicans’ recent policy gifts to banks and the 1%. If it does nothing else for his agenda, his State of the Union Address speech will at least make clear that he plans to veto their proposed tax cut bills during the next two years. This time, he’s pushing back, instead taking a defensive position or being conciliatory.
Some of the comments I’ve read call it an empty gesture, saying it’s far too late to get them passed by Congress. That’s stating the obvious. Some complain he should have proposed these tax reforms six years ago, but we know what would have happened. Can you spell filibuster (with a spell checker?) It would never have gotten past McConnell (in 2009) or Cruz (in 2011) in the Senate. Boehner would not have even passed it to the House Ways and Means or Budget Committees, much less offered it for a vote. It would have sat in his inbox for months until forgotten or expired. Considering the fact that conservatives call Rep. Paul Ryan their “policy wonk,” the proposed tax reforms will be met with guffaws in the Rotunda. Ryan, the insincere Ayn Rand denier, wants all taxes on the rich and on businesses eliminated. (I picture him spitting milk through his nose, in shock, while he reads the proposal.) Read below the fold for why Democrats will be laughing
Conservative responses will demonstrate how much they hate the middle class, kowtow to the rich, and bend over for banks. I can't wait for the stupidity of the conservative rebuttals to the SOTU. Republicans are already calling it an empty political gesture. The Tea Party is likely to have apoplexy when they learn the details. I already expected embarrassing speeches, but these (two, or three) rebuttals will be rich with fodder for comics like Bill Maher and Jon Stewart. Pundits at The Young Turks will tear Republicans to shreds over idiotic responses. I'm looking forward to the laughs, since otherwise I would cry or scream from wishing President Obama had thought of this years ago.
The Republican rebuttal will be given by that hog-cutter, the freshman Senator from Iowa, Joni Ernst. Iâm betting she'll reference that accomplishment in her response, and I can already imagine Rush Limbaugh squealing when he refers to both President Obama's tax reform proposal and the rebuttals. Anybody want to guess how long Rush will use that squeal before he decides it's in bad taste? I could take a wild guess at the response from Fox pundits. Hilarious outrage? Sputtering and spitting like a cat fight on Fox and Friends? Of course, O'Reilly will speak slowly as if to a child, and punctuate with his finger as if it were a sword. Regardless of style, someone will trip over their own anger and say something stupid, that's for certain.
Even if these reforms go nowhere, the responses will at least be entertaining. I wish The Colbert Report was still recording for the Comedy Channel. The proposals and subsequent squeals from the right would delight Stephen Colbert and his writing staff.
Oh well. It was a nice idea, Mr. President. Too bad it doesn't have a snowflake's chance in hell of getting into the tax code. But thanks for the laughs.