George W. Bush: Stop Calling Them "Bush Tax Cuts"
George W. Bush suggested in a radio interview on Monday that the debate over extending tax cuts in Washington might be made easier by using a phrase other than "Bush tax cuts."
In the interview, conservative talk radio host Scott Hennen said that three of the most used words in politics in the last few months have been "Bush tax cuts." That's because of the debate raging over whether and how to extend the cuts, which were established in 2001 and 2003 and are set to expire at the end of this year.
Republicans have called for all the cuts to be extended, while President Obama has pushed for them to be extended for income levels below $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Under a compromise agreement worked out between the president and Congressional Republicans, the cuts would be extended for all for two more years.
"It's everywhere right now with this debate going on," Hennen said, speaking of the phrase "Bush tax cuts."
Despite widespread opposition among Democrats to extending the Bush tax cuts for the highest earners, Hennen then added: "Right now [there is] recognition of members of Congress of both sides that we need to keep your tax policy in place. Does that feel like a vindication?"
"Well, I wish they woulda called it something other than the Bush tax cuts," Mr. Bush responded. "There'd probably be less angst amongst some to pass it."
The former president went on to argue that lower taxes are good policy.
"I do believe it's very important to send the signal to our entrepreneurs and our families that the government trusts them to spend their own money," he said. "And I happen to believe lower taxes is what stimulates economic growth and what we need now in our country is economic growth."
Mr. Bush has been on the road promoting his memoir "Decision Points" in recent weeks, sitting for dozens of interviews and book signings, including with Facebook and Oprah Winfrey. A portion of the book focuses on the financial crisis of 2008 and how the Bush administration's decision to throw its weight behind the bank bailout despite misgivings.
Unlike his former vice president, Dick Cheney, Mr. Bush has declined to offer criticism of Mr. Obama, whose administration agreed to extend all the tax cuts for two years as part of a deal that also extends unemployment insurance for 13 months, cuts the payroll tax for one year and sets the estate tax at a relatively high threshold, among other provisions. The deal is likely to get through the Senate but faces strong opposition from many House Democrats as well as skepticism from some House Republicans.
Former President Bill Clinton, who has been less shy about weighing in on policy than Mr. Bush, called for Congress to pass the cuts last week.Popular in Politics
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As it so goes they were unfunded. By the president, congress and the party of "fiscal responsibility"...
Seems like Bush does not want to take responsibility for any of 'accomplishments'.
Consider that George Bush has killed more innocent civilians than any other person in the 21st century...sent more Americans to die for no legitimate reason...did more harm to the American economy than any other person in history...Or maybe a Hurricane Katrina memorial would be more appropriate...
I am with you and I am for the extending the tax breaks, but on your issue about import taxes. The markets and access to all markets is completely different from how it is now. We let vitually anyone send there stuff to the US, but some other counties don't do the same and or also play with how there declare the econimic value they added to a product. Lets all take a look at China from a market access point of view and then also look at how China bases their ecconomic contribution to the Ipod at 90% becuase of the manufacturing. Hello what about all of the IP that was developed in the US. What we need out side of this tax break is a more balanced market access like what the US and Canada have for atleast the past 11 years.
By the way, poster who suggested import taxes: it was import taxes that spiraled the Great Depression from a recovering economy to one that completely crashed. The Smoot-Hawley tariffs of 1930 wrecked European economies, and in retaliation they raised their import taxes against America, robbing us of possibly the only hope we had of pulling out of the Depression in a timely fashion. It was after this that our unemployment rates rose to an alarming 25%.
He who does not learn his history is doomed to repeat it.
PS - what's with the folksy verbatim quote on the Dubya, CBS? If you're going to spell Bush's words phonetically instead of how they are clearly meant, then you should do it across the board so everyone with an accent sounds equally dumb. Bad, bad journalistic ethics there.