David Axelrod: End GOP Tax Cuts for Millionaires

(CBS)  President Barack Obama is in Cleveland Wednesday to launch a program offering tax breaks for business investment and to call for the extension of middle class tax cuts.

But the president is also in campaign mode - calling for the end of Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and arguing that voting for Republicans in November will mean a return to policies that eliminate jobs and benefit only the ultra-rich.

"We have to continue and make permanent the middle class tax cuts. The middle class has treaded water and lost ground over the last decade and they need the help," White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod told "Early Show" anchor Erica Hill Wednesday. "What we can't afford is another $700 billion in tax cuts - to borrow money for $700 billion in tax cuts - for millionaires and billionaires."

Axelrod said that while the middle class cuts will boost the economy - extra income for struggling families is typically spent right away on necessities - putting more money in the pockets of the rich will not have the same effect.

"To borrow that money in order to give them those tax cuts - which no economist believes will have a great effect on the economy - doesn't make sense," he said.

Axelrod said that the president understands that his economic agenda may not pass in a highly partisan Congress.

But, "I don't think the American people are sitting there with poll numbers at their kitchen tables," Axelrod said. "They're sitting there with bills. They're sitting there with a pile of concerns about their future, about their jobs, about their children's future. The president's job is to continue to push and promote policies that will move our economy forward."

He said that Republicans are stating - publicly - that they want to return to the economic policies of George W. Bush's second term.

Hill argued that polls show voters do see a difference in the policies Republicans are offering and those of the Bush administration. Many are saying that they associate the GOP with "change" - once the mantle of Barack Obama.

Axelrod disagreed.

"John Boehner … the man who would be speaker if the Republicans won, he chastised us for a law that would save the jobs of teachers, firefighters and police in this economic emergency. And pay for it by cutting tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas, that reward them for shipping jobs over the seas," Axelrod said, "Nothing says more about our differing values than that one statement of Mr. Boehner's."

[jrjrc]

Democrats in Congress should REJECT this deal, which is NOT a fair and reasonable compromise. This deal appears to be a capitulation to hostage takers (ie. Republicans) while adding billions to the deficit due to tax cuts for the rich and the deal should not have been made, even if it meant that ALL tax cuts would expire in January. Ten years of tax cuts for the rich HAVE NOT created more jobs or helped the economy, and on the SPENDING side, BILLIONS have been spent on an unnecessary IRAQ war that the Bush Administration took us into based on LIES. Democrats should BLOCK this deal until the Republicans agree to eliminate the tax cuts for the rich and adjust the estate tax giveaways for millionaires, and maybe some of these fools who VOTED for Republicans and NEED tax cuts, unemployment insurance and healthcare benefits, etc. will see that they made a BAD VOTE, and maybe some of the Democrats who did not come out and vote for Democrats and stayed home, will see that they made a BAD decision to stay home.

A line MUST be drawn in the sand with these DOGMATIC, Power and Wealth Hungry Republicans. The majority of YOU are working class, middle class, or poverty level, and as you continue to vote for Republicans, the rest of the world is probably LAUGHING at your IDIOCY, as you consistently vote against what is best for you and your family, while voting for what is best for your wealthy masters. Good luck with your SERVITUDE, as you continue to support the GOP and the tax cuts for the rich, while listening to the ignorant and bigoted Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, Palin, etc. And when you find yourself begging at their feet for scraps and watching your American Dream turn into a nightmare (foreclosure, outsourcing jobs, deregulation of corporations, etc.) as the economy crashes (AGAIN due to Republican policies, sabotage, and holding middle class tax cuts hostage), look in the mirror and BLAME YOURSELF.

[retm-w]

Obama might as well just stay in Washington, he can make his speech there. How much is his trip to Cleveland going to cost the taxpayers, for a speech that is not even open to the public. Big deal he'll be in Cleveland for about an hour.

[rightbehind]

Outstanding! The democrats are going to get a donation from me! Looks like President Obama finally learned how to say NO back to the republicans.

[hicks76]

Trickle down economics is a joke....tax cuts and bailouts given to the rich and corporations have not and will not help the average worker...the money received goes directly into the pockets of the ceo's....You need only read a newspaper or watch tv to see the stories of companies making huge profits , yet still cutting jobs, outsourcing and demanding wage and benefit cuts...

[chevyhotrod]

by rightbehind September 8, 2010 10:41 AM EDT
Outstanding! The democrats are going to get a donation from me! Looks like President Obama finally learned how to say NO back to the republicans
________________

Priceless.......what has President Obama said yes too? Just more spending, more stimulus, more spending, more regulation, more government control equals less freedom.

Keep blowing your money, watch what happens in November.

[AngryMobVoter]

Obama, ?The Teleprompter President? is and has always been in campaign mode. This Administration and Congress need to get out of campaign mode and start working for the American people. This Administration and Congress will never understand the middle and low income groups DO NOT CREATE JOBS, they take jobs. It is the upper income groups who create jobs and those groups are not going to create jobs in the face of high taxes, senseless regulation, and uncertainty.

REMEMBER IN November...VOTE THEM OUT!!!

[KeithDrippingSprings]

Raise the taxes on the rich, that is a good idea. I don't know anyone that the increased taxes will affect.

[chevyhotrod]

Maybe you should look to small business. Maybe it will affect your job or your neighbors job? Then maybe you will understand.

[actornaught]

Only in phony conservative Bizarro World can we have all those signs along our roads for stimulus projects, and their parroted Lying Point that it created no jobs.

Weird.

[chevyhotrod]

Funny, I drove by one of those signs the other day. All kinds of equipment sitting there, no work, no people, huge machines just sitting there at 11 AM in the morning and nothing getting done. It makes me feel so much better, I have to tell you.

[obamarama1]

That's right. The latest estimate is 1 job for every $350,000 of stimulus money. Quite a successful program.

[ballastwater]

How can we ever expect manufacturing jobs to come to America again if our military is working on a plan for "CHANGE" offering incentives to foreign ships bring foreign manufactured goods into our country so they keep our waters clean. Maybee ballast water legislation if initiated by "CHANGE" addressing the Senates, states rights issues, might promote manufacturing, to again invest in America. Our military should just worry about enforcement for "CHANGE" to protect our waters, rather than incentives to protect foreign shipping interest. This might level the playing field for economic investment in American manufacturing. People who work for "CHANGE" must remembrer the American people are tired of waiting for "CHANGE" to do something. "CHANGE" could protect America's Great lakes from Asian carp and "CHANGE" could help create jobs. According to a DEC 2009 report for Congress mandatory ballast water regulation would cause the cost of foreign imports to rise. Then "CHANGE" could promote economic Americanization over economic globalization as the real "CHANGE" we needed in 2008. As the Coast Guards plan for"CHANGE" is working for foreign shipping bring foreign imports into our country, and our largest employers, employ mostly store clerks, trying to achieve the American dream it is a wonder that all Americans are not sick of working for "CHANGE". Maybee if "CHANGE" started working for the American people they would be more supportive of "CHANGE". The following is from a report prepared for congress in DEC 2009 that explains how national ballast water legislation would fight currency manipulation the same as tarriffs and protect our environment . " Most of this expense will be borne by
foreign shipping companies, as the U.S. flag fleet is a small percentage of the global fleet,16 and
likely passed along to consumers of products imported on these ships."
Until the media,unions,manufactures,health professionals, inform the general public about jobs lost, the human health effects of water borne virus, human pathogens, and invasive's, ballast water presents, bringing foreign goods into our country while taking Americans jobs, or the terrorist threat they present, the Senate will not act. Action creating national ballast water legislation, would curtail the "vision of economic globalization" as the answer to help the American economy. They will not admit this policy of economic globalization, has flaws despite the continued destruction of our environment by foreign economic interest. So far all we can hope for from "CHANGE" is delay by another study,and a two decade plan by the Coast Guard to address invasive's, while delegating out the pollution, by other materials, and the terrorist threat ballast system pose, to several branches of government making it impossible to enforce. This is being done by confusing jurisdictions without any infrastructure to enforce. Unfortunately they know that not being a comprehensive plan it will not be adequate and will be able to be circumvented by industry. Preventing chemicals, like rat poison used by sea captains to kill invasive's will not be possible, by the EPA through Clean Water Act as they do not have infrastructure for enforcement. This was recently apparent by the lack of enforcement during the Gulf disaster allowing ballast systems to move tar balls into Lake Pontchartrain, despite this administration having been repeatedly warned that release of material through ocean development would allow ballast system to spread it. They continue to allow tougher state laws that create international competition among the states negotiating with foreign shipping, without the states having an infrastructure for enforcement. Perhaps if the American worker understood this problem and withheld their support for this administration, they would then understand the need to direct the Senate to address the frivolous states rights issue of one Senator Boxer. Her alleged belief that national legislation would hinder her states right to tougher laws, killed the bi-partisan legislation, passed by the house 395-7. Economic Americanization will only take president over economic globalization if our elected leaders realize they will be out of office if they do not put our country first. Putting America first can not be done by this administrations plan, to negotiate hidden carbon emissions and currency manipulation with a communist country while limiting US carbon emissions, and while allowing foreign shipping to destroy our economy and environment bringing cheap foreign manufactured goods into our country in the name of "CHANGE".

[Michael0713]

David Axelrod is the core of the problem, not part of the solution. He is a blithering idiot who has provided no good advise to anyone.

[obamarama1]

Axelrod is an absolute buffoon. A total embarrassment to Democrats.