Why don't repubs let Obama raise taxes? (as a campaign strategy)

[JackintheGreen]

No, I'm serious. They LOVE running against taxes. Wouldn't they just love to run against a sitting president who raised taxes? It's not like they give their constituents any credit at all for being able to discern taxing the rich vs. taxing the poor. They could flood the airwaves with ads saying that Obama raised taxes with scary music and superimposed devil horns and stuff. They seem to do everything else with an eye towards running against the president, so why not this? It seems to me if they want to rile up the base "Obama raised your taxes" is a better message to run on than "We didn't let Obama raise your taxes."

It feels like I'm missing something. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit. Or too little?

(edited to modify title)

[emulatorloo]

1. They are like religious zealots.

Although they may be softening?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x704224
Boehner: Failing To Raise The Debt Limit Puts Economy In Great Jeopardy

[Skink]

2. They don't want there own taxes raised.

Greed

[tridim]

3. Because most Americans want taxes raised on the rich.

[Andy823]

4. Simple

They know that the people of this country, the vast majority, WANT to see the rich, an corporations, paying more in taxes. Even middle class republicans who have lost their jobs are upset and many would go along with tax hikes on the rich. It just wouldn't work to help the republicans, but it might just help the president since the majority of americans want these things to happen!

[Enrique]

5. they'll say "Obama raised your taxes" no matter what happens

and their moron followers will believe it.

[Mojambo]

6. Because it will help get the economy going, and they know it. n/t

[vaberella]

7. Because most Americans want taxes raised on the rich and themselves. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

8. Because it requires them to agree for it to pass.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. There are examples of taxes being raised without harming the economy

There are no examples (that I'm aware of anyway) of taxes being cut without harming the economy. In fact, quite the contrary.

The logic seems so utterly simple to me: Did the economy crash and burn following the 1993 Clinton Budget plan (which included modest tax hikes)? No, of course not and the economy actually saw great improvement from then until the end of the decade (coincidentally when Clinton left office and Bush was installed).

Did the economy boom following the 2001 & 2003 tax Bush/Republican tax CUTS (and near total abandonment of any serious regulation of the financial sector)? Well, the evidence seems to be that we didn't experience a job boom (in fact, pretty much all I can remember about Bush's time in office and the economy is being a state of perpetual layoffs and growing unemployment- and no raises either for workers)and there is that (not-so)small inconvenient fact that by the time Bush/Cheney left office, the economy had hit a huge iceberg and was in full meltdown mode.

There simply is no rational or reasonable basis to believe that the Republican mantra of more tax cuts (or at least prevention of tax hikes) is going to do anything for the economy that they obviously haven't already done by now.

[BadgerKid]

10. Didn't Bush41 promise no new taxes and they had to anyway?

You see, the new ploy is for repubs to take credit for raising taxes! :crazy:

[Drale]

11. Because even though they claim the opposite,

they know that the majority of Americans support a raise in Taxes especially on the Rich.

[elleng]

12. Prez can't raise taxes, legislation must come from House,

so they must do it first. Prez gets to sign.

[JackintheGreen]

15. That's what I was looking for. Thanks!

I knew I was missing something obvious. :crazy:

[Dreamer Tatum]

16. Just for funsies...

...you thought Obama could just "raise taxes?"

Wow.

[EC]

13. Because they know it won't cause job loses and

all the other dire consequences they've been saying for years that would happen if taxes were raised. Just like their arguments for minimum wage, we can now prove their rhetoric is bullshit since the jobs weren't lost because of an increase of wage.


They don't want us to have proof that it's demand, not taxes.

[pansypoo53219]

14. tax cuts are their ONLY answer.

if you take that away. they have nothing. it's a fetish.

[robcon]

17. Repug House members will vote down any tax increase - worried about their relection in '12

It will never happen. It will never be 'Obama's' tax increase, it would be theirs.