Making No Concessions, White House Cobbles Together Old Ideas The White House piqued interest this morning when word came across the Associated Press wire that the president was proposing a new “grand bargain.” Curiosity quickly turned to disappointment, however, as this so-called bargain turned out, upon inspection, to be little more than a restatement of the president’s own policy preferences. As the New York Times reported, “only the packaging was new. Mr. Obama’s speech cobbled together two existing initiatives that have been stalled in Congress.” And like the Washington Post said, “the White House proposal was, in essence, a repackaging of old proposals.” Or the way Roll Call put it: “It’s not particularly grand. Nor is it necessarily a bargain. Or even new. It’s mostly a repackaged offer of proposals the president has offered before.” So what was this not-so-grand plan? Raising taxes to fund more ‘stimulus’ spending and leaving small businesses and families behind with a rewrite of only the corporate side of the tax code. Both are opposed by Republicans, so what is the White House offering in exchange? Nothing. “The new proffer doesn’t include any concession to Republicans,” noted TIME Magazine. While the president would get higher [...]
↧