Political Animal
Blog
On Saturday, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), along with his five other GOP colleagues from the super-committee, wrote a Washington Post op-ed on the debt-reduction process. Kyl’s point wasn’t subtle: he and other Republicans just can’t accept tax increases, at least for the foreseeable future.
Kyl called tax increases “the wrong medicine for our ailing economy,” and said the mere possibility of tax increases has “put a wet blanket over job creation and economic recovery.”
That was Saturday. Just 24 hours later, Kyl told a national television audience he’s comfortable with a payroll tax increase on all American workers on 2012.
The No. 2 Senate Republican, Jon Kyl, expressed concern on Sunday about President Obama’s proposal to continue a reduction in the Social Security payroll tax and questioned whether the tax cut had fostered the creation of jobs, as Democrats say.
Mr. Kyl’s comments offered a preview of a fight looming in the Senate, which plans to vote this week on the proposal to extend the payroll tax “holiday” enacted last December.
To justify his position, Kyl argued on Fox News, “The payroll tax holiday has not stimulated job creation.”
As a factual matter, most economists believe the payroll tax break has helped, and I’d remind Kyl that job growth in 2011 is the strongest the U.S. economy has seen in five years. For that matter, I’m not sure when Kyl suddenly discovered an interest in efficacy anyway — the Bush tax agenda didn’t stimulate job creation, and Kyl nevertheless loves the policy and wants to make it permanent.
But even putting that aside, why would Kyl argue against tax increases on Saturday and for tax increases on Sunday? I suspect there are a couple of elements to this.
First, Democrats plan to pay for a payroll tax-cut extension with a slight increase on taxes paid by millionaires and billionaires. Since Kyl is only really concerned with protecting their wealth, he necessarily sees such a trade off as unacceptable.
Second, and on a related note, Kyl does not believe all taxes are created equal. Saturday’s op-ed railed against tax increases, but he was referencing Democratic efforts to ask more from the very wealthy. Sunday’s comments, meanwhile, were about tax breaks that benefit all American workers, most notably the middle class. Kyl’s focus is on the rich, and if taxes go up on working families, he hardly sees this as a problem to be avoided.
In the meantime, with the clock ticking, Senate Democrats are moving forward with its plan to extend the payroll tax cut, with a vote perhaps coming as early as this week. Republicans will filibuster the proposal, though Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) told ABC yesterday that “probably some package” that includes a payroll extension “might very well pass.”
Facebook
Twitter
c u n d gulag on November 28, 2011 8:11 AM:
"Munure" Kyl says you can't even think about increasing the taxes on the "Job Creators, (all kneel)" because apparently this hurts their fee-fee's SOOOOOOO much they can't summon up the courage to create jobs for us.
But, "Manure" Kyl thinks it's just fine not only to talk about, but to tax, the people who actually work the jobs the mythical "Job Creators (Let us pray)" provide for us out of the goodness of their magnanimous hearts.
I believe the best way to describe "Manure" Kyl is to call him a sick, twisted, f*ck.
Yes, I do believe that's perfect.
DAY on November 28, 2011 8:17 AM:
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
Where in that trio does Kyl fall?
Danp on November 28, 2011 8:23 AM:
By merely showing votes on various tax bills, Dems can easily show that Reps consider the top 5% of income "earners" the only ones who do and can affect the economy. That plus the economic trends since the Bush tax cuts pretty much proves them wrong. Looking at other economies around the world only strengthen the argument.
Mudge on November 28, 2011 8:30 AM:
This is the same Kyl who said 90% of Planned Parenthood's activities were abortions (it is nearer 3%) then said he it was“Not intended to be a factual statement,”.
I assume his comments about the lack of job creation by the payroll tax holiday is also "“Not intended to be a factual statement,”
jdb on November 28, 2011 9:09 AM:
Last year, as we were approaching the possibility of the Bush tax cuts expiring, the right wing was relentless in accusing President Obama of the largest tax increase in history. In other words, by allowing the tax cuts to expire, President Obama was going to become the biggest tax man in our history. Of course, that didn't happen. It is now time to return the favor. We need to be relentless in pointing out that the GOP are raising everyone's taxes, and have the become the architects behind a huge tax increase.
kevo on November 28, 2011 9:29 AM:
Kyl's drunk is about over
and he's doing his best
to ruin the premises
on his way out!
Drunk with power he has worked to remind us of the more unsavory moments in our political history. He has proven himself a nemesis to a democratic people! -Kevo
PQuincy on November 28, 2011 9:49 AM:
That Kyl and his fellow Republicans are at this point only, exclusively and entirely a "millionaires' protection posse" is now entirely undeniable. No other explanation fits their ongoing mendacious corrupt behavior.
One can only hope...truly, desperately hope...that the old trope about "you can't fool all of the people all of the time" will eventually come true, that there really are 'tilt points', and that Coyote is now, and has been for several years, running on air having left the cliff behind, and that the observers who matter, the voters, will finally notice that Coyote has nothing to stand on -- upon which realization, he will and must fall.
Why it takes this many lies, this much obvious cynicism, so much transparent corruption, before the observers wake up is a mystery. And if they -- if we -- don't wake up, the costs are now soaring. I study pre-modern societies in which powerful cliques controlled all wealth and power with only limited resistance, and they don't present a pretty picture. That is where Kyl and today's republicans want to take us, and I won't go!
Tom Dibble on November 28, 2011 10:16 AM:
It needs to be said over and over again:
The difference between these two tax cuts is that one helps the very rich disproportionately, while the other helps the poor through upper-middle-class disproportionately. Economists agree that one has had no measurable effect on the economy over the past decade and change, while the other has had a measured palliative effect on the current recession.
It should be no surprise which one the Party of the Rich or Stupid wants to extend. They want to put more money in the hands of the super rich, and they want it to look like it's Obama's fault for not having corrected the recession Bush triggered while they've had his hands strung behind his back.
sick-n-effn-tired. on November 28, 2011 10:48 AM:
@ PQuincy "millionaires' protection posse" oh I like that . with your permission I shall borrow it.