The following are a few comments about Austan Goolsbee's interview with Rachel Maddow.
Goolsbee: "The president is going to continue fighting this. When these tax cuts expire in two years, the President does not think they should be renewed."
He does not think they should be renewed BUT he didn't say he wouldn't do it. Translation: keep the escape hatch open; I'm bailing on this one in two years. Pay attention Republicans I'm signaling you that if I'm is still President (he's already minus one vote) all you have to do is stamp your feet, throw a fit and ask for more, and I'll give it to you. Now please let me get some sleep.
Goolsbee: "There's going to be a fundamentally different economy.I mean, the backdrop that the argument is taking place in now is we're just coming out of the worst recession since 1929, and so, let's leave everyone alone, but two years from now the fact that those high income tax cuts don't work. We shouldn't have done them the first time around. We shouldn't do them this time. I think that that has to stand on its own, and I don't think it can stand on its own."
I especially love this logic: Okay, since this economy is bad, does he mean that the fundamentally different economy is going to be good? Then that destroys his argument that tax cuts for the wealthy don't work. If he's saying that the fundamentally different economy means a worse economy, then he's proposing that we should do something that will make things worse. So, we're going to give the rich the tax cuts because we know it won't work, and when it doesn't work and we're mired deeper in this economic poo, we'll have proved it - so there, take that you nasty old mean greedy Republicans. How do you like that? We'll show you. Here take another bag of money to put with the other one. And if you try this again we're going to point to those bags of money and say, "See, I told you so. Try that again and you'll get more of the same."
What the hell will the rich and Republicans care? They'll have another bag of money, and that's what is important to them not the health and well-being of the working class. They'll do it again and get another bag. They'll be living well so does anyone think for one minute that they'll have regrets. Regret what? That they have even more money?
But we showed them didn't we, working class. Now get in line for your sack of grain and don't shove. We'll be back again in a couple of weeks. In the meantime a little pepper on that shoe will cut the aftertaste. And remember, we won't forget you. We'll be back again in 2012 and be just as determined. I love it when a plan comes together.
Goolsbee: I think in 2012 there's a perfectly good opportunity to kill that (the tax extension) and the only thing" ... blah blah blah. Sorry, etcetera.
In 2012! In 2012! Jesus, Goolsbee, he won't be President.
My radical/progressive/liberal mother who died in September at 91 would have some choice comments about this compromise.
#1: There is no excuse for not doing what you knew you should have already done. Now go and do it right.
#2: Hun, there's only so many cookies in the cookie jar. How many do you really need? Not want, need.
#3: Hun, don't confuse ambition with intelligence. Politicians are ambitious.