I think we make a mistake by talking about (Beltway budget battles) as though the goal of Republicans is actually deficit reduction. It's not, the goal is a reduction in the size of government and once you understand that, it's clear why Republicans will not support tax increases of any kind.
They'd rather cut taxes now (and argue it's about jobs or long-run growth rather than ideology), and increase the deficit even more because they still believe the beast can be starved...Logic about the best way to close the deficit won't win this argument because it has little to do with the deficit itself.
They'd rather cut taxes now (and argue it's about jobs or long-run growth rather than ideology), and increase the deficit even more because they still believe the beast can be starved...Logic about the best way to close the deficit won't win this argument because it has little to do with the deficit itself.
Andrew Sullivan quoted an interesting moment of clarity about this a while back. He pointed out that tax rates ultimately don't really mean anything if you don't reduce spending. Every dollar Congress appropriates will be paid for in taxes one way or another. When Republicans refuse to advocate reductions in defense spending or Medicare but still magically want to lower tax rates, they are arguing that tomorrow's middle class should pay principle and interest on breaks for today's wealthiest tax-payers. It is a policy without the barest foundation in arithmetic reality.
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