We're in the midst of another silly debate in which a lot of wimpy Democrats will feel too nervous to take on the powerful conservative interests. We're already seeing signs of it as the Blue Dogs come out for extending the Bush tax cuts for people earning over $250,000.
The logic is "we can't raise taxes during the recession."
Well, here's an idea. End the tax cut for that high-affluent group, but take those dollars and cut taxes for the middle class. It could be a permanent cut or one to last a few years.
This has a couple of advantages. The biggest one being that it shelters liberals from being seen as favoring an overall increase in government revenue. But it also shields liberals from charges of increasing the deficit. After all, the proponents of the tax cut for the wealthy are willing to let the deficit increase if the tax cut continues.
This seems to me to be an imminently sensible idea--one that every liberal could sign on for, and that would completely disarm the conservative opposition. It would expose them for what they are: protectors of the ruling classes.
