Obama and the Democrats have framed the debate this way. Spending is OK, taxing needs to be fixed. Of course, it’s always the obscenely rich and the oil companies that need to be taxed.
Republicans say taxing will kill more jobs, it’s spending that must be cut.
Polls show the majority of American now agree with the Republican position.
But, there’s always the third party that needs to be considered. The media. If you live in a state or even a city that is cutting spending you already know how the media treats spending cuts. They interview several people who have had to make sacrifices due the spending cuts. Every day, day in and day out. The national media is already tipping it’s hand on this. Ann Curry agreed that Obama has already made massive spending cuts(really, Ann), and pointed out that any more will just hurt the troops, the elderly, and the poor. David Gregory went further and posed the question that spending cuts like the Republicans are requesting will turn into Greece with rioting in the streets. This is just a precursor to the the debate as it’s heats up closer to the August deadline.
One argument is simple, give up nothing, just tax your doctor, your dentist, your rich uncle, and anyone your know who makes more than $200,000 a year. The mass media will support this with everything they have. Probably tax your employer, but that won’t be noticed by you until they lay you off.
The other is harder to make. It will call for sacrifice by everyone. Government workers will by laid off. Housing in Washington DC will suffer. It has been insulated from unemployment and housing price drops. It will be hit. Less services will be coming from government. People accustomed to handouts will get less. It will be a media field day. Crying people on the TV nightly.
One debate is to save the country and the future for your kids and grand kids. The other is to save the jobs of Democrats in office.
One is right, one is wrong. Democrats are talking about corporate jets and taxing them. Republicans are talking about trillions of dollars. One will work, the other won’t.
