Pelosi Comes Out Swinging at G.O.P.
Sep. 15th, 2010 04:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ontd_politicalBy David Herszenhorn
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on Tuesday evening predicted that Congressional Democrats would emerge victorious in the midterm elections because voters would decide that they do not want Republicans to restore the policies of President George W. Bush.
At an impromptu news conference before the first meeting of the House Democratic caucus of the fall session, Ms. Pelosi and the Democratic majority leader, Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, said that Democrats would spend the fall working on legislation that would help create jobs and would promote American manufacturing.
And they sought to paint Republicans as favoring the rich over the middle class.
"We're for preserving Social Security, tax cuts for the middle class, and making it in America," Ms. Pelosi said, "as contrasted with Republicans who want to privatize Social Security, tax cuts for the wealthy, send jobs overseas."
She added later, "Our message is we're fighting for the middle class and we are not going back to the failed policies of the Bush administration."
And in predicting that Democrats were tough enough to hold their majority in November, Ms. Pelosi also briefly boasted about the big health care law -- an issue that many Democrats have not drawn attention to given the public's apprehension about it.
"Last summer, was a tough summer," Ms. Pelosi said, referring to town hall meetings and other events where the Democrats' health care plan came under fierce criticism. "And our members saved the health care bill."
Ms. Pelosi also talked about a Supreme Court decision that has given corporations broader latitude to spend money on campaigns, and that Democrats worry is giving Republicans an advantage.
"That's a new dynamic in politics that could undermine our democracy," she said. "But it's a reality and we're not whining about it. We intend to win. No whining. Just go out there and win. And again, we have the candidates. We have the candidates, we have the issues. We fought for the American people."
Ms. Pelosi added, "The American people have to choose between a candidate who's there to represent the table in the board room or the kitchen table in American homes. Whose interests are you here to protect? We believe that the people's interests should prevail."
On what is arguably the most contentious issue before Congress this fall -- the expiring Bush-era tax cuts -- Mr. Hoyer said Democrats would fight to extend the lower rates for the middle class and sought to emphasize that Republicans designed the tax cuts, which were enacted in 2001 and 2003, to expire for everyone at the end of this year.
"The Republican phasing out of the middle class tax cuts will not happen," Mr. Hoyer said. "We're going to make sure."
Republicans, of course, favor continuing the lower rates at all income levels.
As they turned to go into their caucus meeting, Ms. Pelosi could not resist one last jab at Republicans. "It's important to know that in the first eight months of 2010, more jobs were created than in the eight years of the Bush administration," she said.
Aides said Ms. Pelosi was referring to specifically to private sector jobs.
Source
Well, I'm certainly glad that the Democrats haven't lost all their spine! I wish that the tax cuts would just die, because they don't really help anyone who actually needs them and they comprise most of the deficit. I don't give a damn about the deficit (nations accrue debt, it's the way it works, it's economically viable, take an Economics 101 course if you're still worried), but surely the money being funneled into tax cuts could be better used elsewhere? Tax cuts don't jumpstart the economy, since they don't encourage spending as much as creating jobs by funding existing programs does (and the American economy pretty much runs onDunkin consumer spending), and it'd be nice to see an increase in funding for education or regulatory agencies like the EPA and FDA (maybe even beef them up a little bit so they'll have the power to intervene in places they should).
(Appropriate icon is appropriate because I haven't slept all night.)
The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on Tuesday evening predicted that Congressional Democrats would emerge victorious in the midterm elections because voters would decide that they do not want Republicans to restore the policies of President George W. Bush.
At an impromptu news conference before the first meeting of the House Democratic caucus of the fall session, Ms. Pelosi and the Democratic majority leader, Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, said that Democrats would spend the fall working on legislation that would help create jobs and would promote American manufacturing.
And they sought to paint Republicans as favoring the rich over the middle class.
"We're for preserving Social Security, tax cuts for the middle class, and making it in America," Ms. Pelosi said, "as contrasted with Republicans who want to privatize Social Security, tax cuts for the wealthy, send jobs overseas."
She added later, "Our message is we're fighting for the middle class and we are not going back to the failed policies of the Bush administration."
And in predicting that Democrats were tough enough to hold their majority in November, Ms. Pelosi also briefly boasted about the big health care law -- an issue that many Democrats have not drawn attention to given the public's apprehension about it.
"Last summer, was a tough summer," Ms. Pelosi said, referring to town hall meetings and other events where the Democrats' health care plan came under fierce criticism. "And our members saved the health care bill."
Ms. Pelosi also talked about a Supreme Court decision that has given corporations broader latitude to spend money on campaigns, and that Democrats worry is giving Republicans an advantage.
"That's a new dynamic in politics that could undermine our democracy," she said. "But it's a reality and we're not whining about it. We intend to win. No whining. Just go out there and win. And again, we have the candidates. We have the candidates, we have the issues. We fought for the American people."
Ms. Pelosi added, "The American people have to choose between a candidate who's there to represent the table in the board room or the kitchen table in American homes. Whose interests are you here to protect? We believe that the people's interests should prevail."
On what is arguably the most contentious issue before Congress this fall -- the expiring Bush-era tax cuts -- Mr. Hoyer said Democrats would fight to extend the lower rates for the middle class and sought to emphasize that Republicans designed the tax cuts, which were enacted in 2001 and 2003, to expire for everyone at the end of this year.
"The Republican phasing out of the middle class tax cuts will not happen," Mr. Hoyer said. "We're going to make sure."
Republicans, of course, favor continuing the lower rates at all income levels.
As they turned to go into their caucus meeting, Ms. Pelosi could not resist one last jab at Republicans. "It's important to know that in the first eight months of 2010, more jobs were created than in the eight years of the Bush administration," she said.
Aides said Ms. Pelosi was referring to specifically to private sector jobs.
Source
Well, I'm certainly glad that the Democrats haven't lost all their spine! I wish that the tax cuts would just die, because they don't really help anyone who actually needs them and they comprise most of the deficit. I don't give a damn about the deficit (nations accrue debt, it's the way it works, it's economically viable, take an Economics 101 course if you're still worried), but surely the money being funneled into tax cuts could be better used elsewhere? Tax cuts don't jumpstart the economy, since they don't encourage spending as much as creating jobs by funding existing programs does (and the American economy pretty much runs on
(Appropriate icon is appropriate because I haven't slept all night.)
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 04:56 pm (UTC)