Sweet Jeebus.
Impeachment is off the table. Defunding is off the table. And now, it seems that even raising taxes to pay for the war is now off the table.
Sure, Raising taxes can be scary. Any potentially politically unpopular decision can be scary. But, that’s kinda what leadership is all about.
The war tax idea came from Rep. James McGovern: raise $150 billion with a 2% to 15% surtax on your tax bill… Not a percentage of your income; a percentage of the income tax you pay, ie, if you owe a $1000 tax bill, you pay $1200.
Not such a bad idea; fiscally responsible, even. And politically clever: reframes the war debate around the cost to the taxpayer.
Worth chewing over, you might say… well, here’s how The Hill described what happened today:
All told, the Democratic proposal for an “Iraq tax” lasted about four hours. That’s roughly the amount of time from when House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) gave life to the idea with his endorsement to when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) strangled it.
“Just as I have opposed the war from the outset, I am opposed to a draft and I am opposed to a war surtax,” Pelosi said in a statement issued this afternoon.
She’s not wasting any time– for chrissake, the legislation isn’t even written yet!!
And here’s my thing: Even if you never intend to go there, why on earth wouldn’t you keep it around as a bargaining chip? Have you never negotiated before? And if you haven’t, what on earth are you doing in that job?
I’m sooo done with Nancy Pelosi.