Simple mistake?
CARL CAMPANILE of the New York Post writes:
“Gaffe-prone Joe Biden put his foot in his mouth again yesterday, mistakenly excluding millions of Americans from his running mate’s tax-cut proposal.
The Delaware senator’s latest blunder came while discussing Republican tax policies during a television interview in his hometown of Scranton, Pa.
What we’re saying is, that $87 billion tax break doesn’t need to go to people making an average of $1.4 million,” Biden said.
“It should go to middle-class people, people who make $150,000 a year.”
Actually, Barack Obama has promised to cut taxes on households earning less than $200,000 a year while raising taxes on those who make more than $250,000 annually.”
So did Biden just make a mistake or is he laying the ground work for a reduction in the tax break promise on which Obama has campaigned once he is elected?
October 29th, 2008 09:21
Marc Ambinder cracks this little nut at: http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/stunning_obama_changes_tax_pla.php
“Well, the Obama campaign insists that its plan hasn’t changed. Families making $250,000 or less will not see their taxes raised; families making less than $200,000 will see their taxes cut — and some making more than that will — depends on other factors, including your outstanding mortgage balance; individuals making less than $200,000 won’t pay more and those making $150,000 will pay less.
This comports exactly with what Biden said today.
And it’s pretty much what the Obama campaign has been saying all along… most every family making less than $250K would see a cut. None making less than that would see their taxes rise.
(In the second debate, Obama said: “If you make less than a quarter of a million dollars a year, you will not see a single dime of your taxes go up. If you make $200,000 a year or less, your taxes will go down.”)
On Obama’s tax cut website, I posed as the breadwinner for a family of four making $250,000 a year; I’m older than 65 and I pay child care expenditures. The result: no tax cut for me.
Then I inputed an annual salary of between $150,000 and $200,000 and said I had at least three dependents. My tax cut would be roughly $500.
One can question the wisdom of raising taxes (or letting the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy expire), but it’s not accurate to say that Obama has changed his plan.”
October 29th, 2008 09:23
There has been so much question regarding this plan. It’s pretty clear that people don’t yet completely trust that Obama will stick to his word.
October 29th, 2008 09:29
What do you mean so much question? The plan is crystal clear. Biden goofed, like he’s prone to do.