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CREATIVE DESTRUCTION

Rand Paul: Let Dems Do What They Want and Destroy Nation

'Raise taxes...and when the economy stalls people know which party to blame'

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: AP

Conservative icon Rand Paul has proposed a novel GOP strategy: let Democrats raise taxes, and then take the blame when the economy goes to hell in a handbasket.

The suggestion makes a novel alternative to the two GOP strategies we've heard so much about, namely compromising by using tax increases to bargain for entitlement cuts, or blocking tax increases and taking the fiscal cliff on the chin.

RAND PAUL: I have yet another thought on how we can fix this. Why don't we let the Democrats pass whatever they want? If they are the party of higher taxes, all the Republicans vote present and let the Democrats raise taxes as high as they want to raise them, let Democrats in the Senate raise taxes, let the president sign it and then make them own the tax increase. And when the economy stalls, when the economy sputters, when people lose their jobs, they know which party to blame, the party of high taxes. Let's don't be the party of just almost as high taxes.

LARRY KUDLOW, CNBC: Some people have called that the doomsday scenario. Others have said, 'Look, it's a strategic retreat on the Republicans' behalf.' Would you vote present for that in the Senate if that came up?

RAND PAUL: Yes, I don't think we have to in the Senate. In the House, they have to because the Democrats don't have the majority. In the Senate, I'm happy not to filibuster it, and I will announce tonight on your show that I will work with Harry Reid to let him pass his big old tax hike with a simple majority if that's what Harry Reid wants, because then they will become the party of high taxes and they can own it.

Via RealClearPolitics and YouTube.
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Comments (view in Forum)

  • marine1
    !
    with their backs against the wall like they would be and if no one signed on with them, the dems might loose some of their on come vote time.
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    You do realize he is doing this so he can have it both ways if he runs for prez, right? Didn't obstruct so won't piss those who want co-operation too much. Came out against it so he had the right anti-obama position for the right. I hope people on this site understand pols enough to see this for what it is...
  • Bobolinsky
    !
    @PoliticalSpice-- Interesting... Might be a good strategy. The 2012 election demonstrated that getting the ignorant, gullible and angry voters are the way to win... If he can get them by claiming to represent the "gimme gimme voters"...

    You really don't understand the concept of "principles"... do you?
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    @Bobolinsky
    Principles means taking a risk for something one beleived in. Here he takes no risk. Duh.

    And if the key to getting elected is getting the votes of ignorant, gullible,angry voters to turn out Romney would be sitting in the white house.

    And btw you are again making foolish assumptions about my veiw of my policy/political positions. I made a statement about pols, and election stratagy, I did not criticize any of pauls policies. But you go ahead and beleive what you want, past debates with you have shown you lack ability to think outside of bumper stick rhetoric.
  • View all 18 replies >
  • MBernard
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    @Neo_NtheMatrix ummm like it did under Clinton. Is this even a conversation. Clinton raise taxes in the rich, he creates 23 million jobs. Bush cut taxes for the rich, he created one million jobs in 8 yrs. is this really a conversation. What are we even arguing about?.
  • Keyjo
    !
    @Neo_NtheMatrix
    How is it that you always equate "the productive" with the rich? Most of the "productive" people are NOT rich. The guy who stocks shelves, cleans floors, digs ditches, etc........
    Few laborers are wealthy and they are among the MOST productive.
  • View all 20 replies >
  • o
    Sonny
    !
    I think the republican party should get out of the way. Stop being obstructionists, and allow the President to implement his policies...to save this country....If they do, the country & economy will be spared, but it will all but decimate the republican party...Which, as far as I'm concerned, is perfectly fine with me.
  • Fishbone345
    !
    I wish Rand would take his fathers mantle and fight to get rid of the damn IRS and Income Tax altogether.
    The country existed for how many years without it?
    The answer fellow Americans is what we've done for so long until morons in DC felt they were entitled to our earnings, excise taxes, non-protectionist tariffs, and massive cuts in spending.
    You people argue what is fair and what isn't fair to take. NONE OF IT IS!! Any cent taken from our earnings is unfair. Anyone arguing percentages is a Communist, being as its the second plank in the Communist manifesto. Go read up on your leaders you Commie bastards.
  • JustTheFacts
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    Good idea but as you can see it's a total waste of time and you're labelled a nut if you actually try to fix the cause and not the symptoms! Ron Paul has the solution to the problem but the majority are welfare bunnies, government parasites, and idiots so nothing is ever going to change unless the working declare war on the deadbeats!
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    I say go for it. Everyone in congress should vote their convictions. I say bring on the fiscal cliff. I want 50 percent reductions in military spending. I want the Bush tax cut to expire. That is what the fiscal cliff will do. And I want Obama to have to negotiate with the left wing of the dems instead of the repubs.

    As to the IRS I agree, think there are better ways to tax that are less invasive of privacy.
  • DogLady_1
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    @JustTheFacts - Do you feel like if we had no "deadbeats" in the entire country that would could balance the budget? If so, please explain how that works, and how can we establish a deadbeat-free nation?
  • Vance1
    !
    Yes allow the Dems to slow business, Allow the dems and the Obama to have the economy that they all voted for "A Bad One"
    Truly allow them to be the victims they wanted to be.
  • Politic-n
    !
    The more they screw things up, the more they will get to blame Bush or the Republicans. Nothing is ever the Democrats fault, they are beyond reproach. (sarcasm) If only the Libertarians could get a good following, then it would be harder to play the blame game and blame everything on both other parties.
  • twinertia
    !
    Oh, please, oh, please, oh, PLEASE let the regressives get behind Paul on this!! It'll make my Restorative Recompense Relief Renaissance seem like manna from the heavens.
  • PNWest
    !
    The Kook is right on this. Stop obstructing things and let the democrats run the country. The economy will get better and the GOP won't be able to claim credit for it. That's why the GOP won't go along with his plan.
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    Well, i want to go over the cliff. Let Bush tax cuts expire, cut military spending by 50 percent and watch Obama put forward a plan to lower tax rates on middle class and watch repubs lose the house if they obstruct...so go paul go...
  • mudzangandoro
    !
    @PoliticalSpice Nope! I don't want to see my payroll taxes go up...Am already leavin' paycheck to paycheck. They have to act like grown-ups on this one.
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    @jzmhlanga
    Well unless your earning 250,000 or more the increase will probably not take effect. Here is why: as soon as the bush tax cuts expire, obama, or some dems in congress will introduce a measure to restore the lower rates for middle class. If the repubs refuse to act Obama will attack for being against tax cuts. They will cave, and if they donot, they will lose the house. But this is just nonesense chatter. Repubs are already starting to cave, looks like they will probably make a deal...
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    @jzmhlanga
    If we go over the cliff Obama has a can bargin from a position of streangth. He will also have to negotiate with the keft wing of dem party, and it could cost repubs the house in 2014.
  • FollowTheMoney
    !
    Partisan politics is always detrimental to the country. However, we as a nation have become so comfortable, lazy and apathetic that perhaps we should let congress run the country all the way in to the ground. People might then actually get involved and replace the parties in congress with leadership that puts the country first ahead of their careers.
  • kathyparsell
    !
    A sad commentary yet I am afraid one that is true. The question I am more afraid of is can we recover without one of our "friends" seizing on our moment of weakness so that we don't have the time to then recover. I have few doubts about the USA, it's the puppet govs. we have supported for so many years that I fear thwarting a true reconsiliation. They may well seize the moment of our weakness. However, I think we have to go forward because a stalemate is where we are now.
  • FollowTheMoney
    !
    @kathyparsell Have no fear, the best of the American spirit comes to the surface in times of adversity.
    The best of the American people are silent, they get up, go to work, pay their bills and raise their families. They don't get involved in politics because the moral bankruptcy turns their stomachs. plus they are still relatively comfortable.
    I personally know hundreds of hard working, ethical, brave, intelligent, courageous and talented blue collar(and a few white collar) Americans that will stand up in a heart beat if they fell their families, homes or communities are seriously threatened.
  • FollowTheMoney
    !
    @Fishbone345 Rand Paul is my Senator, I voted for the guy and I e-mail him often. I think he's frustrated and a bit confused. He ( or an aid) e-mailed me back saying that he supported a Term Limit and a separate Flat Tax bill, but neither would ever get past committee. I'd love to see him move to the Libertarian Party. That's where he belongs.
  • dances-weebles
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    @Fishbone345 looks and sounding as though it's still bouncing and rolling, too... and had some pretty nasty knocks about the head on the way. his brains are addled.
  • Neo_NtheMatrix
    !
    I got an easy surefire way to fix the economy. Problem is, my plan would get 0 votes from liberals who think the government's job is to bathe them, fed them, clothe them, and provide them with shelter.

    Here's my plan:
    1) Slash tax rates across the board. As Rand said, let's get more money circulating in the private sector.

    2) Slash regulations. Look, there are smart regulations and then there are regulations designed to make it easy to extort businesses. Let's streamline regulations to be helpful to businesses, not rob them.

    3) End Unemployment benefits after 10 weeks. Look, the program was designed to be a safety net not a way of life. Why get a job when obama will pay you to stay in your mother's basement.

    4) Pay down the deficit. We can do that easily if we make radical cuts to entitlements, as they are the biggest drivers of our deficits.

    5) Repeal obamacare. This new entitlement scares the bejesus out of any hardworking businessperson.

    With these simple five steps the economy could be turned around. Too bad obama hasn't a clue how to create jobs. We had the opportunity to put a job creator in the White House and this foolish nation blew it.
  • Dan_Tien
    !
    That sounds like the laissez-faire doctrine of the 1920's that led to the Great Depression. Is that the best you got?
  • View all 8 replies >
  • u
    UScentral
    !
    Hey. That was the Dem plan. Let's let the republicans have their way. We'll elect George Bush for president. Then he'll let a large scale terrorirst attack take place. Then he'll start two illegal wars. Then he'll take us from surplus to extreme debt and double our national debt. Then he'll offend every allie we have on this planet. Then just before he destroys the nation, the democrats will save the day.
    Rand: you need a new pan.
  • Dan_Tien
    !
    "when the economy stalls, when the economy sputters, when people lose their jobs, they know which party to blame," Been there, done that. Thank you Republicans.
  • DARSB
    !
    Sen Paul has made a truly stupid suggestion. Its not just about the Bush tax cuts, it's the sequester, the alternative minimum tax, cutting physician payments by a third. And this guy is blithely trying to wring some political advantage out of it.
  • mimi57
    !
    Yes, give them want they want...they want to destroy the Country, have at it, their going to do it anyway. That's
    what Socialism does...Let em have their way, the 'adults' will clean up the mess...we know the 'children' won't!
  • mimi57
    !
    @dances-weebles We are on two totally opposite sides of the political spectrum...you say you are a Pastor and
    then go on about public nudity, etc. etc., I'm not sure I believe what you have to say Weeble...
  • dances-weebles
    !
    @mimi57 well, if you were to read what i say aloud you'd know. you seem to believe that there's some 'sin' in nudism, and i'm simply pointing out that it's hogwash.

    it's just not important enough to worry about.
  • View all 30 replies >
  • Mia
    !
    I'm glad Rand doesnt have the attitude, if you cant beat them , join them. He knows the presidents plan is the wrong plan for America and he doesnt want any part of it. I hope he continues to be a spokesperson for conservatives. He has a backbone and hes not afraid to use it.
  • Buzzfriendly
    !
    I would prefer to go over the cliff. Painful for Americans yes, death blow to both parties and those life long members......priceless with side order of unimaginable value. This will clean house on both sides of the fence of the likes never before in history. Its the kick in the ass we need.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    You know as painful as it would be for two years for this country I think you may be right. It may well be the only way we can get that cess pool of a congress cleaned out.
  • u
    David944
    !
    I think Paul is saying give them what they want to avoid the cliff. If obama’s policies work he will get the credit, if they don’t he should take the credit. If they work I’ll try to be a good little socialist but I’m already feeling less incentive to work. A mother of two makes $29.000 lives like she is making $69,000 a year. That is a better standard of living than me and I have work for all I get. I shouldn’t have gotten married I could have just lived with my family when the social worker wasn’t looking. That is an actual strategy I was once advised to by a coworker. http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/07/julias-mothe...
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