President Obama is summoning the community organizer inside of himself to try to rally the public to support his proposals to avert sending the economy over the “ fiscal cliff” in January. Obama is traveling to Philadelphia on Friday to try to rally support for letting tax cuts on wealthy Americans expire while preserving them for the middle class, or more specifically, families making $250,000 a year or less.
The White House said in a statement released on Tuesday that the President plans to hold talks with small business owners and middle class families in the run up to his road trip. The President is hoping that voters in conservative districts will get behind his plans and put pressure on their elected representatives to support his initiatives.
The President’s main argument is that Republicans and Democrats agree that taxes on the middle class should stay right where they are. He wants to pass a proposal to keep those tax rates stable right away while the harder debates about millionaire tax rates for later. The President is actually holding most of the cards in that debate because if he gets what he wants all he has to do is have the Senate vote against a tax cut extension and the rates will automatically go up. the Republicans likewise can allow cuts to social security, medicare and defense raise by stalling a vote.
Republicans want to increase revenue by closing tax loopholes and limiting deductions instead of raising tax rates. The President has dug in his heels saying he would not sign legislation that extends tax rates for the mega wealthy.
Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican said that he is staunchly opposed to the President’s proposals.
“The president seems absolutely determined to inflict a tax increase on the American people.”
Toomey says he wants Democrats to come to the table with cuts to entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.
Following the election, Obama aides asked supporters to record YouTube videos discussing the need to have the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes. Some of the people who shared their stories on YouTube planned to join Obama at the White House on Wednesday.
Obama has asked supporters to make YouTube videos and send him the links with messages asking their representatives to please vote to raise taxes on the wealthy.
Republicans have accused the President of waging Class Warfare on the wealthy.
Do you think the government should vote to raise taxes on the wealthy in any deal on the fiscal cliff?