On Sunday (7/15/12), Meet the Press host David Gregory caught Barack Obama in a big-time flip flop on taxes.
At least, that’s what he seems to think.
Gregory said:
What the president would like to do is extend the Bush tax cuts for those making less than $200,000, or $250,000, as a family, and then taxes would go up on people above that. Back in 2010, when this issue first came up, this is what President Obama said back then.
And then Gregory played this clip from Obama:
I am just listening to the consensus among people who know the economy best. And what they will say is that if you either increase taxes or significantly lowered spending when the economy remains somewhat fragile, that that would have a destimulative effect and potentially you’d see a lot of folks losing business, more folks potentially losing jobs.
Gregory sure thinks he nailed it, telling guest Senator Dick Durbin:
If it was a bad idea to raise taxes in a down economy then, why is it a good idea to raise taxes in a down economy now?
When Durbin says this is about a tax increase on the top 2 percent, Gregory interrupts: “But, senator, he wasn’t willing to do that two years ago.”
Slam dunk, right?
Nope. The Obama plan now–to raise taxes on income about $250,000– is exactly the same as it was when Obama was speaking. They reiterated this position throughout the tax debate in 2010. In fact, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told Gregory this in person on his very own show–a show where Gregory seemed to be pleading the case for raising everyone’s taxes:
GREGORY: Why don’t you have to consider additional tax hikes when you’ve got the likes of Alice Rivlin who worked for President Clinton, Republican Senator Domenici, and Chairman Bernanke saying, “Look, something’s got to give here, and tax hikes have to be on the table in this environment.”
GEITHNER: But, David, you said the important thing, which is the president is going to extend the middle-class tax cuts. But he is also going to let expire the the tax cuts that President Bush put in place for the 2 percent of the most fortunate Americans in our country. That will provide more than $1 trillion–around $1 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years. That’s very important.
A few months later (7/25/10):
GREGORY: The Bush tax cuts set to expire, the administration’s plan is let them expire–in other words, raise taxes on wealthy Americans above 250,000, but don’t let them expire, keep them going for those $250,000 or less. Even Democrats, like the chairman of the budget Committee, says it’s a bad idea to raise taxes on wealthy Americans until you’ve got a recovery on sounder footing. Any wiggle room on that? Any prospect of change?
GEITHNER: I don’t think it’s quite a fair description of Senator Conrad’s views. But I won’t speak to them. But I’ll say what the president believes, and I believe this, is the right thing for the country, the fair thing, the responsible thing for the country now is to make sure we leave in place and preserve tax cuts that go to more than 95 percent of working Americans and complement those with a set of incentives for businesses to expand and hire. To make that possible, and to do that responsibly, I think it is fair and good policy to allow those tax cuts that only go to 2 to 3 percent of the highest earners in the country to expire as scheduled. The country can withstand that. The economy can withstand that. I think it’s good policy.
So the debate, as was pretty clear at the time, was over whether to raise taxes on the wealthy. The White House position was that this policy would not harm the economic recovery. They caved on the issue when Republicans wouldn’t budge.
But Gregory is totally misleading NBC viewers on this history, making it sound as if Obama has reversed course on tax cuts.
What’s more, he’s misleading viewers about his video evidence. It is from an appearance before Republican lawmakers. The question Obama is answering came from Rep. Paul Ryan, and it had nothing to do with letting the Bush tax cuts on top earners expire. It was about spending cuts. Here’s the transcript:
RYAN: The spending bills that you’ve signed into law, the domestic discretionary spending has been increased by 84 percent. You now want to freeze spending at this elevated beginning next year. This means that total spending in your budget would grow at 3/100ths of 1 percent less than otherwise. I would simply submit that we could do more and start now.
You’ve also said that you want to take a scalpel to the budget and go through it line by line….
So my question is, why not start freezing spending now, and would you support a line-item veto in helping us get a vote on it in the House?
Obama’s direct response to that question begins with, “Now, the reason that I’m not proposing the discretionary freeze take into effect this year…”
In other words, the question was about cutting government spending in a recession, and so was the answer. The passing mention of “tax cuts” was about the debate over allowing all of the tax cuts to expire, or just those for top earners. Obama favored the latter.
David Gregory turned this exchange, largely about stimulus spending, into a question about tax cuts, in order to manufacture a “gotcha.”
As journalism, this is totally misleading–and Gregory would seem to know this, unless he doesn’t pay attention to his own show. But the clip would make for an effective–and deceptive–TV ad for the Romney campaign
The country should be relieved of David Gregory and his incredibly sloppy and biased reporting.
I don’t know why Gregory still has a job. No one watches Meet The Press since he began hosting it. I never understood how he got the job in the first place. I think they should hire Dan Rather.
Who was the writer that wrote this and did the research for Mr. Gregory. I would like to” meet that press” person. Really, because as a talking head, the Gregory “voice” doesn’t seem to be coming out of his head.
I have to agree with both of you and while their cleaning house they should lose Chuck Todd as well. Neither one of them is willing to really ask the tough questions or dig in when the question is skirted by the respondent. Mr. Gregory seems to have fallen into the Fair and Balanced mold and never attempts to find the truth.
David Gregory should be FIRED. Always knew he was a sickening repug.
Fire David Gregory. Hire Will McEvoy.
Fire the idiot Gregory! He is a moron
The SAME DAvid Gregory that was dancing with Karl Rove at the Bushie X-mas party a few years back. What a puke.
He should vacate the chair and make room for Luke Russert!
What you have to realise is that all the top TV commentaters and hosts are probably millionares protecting their own interests. I think they should all disclose their yearly income before they start blasting President Obama for proposing letting the tax rates rise on incomes over $250,000 for married couples. Also what is never mentioned is that all income up to $250,000 will be taxed the same as it is now and just the amount over $250,000 will be taxed at 39% [a 4% increase]. That is adjusted gross income, so with all the loop holes the rich have, we are talking about people who earn $350,000 and up.
the reason we have to be skeptical of mainstream media reporting is that most of these network folks are making tons of money – and make more money for the networks by calling balls and strikes. how can they be expected to be fair to any proposal that would raise their taxes? these folks are millionaires, many times over and have a natural proclivity to align themselves with big-business, uber-capitalists.
I fully agree with John Crawley about the talking heads having to disclose their income when they discuss taxes and tax cuts. I also am with Mark Lee Itzkowitz on this clown dancing with Karl Rove–everytime I see him, that is the image that enters my mind, and I tune out anything he has to say. He is the perfect example of how apt your T-Shirt, “Don’t Trust Corporate Media” is.
As with Tom Erickson’s note, there are plenty of wealthy Dems that may enjoy placing the blame on the other side, even as they benefit from the (unfair) Bush cuts – isn’t this the politics as usual we (and perhaps David Gregory) are fed up with? And then Obama et al., can continue to blame the ongoing disaster on the other side, while patting themselves on the back, and while the rest of us pay the price for ineffective and partisan “leadership”. While Mr. Gregory may be glossing over some important details, I’m glad he is harping on an vital issue that has seen little real progress (and lots of leadership failure), and is a major threat to the well-being of this country and millions of its citizens.
Pace D. Fering, it’s the Republican-controlled Congress (including obstructionist, filibuster-loving minority Repubs in the Senate) who are responsible for the paucity of action on the economy, not Obama. And many of those rich Democrats you mention (and a few more human rich Repubs) have been proposing that taxes be raised on the wealthy.
It looks like you didn’t really read the article at the top of this page, given the way you’re defending Gregory (or “glossing over” his fallacious premise) and trying to focus responsibility elsewhere.
And yet the stalemate continues! That’s part of the game they play for the public – good cop, bad cop style. I really miss Tim Russert, who might call the Dems on their half-hearted posturing more directly, perhaps saying : “Is that all you’ve got? Where’s your trump card?.”
I don’t miss ‘Tim Russert one bit. Asking probably the most serious of the Pres. candidates in 2008, D. Kucinich, if he ever saw a UFO for his first question. Rather than say anytahing bad about the dead, I will just say, based on what he did to Kucinich, his career ended abit too late.
Well on this sight anyone who makes the president uncomfortable with his own hypocrisy is doing a lousy job.President Obama who pays an effective rate of 17%(as you would see it).President Obama who’s secretary of the treasury little Timmy Geithner did not pay his own taxes for years and refuses….yes refuses to release any tax records ,while the hounds bay for Mitts.But I digress.Can the top percentile afford another 4%?Absolutely ,positively.They need not even take a hit.Of course as captains of industry and such they need only pass on an increase of 4% to consumers.And that is the way it works chitlens.So in effect all obamas tax increases on anyone- are increases on EVERYONE.Obama believes he can force Doctors to take more patients at less reimbursement?Ever hear of concierge medicine?Growing now in leaps and bounds.Just refuse insurance.Less patients -better served ,and Docs make more money.Great for us and them ,but what happens to those who cant afford it?Less service away from the top people.The road to hell is always paved with Democrat good intentions.Step on market forces and you loose every time.Obama says he won’t tax anyone but the top rung.Remember that?But now his healthcare tax(as it has now been branded)will effect everyone with one of the largest tax increases in this countries or any countries history.I call it “liberal inertia.”Like Isaac Newton’s theory….They always end up moving in the same way no matter the situation.Like an equation in physics.
Tax n spend=u & me screwed(squared).
Then after the fact you try to prove how taxing anyone builds jobs.Building jobs.That is the beginning and the end for us .The alpha and the Omega.The only answer to our salvation.NOT BUILDING GOVERNMENT SIZE ,SCOPE, AND BUREAUCRACY!!!!Or redistributing wealth as a theory of government with an eye to creating a nanny state. I remember having this argument with Barney Franks.I told him around month one of the Obama inauguration that his economic ideas would cause a massive increase in food stamps.I was soundly rebuffed.DOUBLE.It is now double what it was three years ago!If Obama gets his tax hike do you know what it will pay for?The increase in food stamps!Froot loops and Liberal economics 101.November can’t get here soon enough.
sorry….Fruit
Romni is about to go on the offensive on Bain capital.Take a look at dynamic steel.A company Mitt bought with Bain and turned around.He had an idea.Get rid of expensive blast furnaces and do specialty steel with arch welding technology.He hired 600o people and it is now the 5th largest steel company in the US.That alone is 6000 more jobs than Obama has ever created.The list goes on and on.He has been accused of out sourcing.Wanna know the biggest outsourcer in the world.THE US GOVERNMENT!Take a look at GM and the outsourcing going on there.
Again, a media pundit cannot even get his (usually HIS) facts straight. No wonder we get “factchecking” without facts and sources allowed to control how they are quoted.
Strange how when Pres. Obama acts like the Con he is the Republicans jeer to us how the Liberals were pissed at it. And yet they will turn around and claim him as a Liberal despite his actions to the contrary. Some of them way to right of even that war monger Bush/Cheney.
Pres. Obama has also fired more govt employees than Bush/Cheney, he’s fired 620,000 during the present Depression no less! Like any good Republican. Now the Federal Reserve was the one that on its own gave the corporate criminals that helped to dip us into the Depression inh 2008 around $7.7 trillion but no one is making them spend it to help the economy as they were told to. In fact they claim they can’t till the economy is better! So they have a huge amount of money not going to loans even to good customers! But then Pres. Obama goes to the right as a fall back. No spine in that area but if you are a Progressive complaining about his Reich wingness he suddenly gets a spine and knocks them down.
Change the name to ” Meet The RebuBLICAN pRESS”