Here is Governor Shumlin's complete reaction to the President's State of the Union address, as sent out in a press release:
"I am proud to stand by a President who fights for the middle class. In tonight's State of the Union address, President Obama made it clear that jobs are his top priority and he is committed to strengthening an economy where everyone plays by the same rules and everyone gets a fair shot. President Obama has worked hard to put Americans back to work and we are already seeing signs of growth, with 3.2 million private sector jobs added over the past 22 months. We have work left to do, but I am confident that President Obama understands what we know here in Vermont, that if we focus on education, lead through innovation and work together, we can accomplish great things."
That's all well and good, but it completely ignores the part of the State of the Union that is receiving all the attention. You know, the part where the President said this (by way of TPM):
"When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's not because they envy the rich, It's because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don't need and the country can't afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference - like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet."
[...] "If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes."
Given that many of the super-wealthy paying far less that 30% (such as Mitt Romney), Obama is now calling for them to pay more.
Yeah, that Obama. The economic moderate-to-right one. And he's using a clear-spoken, straightforward statement of Democratic values to make his case.
Contrast this with Shumlin's State of the State:
we require our wealthiest citizens to pay their fair share of income tax. But, we cannot correct the tax failures of Washington from the State House in Montpelier, and we must be always mindful that every day, we compete with our neighboring states for jobs. Therefore, I remain determined not to increase broad-based taxes on Vermonters as we begin to see signs of modest economic growth.
Yeah, it's no mystery as to why the Governor is trying to change the subject. His determination not to even discuss raising taxes on wealthy Vermonters before cutting many social services is rapidly becoming a peculiar Democratic anachronism.
Suddenly, he's left standing with no one but the likes of Ben Nelson at his side, as even his moderate President has abandoned such nonsense. |
