While You Were Distracted

Posted by Erick Erickson
Tuesday, November 15th at 4:46AM EST

While we’ve all been distracted by the Presidential race, there is other news out there that may give you heart burn. Way back when during a forgotten age, conservatives were treated to this:

The Hill – 6/24/11 – Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Friday said President Obama “must lead” if the standoff over the debt limit is going to be resolved but warned that any package with tax increases “cannot pass the House.”

ABC News – 6/23/11 – GOP Congressman – Tax Increases Can’t Pass The House

The Washington Times – 6/24/11 – “There is not support in the House for a tax increase, and I don’t believe now is the time to raise taxes in light of our current economic situation,” said Cantor (R-Va.).

The Washington Times – 6/24/11 -Speaker of the House John Boehner added today, “The president and his party may want a debt limit increase that includes tax hikes, but such a proposal cannot pass the House.”

And now?

Politico – 11/13/11 – Rep. Jeb Hensarling “we believe that frankly increasing tax revenues could hurt the economy, but within the context of bipartisan negotiations with Democrats, clearly they are a reality,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Yes, the Republicans who back in June were telling us they would hold the line on tax increases have decided that they must have tax increases. Otherwise the defense budget will be cut. Except the defense budget will be cut only if the GOP actually lets the defense budget be cut. As Jim DeMint recently pointed out, Congress cannot, in fact, bind future Congresses to any cuts.

Now the question of the day: do Republicans really think if they approve these tax increases that this time, unlike every other time, Democrats will actually cut anything?

P. T. Barnum comes to mind.