Randi Rhodes: Surprise!

It’s Friday, ya bastids!

President Obama is making an unannounced visit to Afghanistan today. So, while Congressional Democrats try to deal with the tax mess that George Bush left us, President Obama pays a visit to the foreign policy mess that George Bush left us.

John Boehner called yesterday’s House vote to extend the tax cut for the middle class “chicken crap.” Not really, John. Compared to the huge tax cuts you want to give the rich, the middle class cut is actually more like chicken feed.

This Saturday Harry Reid plans to hold two separate votes on two separate tax cut proposals, giving the Senate Republicans two separate opportunities to screw the middle class. Orrin Hatch accused the Democrats of “pandering to their base.” I agree, if by “base” Orrin means 99 percent of the American people.

Alan Grayson gave a presentation on the House floor showing how much various highly-paid rightwingers, such as Fox News hosts, personally benefit from the Bush tax cuts to the rich. It’s really eye opening. You really have no idea just how much money there is in lying. At the end, Grayson reminds us that George Bush himself financially benefits from the George Bush tax cuts. So… the George Bush tax cut cut George Bush’s taxes. I can’t honestly say I know that was on purpose. I don’t think George Bush could understand that sentence if you gave him a roadmap.

This whole tax cut fiasco is a very clever trap laid during the George Bush administration. Wow. I just realized I used the term “clever” in the same sentence as “George Bush.” But it’s true. Dan Bartlett, Bush’s former communications director, said of the tax cut policy “politically, once you get it into law, it becomes almost impossible to remove it.” It won’t go away. Great. Bush’s tax cuts are the herpes of fiscal policy.

Finally, it turns out that sales of gun silencers have gone up about 9 percent in the past year. I guess the good news is that anyone not directly struck by flying bullets won’t be bothered by the noise.

Today’s Homework | Discuss

With President Obama in Afghanistan, Vice President Biden addressed today’s job report in addition to the need for Congress to extend unemployment benefits and pass the middle class tax cuts…