War Tax

by digby

This is blasphemy hereabouts, but I have to agree with BC over at Cliff Schecter’s place: I support Joe Lieberman. Yes, I know this is a shock, and many of you must be thinking I’ve lost my mind. But when Holy Joe is right about something(a most unusual event), he’s right. Even if he doesn’t know it:

I want him to propose his “war tax” on the floor of the Senate.

I wrote a few days ago that Democrats need to make Republicans take tough votes, and none would be tougher than a vote on a war tax. Republicans would either have to vote to increase taxes (you might not have heard this, but Republicans generally don’t like to raise taxes) or they would have to vote against funding for the troops. They would have to choose between their so-called ethos or their b.s., Hannityesque flag waving rhetoric. Basically, a damned if you do (unless you’re Ted Haggard) or damned if you don’t scenario for the Repubs.

I would take it even further than BC recommends. I’d say:

“The working people of America have done all that was asked of them to support the troops. While struggling to keep up financially they sent their sons and daughters overseas when the president called. The wealthy, however, have not stepped up. They have benefitted from massive Republican tax cuts during a time that our troops have made do with inferior body armor and their families have had to apply for food stamps. It’s time to ask them to finally do their part to help pay for the war. It’s the patriotic thing to do.”

Make the Republicans defend their tax cuts for the wealthy as opposed to funding the troops. (Of course that requires that Democrats be willing to offend their rich contributors too…)

The truth is that we have no idea how much money has been thrown into the Iraq moneypit and there has been virtually no discussion of how this country is expected to pay for it. Politicians and pundits act as if this is some sort of taboo subject. We can have debates about torture but we can’t talk about the fact that this war is creating a massive debt while Paris Hilton and her friends party like it’s 1999. At dinner tables all over the country this topic is being discussed. It’s only in the halls of government that mentioning the cost of this endeavor is considered politically incorrect.

Obviously, it’s a fantasy that Joe Lieberman would actually take such as resolution to the floor. He’s much too beholden to his neocon brethren to take such a stand now. But it would be delicious if someone did it and used his speech as the basis for his or her argument.

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