Redstate

By RightMichigan.com Posted in Barak Obama | Branding | Breaking News | Carl Levin | Debbie Stabenow | Hillary Clinton | John Edwards | Michigan | POTUS — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

A political party or a candidate can spend an entire election cycle trying to brand the opposition on an issue.  One way or another, whatever issue it might be it's difficult work.  There are campaigns that never pull it off and watch their opponents slip by with a Teflon coating.  Others are more successful.  But nothing in this business has ever been as effective as sitting back and letting the opposition brand themselves.

And for that, ladies and gentlemen, every Republican (save a few notable exceptions... so I guess I should say "the vast majority of Republicans") should send a Christmas Card to the DNC and the MDP because the Democrats are at it again and just refuse to let go of this idea that we aren't already taxed enough.

First it was the House and Senate Democrats in the Michigan Legislature joining with the Governor in approving and enacting $2.3 BILLION in new taxes on struggling Michigan families and job makers (despite the fact that their other actions suggest they KNOW how tax policy really works).  And they've been tagged for it.  Ask anyone across the State right now and they'll tell you that the legislature is full of tax hikers.  Well now the Democrats on the national stage are getting in on the action and the Republicans are doing their best to stop them.

Take, for example, the energy bill we talked about yesterday.  You remember the energy bill... giant leaps in fuel economy standards threatening to bankrupt Detroit's Big Three tied to billions of dollars in new taxes?  The darn thing moved through the Senate last night, as expected, but with a pretty key change.  The Associated Press reports:

The measure was approved with strong bipartisan support 86-8 after Democrats abandoned efforts to impose billions of dollars in new taxes on the biggest oil companies, unable by one vote to overcome a Republican filibuster against the new taxes.

Of course, in typical AP fashion they leave you with a statement like "on the biggest oil companies" and ignore the fact that there were also billions of dollars in tax hikes that would be imposed on private citizens too, nevermind the fact that until you outlaw that dreaded "P" word, profit, any tax hike you stick on any business is going to be passed along to consumers.

But that's neither here nor there.  The branding is clear.  The Democrats wanted to raise taxes by billions and the Republicans filibustered to stop them!  Tax Payers one, Bureaucrats zero.  And guess who scored the bucket.  

Though none of that is to say that this was a full-on win for the State of Michigan.  The bill never should have moved in the first place, especially with word splashed across the wires yesterday that Michigan Senator Carl Levin had an opportunity to scuttle it by changing a provision here and there.  He and Debbie Stabenow each declined the opportunity to do so and now Michigan's economic engine, the domestic auto industry, has to prepare for a massive increase in federal mandates that will literally cost them billions.  So where did Michigan's Senators come down when the voting board opened? AP continues:

Levin voted for the bill but said he regretted dropping the tax provisions "since many of these are important to continued development of biofuel and to development and commercialization of many advanced and renewable technologies."

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., cited the tax issue in her decision to vote no.

"I could not support a new mandate on our auto industry without including the critical incentives and funding support needed to help them be successful and keep our jobs in America," Stabenow said in a statement.

Do-nothing-Debbie votes NO because it didn't tax Americans enough!  And Carl?  He voted yes because... well.... Harry Reid told him to?

Now flip the web browser and flip on over to the Detroit News where wire services have been covering the latest Presidential "debates" in Iowa.

While the Democrats in Michigan's legislature and the Democrats in Congress are trying (and often succeeding) to raise our taxes the Democrats who'd like to be the next President of the United States are telling voters in no uncertain terms that they too favor tax hikes.

Democratic presidential rivals called for higher taxes on the highest-paid Americans and on big corporations Thursday and said any thought of balancing the federal budget would have to wait...

The discussion of taxes underscored the gulf between the two parties on economic issues. Republicans called repeatedly on Wednesday for elimination of the estate tax -- which falls principally on the largest of estates -- and reduction in the income tax on corporations.

Branding.  

Sometimes you've got to tie the cow down, get four or five guys to hold her steady and sneak up on her to get that hot metal pressed against the flesh.  Then sometimes the heifer just stumbles backwards and falls right into it.

Either way, the voters are better educated today than they were this time last week and certainly a heck of a lot better than they were going into the 06 elections.  The message is clear... send (or allow to be sent) Democrats to Lansing, Capitol Hill or the White House and they will raise your taxes.  I'll have to send Andy Dillon, Jennifer Granholm and Carl Levin a Christmas card wishing them the best and thanking them for finally being honest.