Also at The Albany Project
Chris Gibson, the Republican/tea party challenger to NY-20 Rep. Scott Murphy, has been referring to the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts as "the people's tax cuts" lately.
And, according to a quick Google search, Gibson is evidently alone in this weird rebranding.
Details, below.
Gibson did his "people's tax cuts" thing on a local talk show (Al Roney on WGDJ-AM, podcast available here) and at an editorial board meeting at the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Here's the quote from the latter:
I think most assuredly what we need to do is look at the people’s tax cuts of 01 and 03 and then also look at the alternative minimum tax because I think those are the most onerous for small business owners.
Gibson is no doubt referring to the controversy about renewing the Bush tax cuts, which were designed to expire at the end of this year in order to not show that they would create even greater deficits and national debt.
And the controversy over the Bush tax cuts does not involve all of the "people."
Democrats and Republicans agree on renewing the tax cuts for about 98 percent of the people.
Because Democrats do not want to extend the tax cuts for the 2 percent or so of taxpayers who make more than $250,000 a year, Republicans in the Senate have blocked renewing tax cuts for the vast majority of taxpayers.
So Gibson's "people's tax cuts" meme is 98 percent BS -- what he is really concerned about is continuing tax cuts for the few people who make more than five times the median family income.
IMO, 98 percent BS is the same as a lie.
Gibson's rebranding of Bush's tax cuts is an obvious attempt to appeal to voters outside the tea party base, but like most Republican candidates this year, he has to lie to do that.