Obama Skewers Senate Republicans for Blocking the Buffett Rule

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Last updated on February 9th, 2013 at 12:25 am

After Senate Republicans blocked the Buffett Rule, President Obama took them to task and continued riding a wave of fairness towards reelection.

After only one Republicans voted with Democrats in favor of the Buffett Rule, President Obama said in a statement,

Tonight, Senate Republicans voted to block the Buffett Rule, choosing once again to protect tax breaks for the wealthiest few Americans at the expense of the middle class.

The Buffett Rule is common sense. At a time when we have significant deficits to close and serious investments to make to strengthen our economy, we simply cannot afford to keep spending money on tax cuts that the wealthiest Americans don’t need and didn’t ask for. But it’s also about basic fairness—it’s just plain wrong that millions of middle-class Americans pay a higher share of their income in taxes than some millionaires and billionaires. America prospers when we’re all in it together and everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

One of the fundamental challenges of our time is building an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. And I will continue to push Congress to take steps to not only restore economic security for the middle class and those trying to reach the middle class, but also to create an economy that’s built to last.

The only Republican who voted with Democrats in favor of moving the bill forward was Susan Collins of Maine. All other Republicans, including those who are in close contests to keep their seats like Scott Brown, voted against increasing taxes on those who make over a million dollars per year.

How big of a political loser is the Republicans continued protection of the rich? According to a new CNN poll, 72% of those surveyed support the Buffett Rule. What should be frightening for Republicans is that the support for the Buffett Rule has increased by 12 points in the last three days. The more President Obama talks about fairness, the more support grows for his proposals.

Senate Republicans are almost making this too easy for President Obama. If they really wanted to improve Mitt Romney’s chances in November, they would pass the Buffett Rule. Instead, Republicans have decided to nominate a man who is walking billboard for why the nation needs the Buffett Rule, and highlight his deficiency by voting against the Buffett Rule. They have chosen a guy who was born on third and thinks he hit a triple to run against a president whose whole message is centered on fairness for every American.

The Senate vote not only hurts the Republican Party, but it also puts the spotlight back on the fact that the GOP has a nominee who has no clue how regular Americans live and the challenges they face. Obama has the upper hand in this election because he has the message. Fairness is the kind of simple common sense messaging that resonates well with voters and wins elections in November.

While Mitt Romney is still trying to explain where his 2011 tax return is, Barack Obama is marching towards reelection.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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