Rep. Boehner's "Compromise": Extend Bush Tax Cuts For Two Years...Forever

Earlier this week, former White House budget director Peter Orszag waded into the debate over the Bush tax cuts, which are scheduled to expire at the end of this year.  Writing in the New York Times, Orszag suggested a two-year extension of all the tax cuts, including those for the wealthiest Americans.  After two years, however, Orszag said that all of the cuts, including those for the middle class, should be phased out to address the deficit.  In a nod to President Obama's plan, Orszag also noted that, "Ideally only the middle-class tax cuts would be continued for now."

Today, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued what sounded like similar proposal.  During an interview on Good Morning America, Boehner suggested that the Bush tax cuts should be extended for two years until the economy is in better shape.  But when host George Stephanopoulos pressed Boehner on Orszag's idea of ending all the cuts in two years, Boehner fell back into standard-issue talking points about creating a positive economic climate.  Watch:

Contrary to reports that Boehner is offering some sort of "compromise," the Republican Leader is following the same playbook that got us to where we are today — pushing back the expiration date with every intention of repeating the same fight later.  Indeed, the Republican Party has long advocated making the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy permanent.  Here's what Boehner had to say in 2004 (via Nexis):

The President and Congress ought to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Many of the tax cuts — including the income tax rate cuts, the reduction in the marriage penalty, the doubling of the child tax credit, and the phase-out of the Death Tax — are set to expire over the course of the next several years. This tax relief must be made permanent so families and businesses can plan for the future with confidence.  

Of course, Obama's plan would permanently eliminate the marriage penalty and double the child tax credit, but Boehner isn't likely to acknowledge that.  Meanwhile, nearly 70 percent of Americans disagree with Republicans on tax cuts for the wealthy, but Boehner is still committed to continuing giveaways for his rich friends and donors, no matter how detrimental it is to the nation's fiscal health.