December 09, 2010 3:48 pm ET filed under Blog
Reminder: Republican Hysteria About "The Death Tax" Is Based On Misinformation
December 09, 2010 2:42 pm ET filed under Video
Republicans' Misinformed "Death Tax" Hysteria
December 09, 2010 2:29 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Reminder: Republican Hysteria About "The Death Tax" Is Based On Misinformation
Since the White House and Senate Republican leaders announced the framework of a deal to extend the Bush tax cuts for two years, the provisions regarding the estate tax have drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Under the deal, the estate tax would be set at 35 percent and would only apply to estates larger than $5 million. While Democrats reportedly oppose those generous parameters, many congressional Republicans insist that any "death tax" at all is unacceptable and even "cruel." In that stance, Republicans are wrong both on policy — even at a stiffer $3.5 million threshold, the estate tax only impacted the wealthiest one of every 400 households in 2009 — and politics. The Bush tax cuts gradually reduced the estate tax from 55 percent in 2001 to 45 percent in 2009, and then sprung a political trap by completely eliminating the tax for just one year before allowing it to spring back to 55 percent in 2011. This provision, which one American Enterprise Institute scholar called "absurd-on-its-face," means that Republicans who criticize the estate tax provisions of the proposed deal are in essence opposing a 36 percent cut in the estate tax, and a threshold even more generous than the 1-in-400-estates tax proposed in President Obama's budgets.
June 12, 2010 10:39 am ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Scalise Spills False GOP Talking Points
During an appearance on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) went up against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schulz (D-FL) to discuss the energy bill. When challenged on the legislation, instead of offering real solutions that address the problems we face, Scalise spewed the standard GOP talking points that were developed to prevent Americans from achieving energy independence.
March 22, 2010 4:00 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Scalise Refuses To Condemn Bigoted Slurs Directed At Members Of Congress
March 22, 2010 1:04 pm ET filed under Video
Rep. Scalise On The Racist & Anti-Gay Slurs Hurled At Dem Lawmakers
September 21, 2009 6:30 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Scalise Confused About "Czars"
Rep. Steve Scalise implied presidential "czars" are unconstitutional just days after cosponsoring a resolution explicitly stating that such advisers are allowed by the Constitution.
April 24, 2009 2:57 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Earth To Rep. Scalise: Enron Had Ties To Republicans, Not Al Gore
On April 24, 2009, during a House Energy Committee hearing, Rep. Steve Scalise asked former Vice President Al Gore about a meeting he had with Enron's Kenneth Lay in 1997. Seemingly, Rep. Scalise was trying to discredit Vice President Gore and the whole concept of "cap-and-trade" by tying them to the corrupt energy executive. Unfortunately for Rep. Scalise, Lay played an important role in helping defeat Vice President Gore in 2000. That 1997 meeting must not have gone so well.
