Republicans Will Let America Burn While Holding Out for Tax Cuts
Some prominent Republicans are getting more vocal in their criticism of Donald Trump. Yet from the other side of their mouths, they continue to push for tax "reform" amid the growing chaos. See, they care about the rule of law and the Constitution; they just don't care about them as much as they care about cutting taxes. Again.
Whether he's calling Nazis "fine people," doubling down on nativism by pardoning a xenophobic ex-sheriff, taking a whack at transgender people for the amusement of his rubes or badly lying his way through yet another damning revelation about his Russian connections, Trump has been receiving unprecedented criticism from prominent Republicans. In addition to media favorites like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, House figures like Liberty Caucus chairman Justin Amash are increasingly critical. Even Orrin Hatch – a man with all the aggressiveness of a Keebler elf – has chastised Trump a time or two.
The famously timid Paul Ryan also has made an effort to take a stronger tone with Trump, offering a Charlottesville commentary entitled "Let There Be No Confusion." For a nation that has been wondering where exactly the line is for Trump's fellow Republicans – when they'll stop tolerating the president's authoritarian behavior – this sharper tone seems like a sign that they're tiring of his act.
At the same time, though, Republicans are making it clear that talk is all we are going to get so long as there is any chance of pushing through tax cuts before Trump has a Chernobyl-level meltdown. If the breakdown of the rule of law and the institutions of government troubles them, it doesn't trouble them enough to give up the prospect of getting the wealthiest Americans their 100th tax break of the last four decades. The GOP claims its corporate tax cut from 35 percent to 15 percent will not raise the debt, an assertion that relies upon the repeatedly disproven claim that economic growth will skyrocket after tax cuts. Paul Ryan urges you not to notice that due to extensive loopholes, American corporations currently pay nowhere near the nominal 35 percent rate. Oh, and they're also sitting on $2 trillion in cash, which negates the argument that investment is being held back by the tax rate.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/gop-will-let-america-burn-while-holding-out-for-tax-cuts-w500163?utm_source=rsnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=082917_16
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