Claiming Obama Could Have Drawn GOP Stimulus Votes With Tax Relief, FOX News Conveniently Forgets That A Third Of The Stimulus Was Tax Relief?

When is enough enough? The Republican's admitted 2010 strategy is to deny Obama the least success. When will the White House and DEM majority stop watering down policy to appease the GOP? Reportedly, Larry Summers fought against major infrastructure spending in favor of the tax give-aways that have seemingly not produced JOBS. Whose side is Summers on? Nevermind. His job is fealty to Wall Street. Period.

The job of progressives is clearly to combat the constant mischaracterizations of the GOP and their bluedog bedmates and run (and primary) more and better Democratic candidates in 2010. If government reform takes a few more years, so be it.
Media Matters reports ~

From the November 9 broadcast of Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier:

HUME: [O]n the main issues of this year -- the economic stimulus package and the Obama health care plan -- Republicans have stood in near unanimous opposition while Democrats have struggled to round up votes despite their large majorities in both houses.

The person most responsible for this is no Republican leader, but President Obama himself. His policies have made it easy for Republicans of all stripes to oppose him. Just think how different it would have been if the President had insisted on mixing in some tax rate cuts with that spending extravaganza in that stimulus bill. That would have attracted Republican votes, allowed the President to claim a bipartisan victory, and provided the Democrats some political cover, not to mention some potential economic benefits.

Fact: The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included $288 billion in tax relief

As Media Matters for America has noted, the recovery act contained $288 billion in tax relief, including the Making Work Pay tax credit, an annual credit of $400 per individual or $800 for families. In addition, the recovery act included a temporary increase in the earned income tax credit, a temporary increase in the refundable portion of the child tax credit, an increase in the first-time homebuyer tax credit, and tax incentives for businesses.

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