Progressive, eh? No, I don’t think so.
(--the New York Times)
Now, I could see some merit to this position if the parasitic class that operates the big hedge funds was actually paying the same tax rate as everyone else, but they aren't. They're paying much less than pretty much anyone who earns a paycheck and files a tax return. So when I see "double the taxes", I read "remove a tasty and wildly unfair tax shelter", and when I see "resist the effort" I read "reassures his plutocratic friends that he is actually a member of the Evil Party despite the (S) suffix on his Senatorial nametag."
[Schumer] has regularly portrayed himself as a progressive politician who identifies with the struggles of the middle class and is sharply critical of the selfish “plutocrats” who he says control the Republican Party.
Sharply critical because those plutocrats haven't given him a seat at the great asset-stripping party, no doubt.
As a matter of idle curiosity, just what differentiates his desired fiscal policy from the Evil Party fiscal policy? The Evil Party will bloviate for days about how taxes are theft and they should be "returned" to the taxpayer, but when it gets right down to it they'll fight like grim death to ensure that only the upper class will get any sort of benefit out of their laughably biased "tax relief" scams. Schumer's desired fiscal policy appears to be bloviating for days about how it's Unfair! that the middle class is taking it on the chin, but when it gets right down to it he'll fight like grim death to ensure that the middle class keeps taking it on the chin.
That's breathtakingly Republican of him. Which is, I'm sure, the whole point; if he was actually a populist instead of a member of the parasitic class, he'd not be getting those multi-million dollar cheques to help with his re-election campaign.
This is not the sort of thing that makes me want to open my pocketbook so I can help out the “don't filibuster either bagman, don't press to impeach the Coward in Chief, and allow the B*sh junta to hold the US Armed forces hostage” party.
I believe I'll be voting a straight SPUSA ticket next election. At least they don't have to worry about the clumsy seduction techniques of a bunch of slimy used car salesmen in bespoke suits.
(-- via Kevin Drum)