I'll be honest - I don't love the way Obama is pushing the Buffet rule.
The problem with the Buffet Rule is that, even if we think it is being proposed genuinely (and not as a political stunt - which is what it really is), it doesn't come close to solving the problem we all know exists, which is that the wealthy don't pay as much in taxes as they should if we are really to have a progressive income tax.
There are proposals to solve that problem. They include eliminating some tax deductions and increasing taxes on capital gains. Since nothing Obama proposes (not the real solution I just mentioned nor the Buffet Rule) is likely to get passed, it seems to me Obama should propose the one that is a real policy solution. But he doesn't want that. He doesn't want a big detailed plan that might have some unpopular elements. Instead, he wants a quick, and absurd, political win.
This is going to be a long and disappointing campaign.
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