NBC’s Matt Lauer asked White House chief of staff Bill Daley this morning if the president’s jobs plan would simply be a rehash of the borrow and spend policies that brought us the stimulus package. Daley’s response:
Matt, no one’s talking about borrowing. These [programs] will all be paid for. The president will state right up front that these are all going to be paid for. This is not about creating more debt. And those of us like you and I, who have done quite well over the economy the last couple years, ought to pay a little more.
Video here.
It’s no secret that Obama wants to raise taxes, and while he continues to offer boilerplate class-warfare platitudes at every turn, higher taxes — by his own admission — are not condusive to economic growth during a recession. Thus, he has yet to forcefully make the case for concrete tax increases. Will he plant his flag tonight on taxes? Is this the hill he is prepared to die on? Stay tuned.