Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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Risky Tax Scheme. Approved.

Wednesday, May 2, 2001

When candidate George W. Bush wanted a 10 year tax cut of $1.3 trillion, candidate Al Gore said anything more than $250 billion would be a "risky tax scheme."

Later in the campaign Mr. Gore suggested that anything more than $500 billion would be a "risky tax scheme."

After the new Congress was sworn in the Democrats - especially Tom Daschle and Dick Gephardt - said they might go as high as $700 billion but that was it. Absolutely. Positively. Not a penny more. Polling showed that the public didn't believe the "risky tax scheme" line and that's why you haven't heard it again.

When the House - with its vast five seat majority for the GOP passed a budget calling for $1.6 trillion - the new number the White House was asking for - it was pronounced "dead on arrival" by Democrats in the Senate.

When the wheeling and dealing stopped the Senate passed a budget calling for tax relief of about $1.2 trillion which, as we remember, was declared a defeat for President Bush.

Yesterday House and Senate negotiators settled on a package which will cut taxes by $1.35 trillion over 11 years.

Moderates in the Senate - on both sides of the aisle - have accepted that number and even Tom Daschle, according to Alan Fram's AP piece, "who with other top Democrats preferred a 10-year, $750 billion tax reduction, called the new GOP tax plan 'a step in the right direction.'"

Last week a reporter from an Eastern newspaper called to ask about the 100 day thing. After I gave him my unbiased and perfectly balanced opinion, he said that some Democrats were saying "Bush has won the easy ones, but wait until the hard bills start coming to the Floor."

I asked what the "easy ones" were. The reporter said, "Well, the tax cut."

I said that the tax cut was only easy AFTER the House passed a budget calling for $1.6 trillion and the Senate passed a bill calling for a little over $1.2 trillion. "Back in January," I said, "nobody thought those levels were going to be easy. A lot of people thought those levels were going to be impossible.

Lordy, what a bunch of polls showing the President at around a 60% approval rating can do to help focus the opposition's thinking.

Last night about 1,200 campaign, inaugural committee, and administration folks got together to have their own celebration of the first 100 days. They also got a glimpse at the inaugural book with pictures and commentary showing the highlights of the inaugural weekend.

The captions were written by your Mullmeister, but I have to say the first draft were much, MUCH funnier than the final version. There was one caption accompanying a photo of the workers unrolling the new carpet in the Oval Office which not only did not make it into the book, it wouldn't have gotten past the Mullings Director of Standards and Practices for this column.

The book project was great fun and, like so many things in politics, gave me a chance to work with a group of folks I otherwise would never have run across. The book was produced by Dr. Matthew Naythons who has done a number of those "Day in the Life �" books.

The party last night was co-produced by none other than the MDofS&P her very own self.

May Day just isn't the same since the Soviet Union went broke. In the olden days we were treated to video of Soviet leaders standing on top of Lenin's tomb, freezing their buttski's off, clapping for themselves as hundreds of missiles, tanks, and trucks rolled by, accompanied by thousands of troops.

Yesterday a bunch demonstrators in Europe and Australia who can only be described as zany, complained about globalization, fur and leather clothing, free markets, and America.

According to NPR, a demonstrator in London carried a sign which said, "Overthrow Capitalism. Replace it with Something Nicer."

Tom Joad is spinning in his grave.

The Commerce Department has announced it has created the position of Chief Privacy Officer, but they say they haven't got anyone in mind for the post, yet. I feel a FOIA request coming on.

Here's another thing that George Bush has accomplished in his first 100 days that Bill Clinton could not get done in eight years: The retirement of FBI Director Louis Freeh.

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Copyright © 2001 Richard A. Galen

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