Yesterday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs squirmed under repeated questioning about whether he would reaffirm President Obama’s critical campaign promise not to raise taxes on families making less than $250,000 per year.
President Obama had said in September, 2008: “I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” This pledge has already been broken, at least with respect to federal tobacco taxes. But the White House has, until very recently, maintained the fiction that the promise is still in effect with respect to the taxes everyone pays.
Then, in a television appearance on Sunday, White House advisor David Axelrod refused to re-commit to Obama’s pledge. The sketchy answers followed shortly after the great need arose to pay for an unexpectedly expensive health care plan. This prompted the question to Gibbs, and based on his evasions, you should expect a tax hike in the Obama health care bill.
Here is the exchange at the White House, from the transcript:
Q Robert, I just wanted to ask about health care. Yesterday on ABC, David Axelrod was asked repeatedly about whether the President would veto any health reform bill that has a tax on people making — a tax increase on anybody making under $250,000 per year. So I want to give you a chance, as well. (Laughter.) Will the President veto — will the President veto any health bill that has a tax —
MR. GIBBS: We should get David down here. You know, here’s what — I think we get this question once a week, in some form or another. I think in many ways, Ed, what marks the difference between this health care effort and other health care efforts in the past is exactly what the President described — a very large table with people sitting at it, trying to solve a problem that we’ve been working on for 40 years.
The good news is we’re making significant progress, and all those people are still sitting at the table. We haven’t drawn a lot of bright lines. We understand there’s some flexibility on the part of Congress to work through some of these policy issues. And we’re going to allow that process to continue to make — that process to continue in order to make progress.
Q That may be true, but the President on the campaign said that — he made a flat pledge that he would not raise taxes on anybody making under $250,000. So is that pledge still operable?
MR. GIBBS: Well, again, I think in some ways your question is hypothetical because there are any number of different bills, different proposals. I think the President has outlined what he believes is the very best way to pay for health care.
Q It doesn’t have to be hypothetical. He made a pledge —
MR. GIBBS: I understand.
Q — he said, I am not going to raise taxes on anyone making under $250,000. Is that pledge still active?
MR. GIBBS: We are going to let the process work its way through.
Q So it’s not.
Q So it’s not.
Q So it’s not. (Laughter.)
MR. GIBBS: We’re going to let the process work its way through. All right?
You have that awfully perplexed look on your face, Mr. Garrett.
Q Well, what would be the reason for reversing among the most conspicuous, if not the most conspicuous, campaign promise that this candidate Obama repeated everywhere across the country?
MR. GIBBS: Well, I appreciate the indulgence to get into these hypothetical questions months before we’re likely to do that. It is rich to watch the fact that we’re making so little progress on health care reform that you’ve asked me if the President is going to sign the bill that’s not at his desk. Let’s —
Q We didn’t ask you about signing the bill —
MR. GIBBS: No, no —
Q And there’s nothing hypothetical about reaffirming a campaign promise.
MR. GIBBS: It is in the sense that we’re not facing any sort of decision on this. We’re letting Congress work many of these issues through. And we’re making progress.
Q But, historically, administrations that make such conspicuous promises tell Congress, you can do this, this, and this, but don’t go there because it’s not something we’re going to do.
MR. GIBBS: And I think the President in his principles and in the $948 billion to finance health care reform has laid out pretty clearly what his financing mechanism would be. Which —
Q Then why not take the opportunity provided by Ed to reassure the American public that the campaign promise still stands?
MR. GIBBS: — any increase in revenue would affect top wage-earners’ charitable deductions, returning them to the rates of the Regan administration.
