Making Work Pay

What a surprise. When things go bad for Americans who've been trained by liberalism to buy things they don't need with money they don't have, it is WORK that is to blame.

A middle-class tax cut will be one of President-elect Obama’s first proposals after he takes the oath of office, incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said Sunday.

In the first interview by the first appointee to the new administration, Emanuel told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” that Obama’s economic plan “at this juncture is based on giving 95 percent of working Americans a tax cut....” During the campaign, Obama promised a $1,000 “Making Work Pay” tax credit.

As government gets more civilized (liberal), it gets more expensive. As education gets distracted by celebrations of diversity, it teaches less and it costs more. As health care has been more regulated, it's gotten more expensive.

“Over the years, the middle class has been squeezed consistently by rising costs on education, health care and energy, as well as a diminishing income,” Emanuel said. “You must have an economic program that focuses on them. … It was built on the fact that the middle had been hurt. And to have a strong recovery, and a sustained recovery over a period of time means that the middle class must the focus of the economic strategy.”

Emanuel’s chief message for the day: “We have a huge economic crisis here at home that is looming large. That is going to be the focus of his policies. … The business of what we have to do when we get sworn in is focusing on what the American people care about. Priority 1 is the economy.”

Despite his discomfort with direct answers, Emanuel got the point across - for work to pay, handouts are needed.

“Middle class families will see their taxes cut – and no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase,” the campaign said. “For 95 percent of workers and their families—150 million workers overall—the ‘Making Work Pay’ credit will provide a refundable tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couple.”

Rahm Choice

Jake Tapper asks about the potential repercussions from the Rahm Emanuel appointment.

Will the Arab World Take Issue With Rahm's Israeli Roots and Pro-Israel Views?

Israeli newspapers are already rejoicing about President-elect Obama's selection of Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., to be his White House chief of staff.

As the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz notes, Emanuel "is the son of a Jerusalem-born pediatrician who was a member of the Irgun (Etzel or IZL), a militant Zionist group that operated in Palestine between 1931 and 1948." Emanuel's father told the newspaper that his son was named after a fallen combatant named Rahamim.

In the Israel newspaper Ma'ariv, Emanuel's father, Dr. Benjamin Emanuel said, "Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House."

Rahm Emanuel headed Bill Clinton's finance committee during the Arkansas governor's first presidential run, but he left to be a civilian volunteer for the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War. He rust-proofed brakes in one of Israel's northern bases.

Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifadah seems upset at Obama's selection of a "pro-Israel hardliner."

"There could not be a more provocative appointment than Rahm Emanuel, if he wanted to send a signal that he is going to stick by a quite hard-line pro-Israel policy," Abunimah said on Democracy Now.

Abunimah pointed out that Emanuel's middle name is "Israel," and described Emanuel's father as "a gun runner for the Irgun, the Zionist, pre-Israel Zionist, militia that carried out numerous terrorist attacks on Palestinian civilians, including the bombing of the King David Hotel. Of course, Rahm Emanuel himself is not responsible for any of that, but his record is sometimes far to the right of President Bush when it comes to supporting Israel."

In the coming hours we'll see what the reaction is from the Arab media.

Rahm

Barack's first choice.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama chose Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanual to be his White House chief of staff, his first selection for the new administration, Democratic officials said Wednesday.

From Rolling Stone:

It’s essential to note that Rahm and David Axelrod are also closest friends — speaking on the phone several times a day in a “sounding board” capacity, as Emanuel told me earlier in this cycle. With his bosom buddy as Obama’s gatekeeper, Axelrod may be able to enjoy his campaign haul basking on the shores on Lake Michigan.

Open question: What cut of $700 million did Axelrod & Co. take home? Hard to argue they didn’t earn the cut — whatever it is — but the figure could well be obscene.