Obama's Buffett Rule Balancing Act
As Democrats feud over how to sell tax hikes, Obama has to pick sides
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Four years ago, the country was falling to pieces, and Democrats were, electorally speaking, thrilled about it. For many, winning was as easy as not being associated with a deeply unpopular president, George W. Bush, and his party.
Today, the economy has only marginally improved, and now it’s the Democrats who will be held culpable. If voters base their decision on the proverbial question—“Am I better off than I was four years ago?”—President Obama might not win another term. The central question for his campaign, and his party, is, What should they talk about instead? In recent weeks, they seem to have settled on an answer: Taxing the rich.