Grand Bargain

Obama Offers to Cut Corporate Tax Rate as Part of Jobs Deal:

President Obama, seeking to break a stalemate with Republicans, announced [in Chattanooga, Tennessee] Tuesday that he would cut corporate tax rates in return for a pledge from Republicans to invest in more programs to generate middle-class jobs.

Using a sea of cardboard boxes in a cavernous Amazon distribution center as a backdrop, Mr. Obama described a "grand bargain" for the middle class that he said would stimulate the economy while giving businesses the lower tax rates they have long sought.

"If folks in Washington really want a 'grand bargain,' how about a grand bargain for middle-class jobs?" Mr. Obama said to a crowd of 2,000. "If we're going to give businesses a better deal," he added later, "we're going to give workers a better deal, too."

How about we not cut taxes at all when we need lots of revenue to generate lots of jobs? Oh, right. Because the Republican Party is holding the entire nation hostage on behalf of corporations who don't want to fund infrastructure and social safety in the nation whose people they're exploiting.

Also: As Susie observes over at C&L: "It's great that Obama continues to call for jobs, but why is he speaking about middle-class jobs at a facility that uses mostly temps, and is known for bad working conditions?"

Whoops.