Sunday, June 17, 2012
Mitt Romney still wouldn't raise a dollar in taxes for $10 in cuts
Posted by Mitch Perry on Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 1:33 PM
Many pundits postulated that once the general election campaign got underway, the GOP nominee would moderate that stance to woo independents.
Not Mitt Romney.
In his first non-Fox television Sunday morning appearance, Romney told CBS' Bob Schieffer on Face The Nation that "the only solution to taming an out-of-control spending government is to cut spending. And my policies reduce the rate of spending, bring government expenses from 25 percent, federal expenses, from 25 percent of the economy down to 20 percent and ignite growth of our economy."
Part of Romney's economic plan to raise revenue would be to limit tax deductions and exemptions. The CBS host asked, "When will you be able to tell us that?"
He didn't give any specifics, but said the that the top 1 percent, "or 2 percent, or half a percent, the people at the high end will still pay the same share of the tax burden they're paying now."
"I'm not looking for a tax break for the very wealthiest," he assured Schieffer, saying he wants to bring the tax rates down for everyone. "For me this is all about creating jobs."
On Friday Romney began his "Every Town Counts" bus tour that will take him through six swing states. He said that he's been hearing a lot of disappointment when he talks to regular folks about the state of the country, and lamented how divided it has become.
President Obama has admitted that he's been unsuccessful in uniting Washington. What could the challenger do in that regard, Schieffer asked the candidate?
Romney answered it the way he has generally run his 2011-2012 candidacy — by ignoring his four years in elective office as governor of Massachusetts, as well as the fact that he attempted to become a U.S. Senator eight years before he was elected to lead the Bay State. Instead, he boasted that he's not a political animal, just a businessman trying to fix the economy.
"I don't have a political career. I served as governor for four years. I've spent my life in the private sector. The private sector is where I've made my mark....I don't care about re-elections, I don't care about the partisanship that goes on. I want to get America right. We're at a critical crossroads right now....."
Schieffer seized on the part about re-elections, and asked if Romney was so non-political he would step down after just one term.
"Look, I'm going to do whatever I think is right to get America right. But for me this is not about politics," Romney responded. "We're getting very close to a dangerous cliff and we have got to pull back and we've got to work together."
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