Well, I consider myself a fiscal conservative but a social libertarian as well, and the fact of the matter is that this economy is actually up 26% since the start of the Obama presidency. This despite just a 39% approval rating of his handling of the economy.
Why team Obama is not choosing to run on this is beyond me, but I think it has something to do with what some members of this board have noted as Obama's tendancy to stay in 'campaign mode'. Of course, the Obamaites also spent $850 billion to create 3 million jobs (roughly $300,000 per job) and that's not helping anyone. But he still has plenty of time to get the jobs market turned around and if he does, even if it's not exactly what conservatives want, I'd still vote for him b/c I know he's going to install more social legislation than any conservative will.
Obama's tax cut proposals are getting very little talk this week as well, and I think he's proposing them simply so conservatives will shut the hell up for a while. But don't forget that WALL STREET voted for this president in majority accepting the fact the economy needed more 'Keynesian' ideas and less pure free market economics. The left will say the policies are not Keynesian enough as they are hindered by right wing opposition, and the right alternatively says they're entirely too Keynesian, but that's all typical political fodder.
But anyone who says this President is too liberal in terms of fiscal policy should remember the old Warren Buffett adage, who always claimed that his secretary paid a higher percentage of her income in taxes than he did. And it's true, despite the accusations of Socialism that have been hurled at this administration the fact remains that Obama has not taken steps to abolish the estate tax (though it was in his right to do so), mutual fund fees remain untaxed for traders (big $$$ for Wall Street), and yes; the simple fact of the matter is that secretaries are often taxed at higher rates than their millionaire bosses!
But why would Obama raise taxes on the rich?! He is RICH! It's like basketball 'great' Charles Barkley said to his grandmother, who was upset at the fact that Chuck voted for Bush Sr. back in the day. To which Barkley replied: Grandma, of course I'm a Republican, I'm rich!
Tonight on The Kudlow Report they posed the question:"Is it fair for the guy making 40,000 a year to pay the same percentage in income tax as the guy making $400,000 year!?" I just don't know.