Gerson: Liberals Are Huge Tax Cutters

Gerson's column this morning is titled, "Health Insurance For All: How the GOP Can Frame the Issue."

Look, Mike: people don't give a flip if you can frame the issue, if McCain's health insurance plan doesn't actually work for the people who'd actually need health insurance the most. And Ezra's long since said all that needs to be said about that.

But Mike, you said something else that got me thinking: "Obama breathlessly reveals that the McCain credit "wouldn't go to you. It would go directly to your insurance company." Since the credit is intended for the purchase of health insurance, where else should it eventually go?"

Let's say I currently pay $12,000 in Federal taxes. Under McCain's plan, I get a $5,000 "tax credit." How much do I pay under his plan? $12,000. It just goes somewhere specific now - it goes to pay for my health insurance. (Which is what that money's already effectively doing, since I'm insured through my employer.) How's that a "tax credit," Mike?

By this standard, any government spending is a "tax credit." "Hey, we're giving you a $400 tax credit, and spending it on Interstate highways for you!" "We're giving you a 6.2% payroll tax cut, and putting it into Social Security for you!" "We're giving you a $2300 tax credit, and using it to buy you a piece of the Wall Street bailout!"

Yeah, Mike, I'm sure that's what most people mean by a "tax credit."

Ain't enough rolleyes for stuff like this.