Obama Spokestool Jay Carney Has Another Bad Day At The Office

First, Jake Tapper asks Carney, how is not taking more money from people in taxes "a give away".

TAPPER: You used the word “giveaway,” and President Obama, in his statement yesterday, used the word “giveaway,” referring to the extension of the Bush — lower — the lower Bush tax cut rates for the — I guess, the top 1 or 2 percent of the country, people making over $200,000 a year or couples making 250. What do you say to a small-business owner who says, that’s not a giveaway; that’s my money, and by the way, I’m going to need some of that money in order to help pay for health care of individuals that I’m now mandated to do; it’s not giving anything away; it’s allowing me to keep my money?

CARNEY: Well, the phrasing of the question leaves out a few things, which is, one, this tax cut that the Senate passed and that the president supports would go to 97 percent of small businesses in America, 97 percent. Further, this president has cut the taxes of small businesses in America 18 times, independent of this. So he’s — his focus on assisting small businesses, which he considers the engine of economic growth in this country, the engine of job creation in this country, has been intense and will continue to be.

TAPPER: Yes, I left out people I wasn’t talking about.

...

TAPPER: I’m not — the question is this: Why is it a “giveaway”? Why are you guys using — you and President Obama — using the term “giveaway” when even if you support the Senate Democrats’ bill, it’s not technically a giveaway; it is allowing people to keep the tax cut that they got in 2001 and 2002?

CARNEY: Right, but these are tax cuts that we cannot afford, that do not, by — as — by the estimates of credible, independent economists do not measurably help the economy and do not — in the way that tax cuts to working and middle-class Americans help the economy.

And you know, we have to make choices. And it is a — it is a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans that we simply can’t afford.

There's more at the link but that's pretty awesome.

Carney also got tripped up on a very difficult question, "Is Jerusalem the capital of Israel". If you watch the video you can see "reporters" laughing at the question since it was meant to make Carney look stupid. Fortunately he was obliging.

If as Carney says everyone knows the administration's position and it's not changed, why didn't he just reiterate it?

For the record, according to the CIA World Factbook, the capital of Israel is wait for it....Jerusalem.

The level of incompetence in this White House is amazing.

posted by DrewM. at 04:12 PM

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