Those Evil Right-Wing Pundits

The New York Times is griping that nefarious right wing pundits are pushing policies through the administration. Discussing the administration's new tax cuts and especially the proposed cut on dividends derived from stocks, Elisabeth Bumiller credits Lawrence Kudlow, former Reagan economic hand and current host of Kudlow and Cramer on CNBC, with pounding the dividend idea home over the summer on his show which is popular among the White House staff.

Bumiller admits that the idea to eliminate double taxation of dividends is as old as the first Reagan administration and that Charles Schwab put the idea directly into the current president's head at the economic summit in Waco over the summer. But it was supposedly Kudlow's banging the table all summer that clinched it. What Bumiller neglects to say, however, is that James Cramer, Kudlow's co-host and Democrat counterpart, pounded the table just as hard and questioned repeatedly the wisdom of his own party for generally not supporting middle class Americans, many of whom are stock-holders. So frustrated was the frenetic Cramer on one occassion that he blurted, "Get me out of this party!"

Did Bumiller miss that edition?

In a brilliant piece today in the Times -- one that Bumiller (not to mention the Times' editorial board) would do well to ponder, David Brooks discusses why ordinary Americans have never met a tax cut they didn't like, even if it seems to benefit the rich more directly.

Americans vote their aspirations; they think they're already rich or on their way to becoming rich. You're not poor in America; you're just "pre-rich." The Democrats must realize that in America you can't run against the rich, you can't be pessimistic, you must be pro-growth, and you can't imply that we are permanently and tragically divided by wealth. This was the crucial piece of wisdom digested by Bill Clinton.

Brooks's piece is so good that I'm almost sorry he wrote it because it spells out in the clearest terms what is wrong with the Democrats and affords them an opportunity for self-knowledge. Perhaps, in the midst of slamming Kudlow for his influence, Bumiller should credit Brooks for providing the Democrats with some free advice. Ah well, they probably won't pay attention anyway.