Desperately seeking millionaire ‘ job creator’

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Remember back when Republicans began their assault on the ineritance tax years ago? GOP wordsmith Frank Luntz renamed the inheritance tax the "death tax" and Republicans proclaimed that family farmers would lose their farms if the "death tax" was not reduced or repealed. Just one problem: when put to the test, Republicans could not produce a single family farmer who had lost a farm due to the inheritance tax. This family farmer was an invention of myth and legend.

Oops! He did it again. Frank Luntz renamed the vulture capitalist investor class "small business job creators" and Tea-Publicans proclaimed that raising taxes on the über-rich investor class will be a job killer for "small business job creators." Just one problem: when put to the test, Tea-Publicans have been unable to produce a single millionaire "small business job creator" invented from myth and legend.Failing a put-up-or-shut-up challenge:

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) argued this week that “it’s just intuitive” that many small-business owners, who report company profits on their individual taxes, would hire fewer workers after getting “hit with a tax increase.”

This gave NPR a good idea: maybe the public should hear from some of these small-business owners. (thanks to D.M. for the tip)

We wanted to talk to business owners who would be affected. So, NPR requested help from numerous Republican congressional offices, including House and Senate leadership. They were unable to produce a single millionaire job creator for us to interview.

So we went to the business groups that have been lobbying against the surtax. Again, three days after putting in a request, none of them was able to find someone for us to talk to.

When NPR put out the same challenge on Facebook, and it only heard from small-business owners who said the opposite of what Republicans are saying.

When asked for an explanation, Thune told NPR “most small-business owners who are out there right now” agree with the Republican argument.

Fine. Name one.

It’s such a simple challenge. If Republicans are right, the examples to bolster their point should be practically everywhere. So why would they struggle to offer a single example? Because the GOP talking points only work when there’s no scrutiny.

For the record, the Republican claim about small businesses and the millionaires’ surtax has already been debunked. Indeed, the irony of the larger argument is that if the GOP blocks an extension of the payroll tax break, Republicans will be increasing taxes on small businesses.

Frank Luntz and Tea-Publicans are only get away with this crap because of the lazy corporate news media that is all too willing to serve as stenographers for the GOP talking points.