Taxes Flambé

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“Last night’s dinner with President Obama and my Republican colleagues was productive and substantive. I hope it will serve as the beginning of a new, long-overdue paradigm where people in elected office actually begin talking to each other about meaningful issues. The discussions with the President about our long-term budget problems were candid and differences in philosophy were apparent.

“However, also apparent was common ground on how to move forward. One thing I am certain of—the perpetual campaign will not solve the nation’s problems. Finally, I shared with my colleagues there is no dishonor in trying and failing to solve big problems. The long-term budgetary problems we discussed last night have defied bipartisan solutions for far too long. I’m ready to try to solve the serious, long-term budget problems our country faces and can accept failure as an outcome. But I cannot accept not trying.”

* * *

That is the full statement of Senator Graham on the dinner that he and the Republican leaders had with President Obama at the Hotel Jefferson. Translated into plain English, it says that Mr. Graham and his colleagues — Senators Coburn, McCain, Ayotte, Toomey, Corker, Ron Johnson, Chambliss, Hoeven, Coats, Burr and Johanns — are preparing to raise taxes.

Translating your typical senator is a tricky business, and we weren’t at the dinner where taxes were talked about. The words “productive and substantive” don’t always mean tax increases. But they usually do — and coupled with the phrase “new, long-overdue paradigm” and the phrase “meaningful issues,” their connotation becomes unavoidable.

If it weren’t clear, though, feature phrase “long-term budget problems.” In Senate-speak, the plain meaning of that phrase is “the need for more taxes.” It is, of course, a different language than non-senators speak. When a non-senator says “long-term budget problems,” he means that “spending is too high.” But there is no direct translation of that phrase in the language of the Senate.

Note, moreover, the use of the phrase “common ground.” This is a relatively arcane usage for a Senator, but in the language of the Senate, it’s a reference to raising taxes. So is the phrase “move forward.” No Senator has ever used the phrase “move forward” or “common ground” to refer to spending cuts.

If you doubt this, mark the phrase “perpetual campaign.” What is the meaning of “perpetual campaign”? It means “calling for cuts in taxes and spending.” This is what campaigns do. So when Senator Graham says he is certain that “perpetual change will not solve the nation’s problems” what he means in Senate-speak is that calling for tax and spending cuts won’t help.

This is what Senator Graham was underscoring when he said that he shared with his colleagues the idea that there is “no dishonor in trying and failing to solve big problems.” After all, they have spent the past four years trying and failing to win tax cuts only to have their head handed to them by the Democratic majority in the Senate.

So what Mr. Graham is really saying here — as he washed down his squab with a few swigs of Pouilly-Fuissé — is that he and his colleagues are ready to give the president his tax increases. Then he came back to that phrase “long term budget problems,” which (always remember this point) in the language of the Senate refers to the “need for tax increases.”

The clincher is where Senator Graham announces that he is “ready to try to solve the serious, long-term budget problems.” That phrase “ready to try” is classical Senate language for “ready to tax.” When he says he “can accept failure as an outcome,” what he’s doing in Senate-speak is admitting he might be blocked by the Republican senators who weren’t at the dinner with the President. But when he says he’s cannot accept not trying, he means he cannot accept not raising taxes. It’s just the plain language of the Senate.


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