Gov. Chris Christies thought he would get away with the socialism and double taxation trope. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp would have none of it.
Christie did not expect this from Heitkamp
The ThisWeek panel was discussing President Biden’s economic proposals. One of them is to tax capital gains of millionaires when people who work for a living are taxed, 39.6%. Governor Christie, a spokesman for the rich, decided to use the standard Republican modus operandi, misinform, lie, and project.
Christie claimed that doing that is tantamount to socialism because it is income redistribution. Why is he claiming that? Because he is simply lying, and Heidi Heitkamp called him out.
Heidi pointed out that capital gains had never been taxed before. It is income no different from a worker responsible for paying the working person’s taxes, unlike the preferential treatment of capital gains. What Christie is saying is tantamount to an employee getting a raise and saying they are not responsible for taxes on the raise because they already paid taxes on their previous wage level.
Let’s be clear. Christie committed all three of the standard techniques used by Republicans to confuse those who believe them, misinform, lie, and project. Christies socialism claim was nothing more than projection. A capital gains tax less than the working person’s tax is socialism, as Republicans define it, getting money for doing nothing. The lie is that the gains have already been taxed. And the misinformation is that most Americans’ retirements in the form of 401Ks etc., would be at risk. The reality is that most Americans are not invested in 401ks.
I am not a Heidi Heitkamp fan as I believe she is too moderate for the needs of America today. For her to come out as she did today illustrates how far to the right the center has moved.