◼ Obama’s Team Is Overconfident? Really? - John Hinderaker/PowerLine
◼ York: Obama team mocks, underestimates Romney - Byron York/Washington Examiner
(W)ith a president facing a still-suffering economy, a troubled war in Afghanistan, and a signature accomplishment -- Obamacare -- that might be declared unconstitutional, the experienced operatives at the Obama campaign have a lot of serious things to think about. For one thing, even though the president is well into his bid for re-election, he doesn't have much of an agenda for a second term.
Higher taxes? More green energy? Something on immigration? Obama has so little to talk about in terms of serious policy proposals that he and his Democratic allies are devoting a lot of energy to a new drive for the Buffett Rule, the proposal that taxpayers who make more than $1 million a year pay their "fair share" -- at least 30 percent -- in federal income taxes. It's not a terrible idea, and the world wouldn't end if it were enacted. It's just not very significant. A recent study by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation estimated the Buffett Rule would raise about $47 billion in new revenues over the next decade. That's less than $5 billion a year -- not much when the annual federal budget deficit is $1 trillion. Basing an economic proposal on the Buffett Rule just isn't serious, but at least it's not car elevators and dog stories.
The Romney campaign is fully aware of the derision directed at Romney by the Obama camp. They don't know what the president himself thinks, but they certainly believe the Obama campaign has no real respect for Romney, either as a politician or a man. But they're not particularly troubled by it, because they suspect the end result will be that the Obama campaign will habitually underestimate Romney. When you're running for office, it's almost never a bad thing to be underestimated by your opponent.
