Boehner comes out against higher tax rates for wealthy: 'It is as simple as that'

Democrats can bring a tear into John Boehner's eye starting Dec. 31 Yesterday, John Boehner delivered a speech designed to make it seem as though Republicans were willing to negotiate on taxes. If you actually paid attention to his words, it's clear he was blowing smoke, a fact that he made clear Thursday afternoon in an interview with USA Today's Susan Davis:

4:39PM EST November 8. 2012 - WASHINGTON ' Read John Boehner's lips: No new taxes.

President Obama, Senate Democrats and a majority of the American people may say the wealthiest Americans need to pay more taxes, but the House speaker is standing his ground in opposition to raising rates.

"Raising taxes on small businesses will kill jobs in America. It is as simple as that," Boehner said today in a wide-ranging interview with USA TODAY in which he repeatedly spoke of finding "common ground" with Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Despite ruling out raising taxes, Boehner said he was "willing to put revenue on the table." But that's the same doublespeak that he delivered yesterday when he said tax reform would increase revenue by encouraging faster economic growth'not by increasing the effective tax rate. The notion that we can raise revenue while reducing the effective tax rate at a time when tax rates are at historic lows is nothing but supply-side mumbo-jumbo.

Tax reform may have value if it is done right, but there's no way we're going to accomplish tax reform by the end of this year. Boehner recognizes that'what he's trying to do is convince Democrats that they should renew the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy that expire on December 31. But if Democrats meant what they said about ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, extending them is the last thing they should do, no matter how reasonable John Boehner may pretend to be.