Look Who Runs the Republican Party

Floor Speech

Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, we've heard endless braying from the Republicans time after time, demanding an extension of tax cuts for the rich in this country. They tell us that extending the tax cuts for the rich will somehow create jobs when we've had these tax cuts for the rich for 9 years, and I haven't noticed a whole lot of jobs being created in the last 9 years. They tell us it will dramatically boost the economy. I haven't noticed that happening for the last 9 years either.

So you really have to wonder why they persist in this mania, this obsession of theirs that we need to have more tax cuts for the rich when the economy is flat on its back and unemployment is almost 10 percent.

I think I have the answer. The answer turns out to be very simple. They want a tax cut for the rich because they want a tax cut for themselves.

What do I mean by that? Well, let's take a look at the people who are really in charge, the ones who actually run the Republican Party.

Let's start with this gentleman here, the man with the cigar, Rush Limbaugh. Doesn't he look happy?

According to Newsweek, he makes $58.7 million a year, and extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich will mean that he'll have another $2.7 million. Mega dittos, Rush, and mega money.

Let's look at the next one.

Here's Glenn Beck. According to Newsweek, Glenn Beck makes $33 million a year as a pundit, and extending the Bush tax cuts means a cool $1.5 million for Glenn Beck's ongoing, night-by-night imitation of Howard Beale from ``Network.''

Now let's take a look at the next one.

Sean Hannity. Newsweek says that Sean Hannity, this man of the people, makes $22 million a year from his act on Fox, and that means that the Bush tax cuts mean an extra $1 million for Sean Hannity. Maybe he can go now and afford some anger management classes.

Let's take a look at the next one.

Bill O'Reilly. He makes a modest $20 million a year from his gig on Fox. And that means that the Bush tax cuts give him not quite seven figures, merely $914,000 a year of extra cash. It's easy to see why Bill O'Reilly wants to see the Bush tax cuts extended. And I have to say he's no Pinhead when it comes to that.

And now Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin has made $14 million this year from cashing in on her fame. In fact, she has done a better job of turning fame into cash than anyone in American history, $14 million. She wants the Bush tax cuts extended so she can make an extra cool $638,000.

And now on to Newt Gingrich, the man who did such a great job in running America back in the 1990s that he wants a second chance in this decade. Newt, if you do to us now what you did to us then, we're going to be in big trouble. But Newt Gingrich makes $5 million a year from his punditry, which means he'll get an extra quarter million dollars a year from the Bush tax cuts being extended.

And now let's go on to the Big Cheese, George W. Bush, himself, the man who got us into two endless wars, the man who brought us to the brink of national bankruptcy, the man who gave us $4-a-gallon gasoline.

George W. Bush makes a cool $4.2 million a year, according to Newsweek. That means that extending the Bush tax cuts for George Bush means an extra $187,000 in his pocket every single year.

I have a better idea. Instead of placating these people and letting them spew out onto the airwaves their lies about the Bush tax cuts without ever revealing the fact that they stand to gain millions, millions of dollars each year from their selfish desire to take advantage of the rest of America, let's do this: let's take that money and create jobs. All that money that the Bush tax cuts are charging us, that could create jobs for 3 million Americans a year. A $30,000 job, a fair wage for fair work, a dignified wage for dignified work, and a way to revive our economy in America.

I think that's a better idea than stuffing even more money into the pockets of the rich. Because the problem in America today is not that the poor have too much money. That's not the problem at all. It's that they need jobs.

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