The Young Turks: Michael Shure- U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch- 'Poor People Don't Pay Enough Taxes'

Source:The Young Turks- U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah) talking about poor people not paying taxes.

"Republican Senator Orrin Hatch argued that top income earners pay too much in taxes while the bottom 51% of Americans don't pay enough. Michael Shure explains." 

From The Young Turks

Senator Orrin Hatch who by the way is the Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee (the lead minority member of that committee) So hopefully he has some idea of what he's talking about when it comes to taxes. (Perhaps vague, though) 

Apparently Senator Hatch came out on Thursday for tax hikes on low-income people. I don't know the Senator personally but known of him for about twenty years now, since the Clarence Thomas Senate Judiciary Committee hearings. Senator Hatch is still a member of that committee and has served as both Ranking Member and Chairman of that committee. He's been in the Senate so long that he's had both of those jobs twice. 

I don't know Senator Hatch personally, but what I've learned about him personally and politically, is that he's a very honest Conservative Republican. As a Liberal myself, you might be able to count on one hand and not need all five fingers, to count the number of things that we agree on. But what I've respected about him (and yes I mean that in past tense) is his honesty: you know where the Senator stands on all the issues. 

Senator Hatch has had sorta of a take it or leave it, this is who he is sort or  approach to politics. The same thing that Ted Kennedy had and why Conservative Republicans had so much respect for him. And the same thing can be said about Orrin Hatch with Liberal and left-wing Democrats. Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch are two of the most honest people to ever serve in the Senate as well as Congress as a whole. And one reason why I believe they were such close friends and worked so well together. 

So when Senator Hatch comes out for tax hikes for low-income people and protecting tax cuts for high- earners, when Senator Hatch who also supported the Earned Income Tax Credit in the past, a tax credit that I believe was created by President Reagan of all people, it tells me that Senator Hatch has more than fiscal policy on his mind but his political future as well. 

Senator Bob Bennet one of the most conservative members of Congress when he served, lost the Republican primary in Utah in 2010, which is why he's no longer in Congress, because he wasn't conservative enough and caught working with Liberal Democratic Senator Ron Wyden. That sounds simplistic, but thats most of the truth. 

There's talk that Senator Hatch who's up for reelection himself in 2012, will face a primary challenge from the Far-Right as well and we are talking about Utah. So thats about as conservative as conservative gets and I believe that Senator Hatch believes the best way of getting reelected to the Senate and going back to Congress, is to not face a primary challenge and win it if he gets one and look as far to the right as possible especially on fiscal policy. Even if that means taking positions he doesn't believe in and wouldn't take normally. 

I believe that Senator Hatch coming out for tax hikes on low-income people is pure politics and not leadership. One thing leadership is about taking positions that you believe in whether they are popular are not, because you believe in them and believe they are the right thing to do. Once a politician takes a position just for popular support, they are no longer a leader but a puppet for popular will.