Jon Stewart Mocks GOP Claims That Obama 'Obsessed' With Taxing 'Job Creators' (VIDEO)

On Monday night's "Daily Show" Jon Stewart continued to address the looming national debt ceiling decision, this time taking on two of the GOP's new favorite phrases to use in debate.

First, many a TV talking head has said that President Obama is "obsessed" with taxes as the only solution to our mounting debt. "They think he's crazy!" Stewart concluded, finding that to be the only way to explain why Republicans won't work with Obama.

While it's true that Obama wants to end the Bush tax cuts for people making $200,000 a year or more to increase revenue, many people in this country would consider a person with that income to be "rich." So how is the GOP fighting this notion? Stewart noticed that they've actually been restricting themselves from using the word "rich" when talking about those affected by the end of the Bush tax cuts, opting instead for the term "job creators."

"You can't even use the word rich, you have to say 'This chocolate cake is so moist and job creator," Stewart joked.

Concluding that the country' budget debate is still in its "cynical strategy phase," Stewart noted that this can go on as long as the public doesn't demand action. He then presents a slew of clips showing how Fox News has portrayed the public opinion on the matter with baffling statistics and contradicting reports, making it seem like Americans have no idea what to do about our debt.

WATCH:

International users click here to watch on "The Daily Show" website

Comments

[lovelilgeo]

02:23 PM on 07/21/2011

So someone is paying $100,000 in taxes - tell me, is that over 30% of their income, like I pay? Stop telling me how much in dollars the rich pay - tell me what percentage of of their income they pay.

[Angie Tyne 1]

04:39 PM on 07/21/2011

http://ntu.org/tax-basics/history-of-federal-individual-1.html

[audiobychrism]

02:13 PM on 07/21/2011

Job creators they are NOT. We all just sat through the past decades watching all our American jobs being shipped overseas. Those in charge of our Corporations have only Re-Imagined a few jobs to employ for less pay.

America used to strive to bring the world up to join us in Living the American Dream, but instead Corporate America has created the American Nightmare and left us all holding the debt and now closer to being a Second World Country. Hell, we're only floating along on other countries money these days....

Taxes = necessary evil
Spending Cuts = necessary necessity
Balancing The Budget and getting out of Debt = simply logically necessary
Electing and ReElecting Talking Heads and Arguing Idiots = American Idiocy.

[heavenlyfoodsgc]

10:40 AM on 07/21/2011

And the Liberals keep drinking the Kool Aid that Obama and the rest of the communists are feeding them. What a joke!

[Dodsworth Fandango]

03:00 AM on 07/22/2011

Keep talking, someday you’ll say something intelligent.

[heavenlyfoodsgc]

09:34 AM on 07/25/2011

Dodsworth this is your best reply! Just another typical liberal that believes in freedom of speech as long as they are the only ones speaking.

[lateralus1983]

03:49 AM on 07/25/2011

You clearly have no idea what a communist is.

[heavenlyfoodsgc]

09:35 AM on 07/25/2011

I have been to Russia have you? If not then perhaps you have no idea!

[kenny says]

01:43 AM on 07/21/2011

john stewart is stupid and says anything for comedy without thinking or seeing

[TheseColorsDontRun]

12:20 AM on 07/22/2011

Come on Kenny. Can't your Mom be one of your fans at least? I mean, even she can tell you have your head up your arzzzz but maybe she can overlook it.

[kenny says]

01:27 AM on 07/22/2011

ooooooh ouch Ive been severely bittin by blind liberal Obama fantasizing fool !!

[YellowDogOkie]

12:23 PM on 07/23/2011

The last time I checked, it was a COMEDY program.....

[oilfield]

06:37 PM on 07/20/2011

top 2% paying 100k plus in taxes.....not paying fair share
bottom making 20k getting back more than they pay ......fair and getting robbed from the rich

how does this work?

[Michael Allen Powers]

12:21 AM on 07/21/2011

Conservatives do math like they do history.

[heavenlyfoodsgc]

10:46 AM on 07/21/2011

At least conservatives know the countries history!

[TheseColorsDontRun]

12:20 AM on 07/22/2011

History is easy when the planet is only 4,500 years old.

[ebranson]

01:34 AM on 07/21/2011

The top 2% are getting way more than 100k's worth of benefits from our society. The bottom making 20k are not even getting enough to clothe, feed and shelter themselves. That's how it works.

[oilfield]

10:22 AM on 07/21/2011

its not supposed to work that way.
person a works for ibm and lives in a house and drives to work everyday and makes 700k a year in his local office.
person b works at the plant and makes 20k a year sweeping floors.
what benefits does a get that arent available or used by b?

[Jean Michel LeTennier]

05:43 PM on 07/20/2011

Whether one wants to argue over this or not , the Numbers don't lie, Since REAGAN, Taxes on the rich have been cut in half or more.. Strangely so has the NUMBER OF JOBS... SO , I dont see where they get away with being call JOB CREATORS?

[oilfield]

06:29 PM on 07/20/2011

less taxes = less jobs? nothing else could be a variable in the equation?

[ebranson]

01:37 AM on 07/21/2011

There are plenty of variables, but just about anyone with a proper understanding of macroeconomics knows that cutting taxes and gov't spending during a recession is NOT a good way to create jobs.

[Freedland]

05:26 PM on 07/20/2011

Luntz is at it again. Just like the "death tax" was a brilliant restatement of the estate tax but more deadly (no pun intended) and threatening. As a result of the current tax/deficit/budget debates, it is amazing that the estate tax, which now has a five million dollar per spouse exemption, is not even being discussed. The effect is to eliminate the estate tax for the vast majority of estates and only those in excess of ten million dollars if there are two spouses. Even with one spouse, insurance can be structured to avoid almost all estate taxes. Where did the estate tax go while no one is looking? Could it be that Obama has lowered the estate tax while no one is looking. The Republicans make no mention of the estate/death tax which is interesting since it has all but disappeared.

[Whoozthaboss]

05:25 PM on 07/20/2011

This needs to go viral. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muo3x7ANq3w

[crowepps]

02:13 PM on 07/21/2011

Thanks for the link - powerful

[Whoozthaboss]

02:23 PM on 07/21/2011

thank u i really appreciate it

[Whoozthaboss]

02:24 PM on 07/21/2011

please feel free to share it, I'd love to get my message out to as many ppl as possible

[moonglowsun]

12:39 PM on 07/20/2011

Got to love..love..love Jon Stewart for cutting to the heart of Fox News BS.

[heavenlyfoodsgc]

11:26 AM on 07/21/2011

Media clowns like Stewart are just shills for the Liberal Communists in this country that are currently running the show.

[TheseColorsDontRun]

12:22 AM on 07/22/2011

And you're a chump for pimping for the very people who Stewart is calling out: yes, the people who have either fired your parents due to "rightsizing" or will soon fire you. You know, the "job creators" who are shipping jobs overseas and putting the extra profit in their pocket while chump foooolllzzzz like you defend them.

[YellowDogOkie]

12:25 PM on 07/23/2011

Well...it is a COMEDY show, after all.

[TheGigaShadow]

12:34 PM on 07/20/2011

Job creators? Seriously?

I know the republicans count on their rube base being uninformed and uneducated but do people actually fall for this? It really is hard to believe.

[Linda McAteer]

03:51 PM on 07/20/2011

George Bush put them up to it.

[TheseColorsDontRun]

12:09 AM on 07/22/2011

Do you have any relatives in any of the places that Sarah Palin would call "Real America"? If so, and if they use email, ask them what they think about taxing the upper tax bracket an extra 2%. When somewhere in their answer is a reference to "we can't tax the job creators", you'll have the answer to your question.

And then ask them about the "estate tax". They'll have no idea what you're talking about. Tell them you mean the "death tax" and they'll say "oh yeah, that's terrible."

George Orwell wasn't so far off after all: he just forgot to name his lead characters after the crew on Fox & Friends.

[mivogo]

11:37 AM on 07/20/2011

What a great new word game:
"They're not filthy rich, they're job creators."
See? When you reframe it, don't you feel better about them (even if it's total BS)?

Got it? OK, let's try it with other, more notorious groups:

They're not drug addicts, they're job creators!
They're not an mobsters, they're job creators!
They're not Nazis, they're job creators!

Wow, works every time!

www.newyorkgritty.net

[Linda McAteer]

03:53 PM on 07/20/2011

Great logic!

[markd2222]

04:59 PM on 07/20/2011

You seem to have a pretty good handle on who job creators are not.. Would you like to tell us who they are? I'd sure like to know. And I'm sure the Obama administration could use your help too. Because they seem to be absolutely clueless.

[JasonJM]

11:25 AM on 07/20/2011

The OECD Says the United States Has the Most Progressive Tax System
The US charges it's top 10% of earners more than ANY other country.
That is adjusted for total income compared to the countries GDP.

If they already pay the the most of any top 10% in ANY country and the bottom 50% pay NO federal taxes what is fair?

What is enough?

http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/23856.html

[gilbskg]

12:25 PM on 07/20/2011

Because they hold 85-90% of the country's wealth.

And I would suggest the bottom % that "pay NO federal taxes" would love to exchange poverty for a decent job and the ability to pay taxes.

[cloud9buddha]

02:47 PM on 07/20/2011

@Gilbskg That is a pretty stupid reason as to why they should pay more. They earned it why should they be punished for it? As far as the bottom would love to change places... all they have to do is stop sucking on the Governments nip ple and get off their butt. Heck, Here in Jersey there are 5 job openings for a septic clean out company, but do you expect the "bottom" to take those jobs, when it might be equal to what they get in Gov. aid? Their thought process is why work when I can sit on my butt and collect the same amount.

Although, I believe that there is NO LAW that says you have to pay personal income tax on labor, If the Gov is going to tax people it should be a flat tax. This way it is fair to everyone and EVERYONE would then contribute something.

[oilfield]

06:35 PM on 07/20/2011

so someone that makes 50k a year and buys a new car every 3 years and has an overpriced house that will never accumulate any wealth doesnt have enough to appear on the wealth radar? maybe our president and our government should tell americans to save instead of spend to help the economy.

[oilfield]

06:31 PM on 07/20/2011

nicely stated...getting some of the money is better than getting none of it if they move to Monaco.

[JasonJM]

11:20 AM on 07/20/2011

%T Tax Income+ %Income
Top 1% 38.02% $380,354 23.27%
Top 5% 58.72% $159,619 20.70%
Top 25% 86.34% $67,280 15.68%
Top 50% 97.30% >$33,048 13.65%
Bottom 50%- 2.59%
IRS 2008
Top 1% pay the highest amount and %.
Capital Gains included.

[PeaceLuvJoy]

11:25 AM on 07/20/2011

Sing it brother, I don't think this can be repeated enough to the 'make them pay their fair share' crowd

[Aimleft]

01:26 PM on 07/20/2011

He can sing it till the cows come home.. Bottom line is, the rich are screwing you and me alike, with the Republicanss moving things right along. And the country's in the shape it's in because of the huge numbers of truly sad cases - those who vote against their own interests out of sheer ignorance and because Fox and Glenn and Rush tell them to. And you guys are proud of yourselves. Wow.

[oilfield]

12:57 AM on 07/21/2011

i am a top 5% er.....it gets old hearing about the class warfare....for all practical purposes the top 25% at 86% pay most of americas bill....so 75% pay very little and get a free ride ...

[ebranson]

01:56 AM on 07/21/2011

I'm a "top 5% er" too! fun! Guess what?? It was easy to get to the top 5%. I didn't earn it through years of struggle and working my fingers to the bone. I get here by being born in the right social group, the right race, the right part of town... finish high school, go to college...finish college, get a comfy job...flake out for a while...hey! they saved a comfy job for me! go to grad school...a comfier job!
And I know a lot of people who enjoy the same easy time I enjoy but want to fool themselves and others into believing they "deserve" their advantaged position, so they can greedily suck more out of the minimum wage workers who actually are doing the hard work of this country.

[Oginikwe]

10:58 AM on 07/20/2011

This how corporate American works:

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2008/03/06/top_iraq_contractor_skirts_us_taxes_offshore/?page=full

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/10/7576

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/07/halliburton-continues-to-flood-lawm.html
Inserted from

[den1953]

10:40 AM on 07/20/2011

The only jobs the wealthy create is tax attorneys and Wall Street brokers...........

[markd2222]

05:18 PM on 07/20/2011

That's just about as absurd a thing as you possibly say. Every corporation in American is run people largely included in the dem's definition of rich. And they almost certainly create more employment than you purport. The lie is in LIbEral.

[FGDinVA]

09:09 PM on 07/20/2011

And you can't have a conservative without a CON.

[ebranson]

01:58 AM on 07/21/2011

It's absolute nonsense that corporations for the most part "create" jobs. They just organize them and take a hefty fee for doing so.

[econ1]

07:45 PM on 07/20/2011

Actually the tax code creates tax attorneys. If you reduced the tax rates and eliminated all deductions and credits (don't worry this will never happen...but bear with me) then had say three rates (don't hold me to the numbers...as I said this will never happen) of 5%, 15% and 25% it could raise the same amount of money and save some of the estimated 6 billion hours (yep...totally non-productive time contributing nothing to the national wealth) spent complying with the tax code. It would also...eliminate tax attorneys.

[den1953]

10:35 AM on 07/21/2011

That would be the idea behind the new tax system by having a consumption tax in place there would be no need for tax attorney's, or the over bloated IRS and it would end endless paperwork while eliminating class warfare. The need for lobbyists in Washington to stump for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate loopholes, with that eliminate corporate taxes to and that would spur growth in the business world ,which would hire new employees!