Key senator straddles fence on margins tax

by Jon Ralston Mon, 07/29/2013 - 14:29

In my quixotic quest to pin down Democratic lawmakers on the margins tax they ignored during Session '13, my latest challenge was Justin Jones, whose Senate seat may hold the key to upper house control.

When I first ran into Jones last week, he told me he had to talk to some people before giving me his position on The Education Initiative. I finally got it, and it was not worth waiting for:

"While I fundamentally disagree with tax policy being decided at the ballot box, I do agree that changes need to be made to our tax structure so that education is fully funded. I am hopeful that discussions about TEI will bring people to the table to build consensus around a sensible tax policy that moves our state forward."

That is a marvel of opacity, folks.

So he is against taxation at the ballot, which is what TEI is. But he does want to get more money into education, which is what TEI does.

When I pushed him for more, I got what you see when you close your eyes.

This is a microcosm of the dilemma facing most Democrats going into Campaign '14: They want to be seen as education supporters, but they don't really love the margins tax, which would be embedded in law for three years and is a slap at them for not doing their jobs. (My favorite pitch from members of Weasulus Democratus is that they need to be quiet so they can be sure to hold onto the majority. And do what? Nothing again?)

Jones is in an especially tough spot in his swing district, which he won by only 300 votes in 2012. So his desire to not be on either side is at least lamely understandable. Perhaps he and other in his phylum are hoping for a deal so they never have to take a stand?

I think there were Democrats -- including Jones -- who would have preferred to put an alternative to the margins tax on the ballot. But the leadership wasn't going for that. So they dithered and...

It is the last part of Jones' evasion that I found most interesting: "I am hopeful that discussions about TEI will bring people to the table to build consensus around a sensible tax policy that moves our state forward."

I wonder how many of these waffling lawmakers secretly are hoping the teachers will make a deal as they find they have little support from elected and non-elected folks who are their natural allies. The AFL-CIO hasn't taken a position. Neither has the Culinary union.
 
There is no coalition of the willing; there is a coalition of one.
 
This is really quite the spectacle as gaming and business types rev up to spend millions -- $5 million-plus, I'd guess -- to try to defeat TEI. Seems like that money could be better spent elsewhere, eh?
 
 

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