Stuart Varney, Fox News' "very clearly partisan" economic analyst, said on Fox this morning that the stock market is doing well this month because investors are anticipating big Republican wins in November. Part of his explanation was that “a Republican sweep implies that most of us, if not all of us, will keep the tax rate we've got now. So that would end that uncertainty”:
VARNEY: There is still uncertainty over taxes, what tax rate are any of us going to be paying on January the 1st? We flat out don't know. But a Republican sweep implies that most of us, if not all of us, will keep the tax rate we've got now. So that would end that uncertainty.
But you're right. The stock market anticipates what is likely to happen in the future, and the market is saying this is going to be a rally for the economy and the stock market because of a Republican sweep.
Except Democrats haven't proposed increasing tax rates for “most of us,” as Varney suggests. Quite the opposite -- President Obama and Democrats in Congress have long said they plan to extend the Bush tax cuts for all income tax rates except the top two - those that benefit only households making more than $250,000 and individuals making more than $200,000. According to the Tax Policy Center, “just 1.7 percent of all households would pay higher taxes under the president's proposal than if Congress extended all the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.”
Varney claims the stock market is doing well in part because if Republicans win big in November, “most of us” will “keep the tax rate we've got now.” But the Democrats have already proposed doing just that. Let's hope the “market” doesn't get its news from Varney.
Previously:
No, Varney, the Republicans' “Pledge” doesn't reduce the debt
Stuart Varney: Fox News' “very clearly partisan” economic analyst
The difference between Fox's opinion and 'straight news' programming
Fox's Varney conveniently forgets about the temporary Census jobs he told us about in June
From the September 27 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom: