No, Cantor Doesn’t Ever Want to Raise Taxes

After his speech at the Heritage Foundation, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) was asked about the strictest suggestion in his economic plan: No tax increases until unemployment fell below 5 percent. Did that mean he supported tax increases when the economy recovered?

“I would not say that,” said Cantor. “I don’t believe tax hikes are a way to promote growth.” The point of the 5-percent pledge was suggesting that even Democrats would agree that you shouldn’t raise taxes in a recession. “I’m in favor of drastically reducing the tax burden on job creators,” he said.

In the Internet age, I wonder what legs this will have. Unemployment under 5 percent seems a long way off; even if it was achieved, it’s hard to imagine Republicans buckling on their opposition to any tax increases.