UH-OH

Clinton Backs Bush Tax Cut Extension

Bill breaks with Obama policy.

As if Democrats didn’t have a bad enough night, Bill Clinton gave the party some more headaches. The former president said on Tuesday he supports the extension of his successor’s tax cuts—a major break from President Obama’s position. In an interview with CNBC, Clinton said temporarily extending the Bush tax cuts is “probably the best thing to do right now” to jump-start the economy. He added that Republicans wanted a permanent extension—which Clinton did not think Obama should support. The Bush tax cuts, enacted in 2001 and 2003, are set to expire next year—which could end up as a bitter partisan battle between Democrats and Republicans.