RUSH: Barney Frank says that he will not vote for the deal. He says there won’t be a recession in two years. He was with Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Washington, who said, ‘Are you gonna vote for this deal if this is what ends up on the floor?’
FRANK: No, I won’t vote for it. I don’t feel that I should be coerced. I believe and I certainly was honest about this in the campaign I ran, that it would do no economic damage if you had that fairly small increase. Two years from now when this comes up again, we won’t be in a recession, clearly. And I will make a prediction to you now. They’ll be just as opposed to taxing in a fair way as they were today. That is this argument about a recession is pure cover. That’s not their real reason, and when we take this up in two years and we’re not in a recession, you’re gonna hear the same kind of resistance to putting the rate back to where it was during that very successful economy under Bill Clinton.
RUSH: So they’re gonna bring it up in two years. That’s the plan. They’re gonna bring it up in two years, and clearly there won’t be a recession. I don’t think it’s clear that there won’t be a recession, (imitating Frank) ‘because unemployment is gonna continue to be 9 and 10% because we’re gonna extend unemployment benefits, there will be no reason for people to go back to work.’ He says Republicans, this recession and raising taxes, just a cover. They’re gonna be opposed to the fairness no matter what.