...Republicans and conservatives should be grateful:
"Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Thursday that paying more in taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans...“We want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people,” Biden said in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Noting that wealthier Americans would indeed pay more, Biden said: “It’s time to be patriotic … time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut.”
If Democrats want to make tax increases a major part of their message, Republicans should say thanks. Democrats always have a hard time making this sale. This was one reason many Republicans were glad to see Biden on Obama's ticket--he tends to shoot off his mouth.
UPDATE: Jonah Goldberg today also makes a very good point on the many philosophical problems with what Biden said:
"...it's nonetheless worth pointing out that when Joe Biden says it's patriotic for wealthier Americans to pay higher taxes, he's making a hash of several basic concepts. First, taxes ain't charity. Second, patriotism ain't got nothing to do with it, since you're required as a matter of criminal law to pay what you owe. So, in one sense Biden is asking — scolding, really — Americans to enjoy paying their taxes, which is like asking health nuts to enjoy getting a colonoscopy. Regardless, equating a legal requirement with patriotism is just plain gross."
