Biden: GOP arguments on extending tax cuts ‘a bunch of malarkey’

Biden,
speaking to a small group at a middle-class task force roundtable Wednesday at
Pete’s Apizza in Washington, D.C., said that while he and President Obama want
to extend tax cuts for the middle class, the country cannot afford $700 billion
in cuts for the wealthy. 

“They’ve
already got disposable income,” Biden said of the “super rich.” 

{mosads}“They’re
spending all they’re going to spend anyway.” 

With Obama
still vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard, Biden has taken the lead in firing back
at Republicans like House Minority Leader John Boehner, who on Tuesday called
for the resignations of Obama’s economic team. Biden warned that the debate
over the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year, is “one
of the big fights we’re going to have” when Congress returns from its August
recess. 

Biden
promised that the White House will “fight like the devil” to maintain
middle-class tax cuts while rolling back those for the wealthy. 

“It’s
costly, but at a time of recession, you should not be raising taxes on people
who need disposable income, or on small businesses, for that matter,” Biden
said. He added: “There’s nothing populist about this. It’s just simple
economics.” 

Biden said
that he is glad there are “super rich” in the country, and that he hopes one of
his grandchildren will join their ranks. 

“I hope one of my grandkids makes that kind of money, so
when they put me in a home, I get a window with a view,” Biden said.