In his righteous pursuits of this wicked president and his diabolical Democratic allies, Charles Krauthammer is compelled, from time to time, which is to say habitually, to cut a few corners. In the literary art of polemics, this is OK, for it takes a lot of manure to grow a gorgeous rose -- the presumed though metaphorical material object of insubstantial polemics -- and today's is a real red beauty.
Having characterized the payroll tax cut as "one of the worst pieces of legislation in years," as "the perfect campaign ploy: an election-year bribe," and as "shameless pander[ing]," Krauthammer proceeds to ask with macroeconomic indignation:
What employer is going to alter his hiring decisions — whose effects last years — in anticipation of a one-year tax holiday, let alone two months?
The answer, of course, is none. No rational employer, anyway, would elect to commence hiring based merely on vague anticipations of a two-month, one-year, five-year or even permanent tax holiday (i.e., tax cut). And your scornful acknowledgement of that macroeconomic fact of life, Mr. Krauthammer, only belies all the nonsense tripping off the disingenuous tongue of John Boehner & Co. -- that employers require, above all, certainty in the tax code.
They do not. What they require is consumers consuming, something they'll do more of if they've more money with which to consume -- duh -- which is called increased aggregate demand, which leads to new hires to satisfy it. This is the "A," the "B" and the "C" of the Keynesian ABCs, Mr. Krauthammer, which, essentially, you just agreed is holier than Boehner's Laff-able supply-side Scripture. In brief, all sane employers are by loose definition grubby yet rational Jerry Maguire players: they must first see the money.
But all that, Mr. Krauthammer, was a mere trifle of your incurable crankiness compared to this magnificent whopper of your awesome insight:
The Democrats set a trap and the Republicans walked right into it.
Can't wait, I just can't wait, Mr. Krauthammer, for your forthcoming history of the Second World War: "Stalin's Red Army set a trap and Hitler's Wehrmacht walked right into it."