TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Levin: War Tax 'Probably Not' Going To Happen During Recession
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) downplayed the idea of a war tax. "In the middle of a recession we're probably not going to be able to increase taxes to pay for it," said Levin. "There should have been, as far as I'm concerned, tax increases for upper bracket folks who did so well during the Bush years - that's where the tax increases should have taken place. But that should have happened some time ago."

Graham: Can We Cut Stimulus To Pay For Afghanistan?
Appearing on This Week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for cuts in domestic spending, including the stimulus package and the health care bill, to pay for the Afghanistan war. "Well, I'd like to see an endeavor to see if we can cut current spending and find some dollars that we're spending today to pay for the war, and prioritize American spending. Where does our national security rate in terms of spending?" said Graham. "Are there things that we can do in the stimulus package? Can we trim up the health care bill and other big-ticket items to pay for a war that we can't afford to lose?"

Lugar's 'Audacious' Proposal: Delay Health Care Debate, Focus On Afghanistan And Economy
Appearing on State of the Union, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) said that the health care bill should be postponed, in order to focus on Afghanistan and the economy. "The war is terribly important," Lugar said. "Jobs and our economy are terribly important. This may be an audacious suggestion, but I would suggest we put aside the health care debate until next year, the same way we put cap-and-trade and climate change [aside], and talk now about the essentials -- the war and money."

Sanders Stops Short Of Saying He'll Filibuster Bill Without Public Option
Also on This Week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) signaled his strong support for a public option -- but didn't go so far as to say he would filibuster a bill without one. "I would be very reluctant to support legislation that did not have a strong public option," said Sanders. When asked whether he would support a filibuster, Sanders said: "I gotta see what ends up happening."

Huckabee Not Sure About 2012 -- Would Need Big GOP Support
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) said that he's not ready to decide on whether to run for president again -- and that it would depend on whether he can get establishment Republican support. "I would have to see that the Republicans would be willing to unite behind me," Huckabee said. "The last time out my biggest challenge was with the establishment Republicans, who just never showed their support."

Armey On GOP Purity Resolution: 'Demonstrate That You're Someone Like Us"
Appearing on Face The Nation, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) spoke favorably of the so-called "purity" resolution being proposed at the Republican National Committee, saying that it calls on candidates to "demonstrate some allegiance to the primary positions taken by the party. That's not a litmus test. That's just if you want us to give you our money, our support, our troops in the field, our endorsements, then demonstrate that you're someone like us."

Scozzafava: 'I Think It WAs Very Difficult' For RNC 'Not To Cave In' To The Right
Also on Face The Nation, former NY-23 Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava blamed the loss of the special election on conservative groups such as the Club For Growth, who forced her out of the race in favor of Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman (she subsequently endorsed Democrat Bill Owens). "I think it was very difficult for leadership at the RNC not to cave in to the pressures that they were receiving from the right," said Scozzafava.