Practical definition: Ask

Posted by Marc Hodak on November 1, 2008 under Practical definitions | 3 Comments to Read

At a rally yesterday where Senator Obama promised all sorts of goodies to the crowd, he said that as president:

I’ll help pay for this by asking the folks who are making more than $250,000 a year to go back to the tax rate they were paying in the 1990s

He’ll ask them?

What if they don’t all accept his request? Oh, yeah. In political new-speak, “ask” doesn’t mean “request,” it means an request you can’t refuse.

Here’s what I don’t get. There is probably not a single person in the crowd who would really mistake “ask” for “force” in this context. Yet, the good Senator, who is extraordinarily careful with his words, uses “ask.” Why is that?

jd said,

Cuz he’s a con man and a politician, but I repeat myself.
Kat said,

Marc, have you any idea what percentage of the >$250K earners are wage earners vs. business owners? Wage earners will pay what they are “asked” on at least the wage portion of their income. However, my hypothesis is that the business owners will pass along their tax hike to employees by lowering salaries, taking away perks and reducing the number of employees.
Political Interference? By Politicians? Nooooo! » Hodak Value said,

[…] to do so. Politicians don’t have that particular funding problem–they simply “ask” the taxpayers. The fundraising problem for politicians is getting support for their […]