(CNN) – The liberal MoveOn.org took on Mitt Romney's opposition to the "Buffett Rule" through a play off the Lolcats meme in a new ad released Monday, according to the group.
The 30-second spot, set to run on cat-themed Animal Planet programming, accuses Romney of letting "fat cats rig the system" through a series of images that show large felines on a private jet and swimming in money, among other rich-themed scenarios.
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"When the wealthiest one percent pay a fair tax rate like the rest of us it keeps the American dream alive for everyone," the narrator in the commercial said. "So tell Mitt Romney, kittens are cute. One percent fat cats who won't pay their fair share? Eh, not so much."
Although the independent organization would not disclose the size of the ad buy, they said the spot would run on numerous Animal Planet shows, including "Big Cat Diary," "My Cat From Hell," "Cats 101" and 'Too Cute Kittens," coinciding with Tax Day and Monday's Senate vote on the "Buffett Rule."
The provision, opposed by leading Republicans including presumptive nominee Romney, would level a minimum tax rate on high income earners. Proponents of the President Barack Obama-backed measure argue the change would constitute a fairer tax code while opponents of the law point to the relatively low revenue expected from the rule.
Romney has voiced opposition to the bill, named after investor Warren Buffett, calling it a "new source of division" by targeting the most successful in the country.
But MoveOn.org Executive Director Justin Ruben used the ad as a chance to criticize the former Massachusetts governor and former executive as a "fat cat" himself.
"Americans who have been playing by the rules are losing because fat cats like Mitt Romney are playing by a completely different rulebook," Ruben said in a statement. "President Obama's Buffett Rule is a basic first step towards asking fat cat millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share like the rest of us kitties."
The Republican National Committee continued their criticism of the rule in response to the ad.
"This is just another Obama shiny object designed to distract from his failure to turn the economy around," press secretary Kirsten Kukowski said in a statement. "Raising only enough money to run the federal government for 11 hours, President Obama has been unable to sell the tax gimmick even after holding over twenty events to do so and liberal groups pulling out all the stops."
Team Romney did not respond to a request for comment.
From CNN Politics
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We should give Obama his wish and pass the Buffet rule. Then when revenues drop and companies start to lay off as they would when their bottom line gets affected, where would this law professor that never worked in the real world go? Hopefully back to Chicago!
Vote Obama 2012. No more war on women from the GOP!
The best REPUBs can say is that the Buffet RULE is phony. Really? You want to continue with the 1% getting more wealth on the back of middle class people?
Taxes are inherently unfair, regardless of what the income level of the payee is. There are many functions the government provides for us that would not be at their most efficient if market driven. This has already been proven with the military, and food and medication inspections. If people are wondering about what effect a private army would have on the country, I point out the following examples – China in the 1920s/1930s; Afghanistan in the 1980s to present. Even though there was a "central government" the warlords who controlled (or control) the armies prevented peaceful solutions of disagreements. On the food and medicine front, every time Congress cuts funding for food and drug inspections, we end up with outbreaks of salmonella, e-coli, and meds that are watered down so they are totally ineffective.
So, yes, we need taxes to pay for the above services. Just as we need them to subsidize medical programs due to high costs, to subsidize education due to underfunding by the local school boards that keep insisting that they can do the job, to subsidize police and fire departments because cities and towns cannot raise the monies needed to run them, and many other areas.
When my folks die and I get my inheritance I will get to pay less than the average worker. Cool.. Over 80% of the rich got it by inheriting it. And they got richer by doing nothing but letting it grow on Wall Street while they partied and slept...Yep. Romney is fighting for me to get even more. I think I will throw him a few million so I can get 10 s of millions more from more tax cuts....It's great to be rich in this country....Too bad I will be taking from you clowns by cutting programs like pell grants so it will be harder for you get rich like me unless your daddy has money
Landslide win by Obama in 2012!
Good job by President Obama . We're looking forward to four more years of whining and obstruction by the party on GNOP!
ReallY!!? wrote on page 4:
Why don't we ask Apple, Google, &GE, to bring those jobs they shipped overseas back to the US first? ... ...
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Those jobs will never come back until we get rid of the loop hole that Bush created, which sent the jobs overseas in the first place.
Did you know that corporations can deduct the taxes they pay to foreign governments on manufacturing sites in foreign countries off of their taxes? IN FULL? That's the magic formula to how a major US manufacturer can pay nearly zero US taxes.
Did you know that we the people pay the foreign tax debts of US corporations? So when Republicans tell you that "taxes make it cheaper to manufacture overseas", they are actually telling you the truth. But, when they tell you "we need to lower US corporate tax rates so that we can compete with foreign countries" they are lying to you.
"Team Romney did not respond to a request for comment."
Take the silver spoon out of your mouth, Mittens! Listen to the kittens!
Out of the top 10 wealthiest members on Congress, 7 are democrats. Just saying.
Out of the top 50 wealthiest members in Congress, 50 of them are republicans hiding taxable income in offshore accounts. Just sayin.
Yeah sure, Having the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share of taxes won't help the economy because it won't generate enough revenue but it will also force companies to lay off workers and make rich people sad. We must make the Job Creators happy because if we anger them, they will lay us off. What color is the sky in your world? College professors don't live in the real world but rich republicans do?
DRod wrote:
The Buffet Rule money would pay a lot of teachers, firefighters, etc that would be loosing their job.
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It probably would, but it wouldn't make a significant dent in the annual budget deficit. Nope. It is a ploy to put Republicans on the record voting against something as insignificant as this. Just like they all stuck their necks out and voted against the $4 billion in subsidies we give away to big oil every year. Just like they got stuck a couple of months ago voting to raise taxes on the middle class.
It is also a gimmick to put Republicans in a defensive posture defending their proposed tax cuts. It is a subliminal reminder to voters that the Republicans are unreasonable when it comes to compromise. It highlights the obstructionism that has been going on in the Congress for the past 3+ years. And, there's more to come.
@ReallY!!?
We should give Obama his wish and pass the Buffet rule. Then when revenues drop and companies start to lay off as they would when their bottom line gets affected
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The wealthy had this tax cut along – so why did their money go offshore and where are the jobs they created? Why did the cut & spend plan used by President Bush fail? Did Romney's extra money go back into the economy or did it go to the Caymans? I believe we know the answers to these questions...
Mitt Romney has no clue what the middle class of this country need. He wants the top 1% to control everything so they can dismantle and destroy it everything to fatten up their filthy rich pockets. NO TO ROMNEY AND SERFDOM!
First of all, I am 55 and retired. I had a good job that paid well, and yes, did get my hands dirty doing it. No, I am not part of the 1% but I did as most of them did, put my money in Wall Street. Now, why is everyone getting after the Wall Street folks for being rich? Sure they are, but don't we also complain how much our athletes also get per season? How about our actors and actresses, seems they also make a pretty good penny, alot more than the rest of us make. Any people getting on them?
Another issue, if Obama doesn't make what the 1%er's make, how can he afford to send his daughter to Mexico on spring break, along with 25 secret service personell? Everyone is on Romney for how much he is worth, this story on spring break, not much in the news..
Now the Repubs are out saying that if this were to pass it would gather very little in taxes........Well if it's so small why all the complaining??? Notice how these clowns don't quote Reagan on this one? He said having a truck driver pay more tax that a millionaire was nuts............Well listen to your boy Reagan..........Seems like they pick and chose to serve their purpose be it quoting the Constitution....the Bible..........What a bunch of clowns
Please Mindy, The republicans and democrats are richer that most of us. Tell us something else new. The problem is the GOP/TP do not want to pay their share. They just want to keep living off of the middle class backs.
I haz not released my taxable income. I haz filed for extension so american people can't see my corporate raiding profits.
Mindy
Out of the top 10 wealthiest members on Congress, 7 are democrats. Just saying.
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Maybe but I'll bet most of them would support this rule..........Fairness, I know tough concept.........
Mindy
Out of the top 10 wealthiest members on Congress, 7 are democrats. Just saying
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Really? Out of the top 10 wealthiest people in America, most are liberals. Maybe more liberals know a thing or too about something that most conservatives don't. There goes your conspiracy theory.
Romney slammed as a 'Fat Cat'?
Well......he is what he is.....and what he is, is a VERY fat cat, with no regard for those of us in the middle-class.....much less the working poor.
If we don't let the rich and powerful get more rich and powerful then they're just gonna stop trying. I mean why even invest if you have to pay capital gains taxes; better just to quit trying. Isn't it obvious that the lower and middle classes are better off when the very wealthy get an even bigger slice of the pie? Jesus loves rich people, at least that's what Ayn Rand says.
I haz voted for: abortion, stricter gun laws, planned parenthood funding and healthcare.
I haz now voted against: abortion, sticter gun laws, planned parenthood funding and healthcare.
I haz one rule, show me the money and I haz your view and will vote it.
So,'Fair', you get my point. and a good starting place for taxes is maybe the last time the USA was paying its bills: THE CLINTON TAX RATES, for all.
Let's pay down half of the debt, then talk about tax reform.
And the Buffet Rule will help insure that none of the top earners, who benifit most from this great country's economy, can escape from that PRIVILAGE.
All I'm taking away from this is the strange revelation that there's so much cat-themed programming.