Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
Krugman has a habit of trying to channel disgust with admittedly obscene CEO compensation into support for higher taxes on "the rich." We know that when democrats start talking about "the rich" however, they think in terms of just above what two schoolteachers make.
There are plenty of reasons to rein in out of control CEO pay, but the tax system is just about the worst possible tool to use. It's part of the democrats' class warfare agenda. If democrats were really so concerned, they could have taken away "carrried interest" tax treatment for hedge fund managers when they controlled congress, but of course they didn't. Too much campaign money involved. Of course, they did absolutely nothing to stop excessive CEO pay either.
It's the same deal with this unending attack on Grover Norquist, who committed the apparently heinous crime of getting candidates to sign a no tax increase pledge, then holding them to their promise. As Ann Coulter pointed out in her column today, republicans fell into this exact same trap twice before, agreeing to raise taxes as part of a "balanced" approach to cutting the deficit. Both times democrats reneged on their end of the bargain, ie to cut spending. They defeated George H. W. Bush, who at one time had an over 90% approval rating, because of his violation of his now-infamous "read my lips, no new taxes" pledge.
They know that if they can coerce congressional republicans into raising taxes and breaking their oaths to voters, republicans voters will be incensed and will not turn out to vote for the lying bastards. That is all the democrats care about. Winning.