Joy Behar: Bush 'Has Raised Taxes!'

Joy Behar’s fact-free analysis continued on the February 8 edition of "The View" as she claimed the Bush administration raised taxes on the American people. Perhaps she was too overwhelmed with rage when Elisabeth Hasselbeck dared to take a shot at Hillary Clinton’s fiscal policy.

Hasselbeck joked about taxes on earned income, "just wait until Hillary is in office, you’re going to give it all back." Behar fought back: "That is so not true. Your president has raised taxes! Please! Ridiculous!"

The spat began when the View co-hosts were discussing a recent survey where the majority of women said they would prefer $1 million over a slimmer waistline. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg reminded the audience that in reality that a million dollars would be a lot less because much of that money is taxed.

GOLDBERG: Okay, let me ask you something because you think it’s a million dollars. 50 percent of that goes to the government-

SHEPHERD: 500.

GOLDBERG: -so you’re only getting $500,000. But wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait. You still have the state and local government to pay for. Do not forget all of these taxes, so-

HASSELBECK: Yeah, just wait until Hillary is in office, you’re going to give it all back.

BEHAR: That is so not true. Your president has raised taxes! Please! Ridiculous! That is ridiculous for you to say!

After Whoopi promoted her weight loss plan, the discussion continued with Joy Behar misleading on the current tax policy.

BEHAR: No wait a minute, just one thing you said. This administration that we’ve been living in for eight years, has raised the deficit. The dollar is worth nothing anymore, and also has given tax cuts to the wealthiest American people, during a war which is unheard of!

HASSELBECK: You think tax breaks should only be given to certain Americans and not all Americans?

BEHAR: I think it should be given only to people who are working.

GOLDBERG: I’m working.

BEHAR: Middle class people, their tax cuts have been irrelevant at this point. Now the multi-millionaire tax cuts are kicking in. And we’re in big trouble because of that.

Apparently Behar has a very broad term for "irrelevant." In the Bush income tax reductions of 2001, the bottom two tax brackets composed of middle income Americans, 28 percent and 15 percent, were reduced to 15 percent and 10 percent respectively. Middle income Americans received between a 33 and 46 percent tax cut. Additionally, after the Bush tax cuts were implemented, the Heritage Foundation found that the rich paid even a larger share of taxes.

"...the share paid by the top quintile edged up from 66.6 percent in 2000 to 67.1 percent in 2004, while the bottom 40 percent's share dipped from 5.9 per­cent to 5.4 percent."

After Whoopi Goldberg claimed "no one in this country has fared very well under this administration," she replied to Joy Behar that a fair tax cut would give on to everyone who pays taxes, even the rich.

GOLDBERG: Listen, they can keep their money and just pay their taxes. But, you know, my point is that I don’t think you should be chastised because you did make a lot of money in your life.

BEHAR: No, we’re not saying that.

GOLDBERG: Well, you are when you say only- yes, let me tell you why I say that. I say that because if you say Americans across the board should get a tax cut, I think all Americans should get it. When you start to say that only these people should get it because of this, I don’t think it’s right. Give it to everybody, so that- because everybody needs a little break. Everybody needs to feel like their part of the system.

Joy Behar also mocked conservatives who think highly of Ronald Reagan resemble those with Tourette’s Syndrome.

"Oh, they’re dancing around it. They keep saying 'Reagan, Reagan, Reagan,' like some weird Tourette’s Syndrome. [laughter] You know it’s true! The Republicans, the Republicans know it’s true!"

Joy Behar also gave some fact free insight on the Republican nomination process. Behar seems to be ignorant that unlike the Democrats, Republicans do not have superdelegates.

GOLDBERG: Mitt Romney has suspended his running. What exactly does that mean?

BEHAR: He’s out of the race.

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: Suspended his campaign.

SHERRI SHEPHERD: Suspended is different from dropping out though because he could come back.

HASSELBECK: Yeah, what were you saying about the super delegates?

BEHAR: The superdelegates if they vote for him, then he’s still in the race, but he’s out. Come on. Let’s face it.