This bit of rhetoric -- from the Republican weekly address -- reveals what's become a completely typical sleight-of-hand embedded in the economic and budget debates:
Republicans used their weekly address to criticize Obama on the economy and renew their opposition to tax increases.
“The president and Democrats in Congress must recognize that their game plan is not working. It’s time to acknowledge that more government and higher taxes is not the answer to our problem,” said Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind. “It’s time for bold action and a new plan to address our current crisis.”
What we see here are two clashing imperatives delicately melded together. Imperative number one is to stick Obama with the blame for the consequences of the economic crisis. Imperative number two is to keep tax increases out of any fiscal solution. Imperative number two requires presenting tax cuts as a solution to our economic woes. And thus the "game plan" that's "not working" is to change the status quo, and the "new plan" is to keep the status quo in place.