CNN's Jessica Yellin, reporting on President Obama's virtual townhall Monday afternoon, noted two wealthy persons who wish to pay higher taxes – but didn't mention the small businessman who during the townhall complained to the President about regulations and taxes.
Yellin focused her brief report on a member of the audience who claimed to be a wealthy retiree and asked for higher taxes. CNN ran Obama's response to him, and Yellin added that the CEO of LinkedIn, the sponsor of the townhall, would be "open" to tax hikes on the rich.
[Video below the break. Click here [1] for audio.]
"So there you have it, a couple of CEOs out here who's willing to pay more," CNN's White House correspondent wrapped up her report.
However, according to Politico [2], a small businessman challenged Obama during the townhall about regulation and taxes. "When a small business owner complained about taxes and regulation, Obama went on the attack against his GOP opponents," the report read. Yellin made no mention of this.
Obama argued that "Right now we've got the lowest tax rates we've had since the 1950s. And some of the Republican proposals would take it back as a percentage of GDP, back to where we were back in the 1920s. Well you can't have a modern, industrial economy like that."
A transcript of the segment, which aired on September 26 at 4:36 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
[4:36]
BROOKE BALDWIN: Jessica, what kids of questions did the President field today?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN White House correspondent: Hey Brooke, he got a lot of questions about unemployment and the American jobs act. And boy, did he get a freebie. A guy, named Doug Edwards who said he was retired because essentially he hit it big at Google, because he's doing so well for himself, asked the President would you please raise my taxes? Well if that's not a question the President couldn't have begged for. Here's how President Obama answered.
(Video Clip)
President BARACK OBAMA: Right now we've got the lowest tax rates we've had since the 1950s. And some of the Republican proposals would take it back as a percentage of GDP, back to where we were back in the 1920s. Well you can't have a modern, industrial economy like that.
(End Video Clip)
YELLIN: Not quite as fired up as we've heard the President lately, but I did get a chance to interview Doug Edwards afterwards. He said he doesn't have a lot of faith that Washington will actually raise his taxes, but he just wanted to get the conversation going and he'd be happy to pay more.
BALDWIN: Well I don't know how the CEO of LinkedIn feels about his taxes. I know you talked to him today. What did he say?
YELLIN: I asked him –
BALDWIN: Did you?
YELLIN: He said, you know what, he'd be open to it too. He said he'd be open to it too, and he admires Warren Buffett, and he'd be open to the Buffett rule, too.
BALDWIN: Huh. Jessica –
YELLIN: So, there you have it, a couple of CEOs out here who's willing to pay more.