Neil Cavuto sounded a lot like Mitt Romney redux a few days ago as he argued with Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association after his meeting with President Obama about the approaching “fiscal cliff.” Cavuto made it clear he thinks the rich are getting hosed by the 47% of Americans who pay no income taxes and that what’s really fair is to cut their services so as not to impose upon the Deserving Ones even more.

In their November 13 discussion, Cavuto asked, “So it’s only fair to go after the 2% who pay more than 40% of the taxes than address the 47% who pay no income taxes? Some quite genuinely and legitimately, but that’s perfectly fair, that math? You’re the education guy right?”

”What does make sense is everybody paying their fair share,” Van Roekel said.

Cavuto interrupted. “Wait a minute, I just told you about the 47% who aren’t paying at all.”

Van Roekel tried to explain, “When you look at their incomes, that’s the reason they don’t pay anything. We’ve got to look at jobs in this country.”

Cavuto interrupted again. “No, no… I’m not dismissing soldiers, I’m not dismissing those who are retired and paid in, but something has happened over the course of our lives, Dennis. When I got out of graduate school, that figure was in the 20s, and now it’s approaching 50%. Just that figure is kind of screwy, right? And if we’re going to continue to support a lot of the government things that you want, and you argue your folks want, we’re going to have to do more than just saddle the top 2% with that.”

Again, Van Roekel tried to answer. “We’re coming out of one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. The middle class and lower income people have suffered more than anyone else. The idea that everyone shouldn’t pay their fair share is crazy.”

Cavuto interrupted again. “What part of the fair share part when I mentioned the 47% not paying and sticking it on the 2% who are, are you not getting?”

“I’m talking about the wealthiest 2% who got a tax cut at the time the middle class people got tax increases,” Van Roekel answered.

Cavuto sneered, “I thought with the Bush tax cuts when they started everyone got cuts.”

”Sure, but the amount was so much less, and they also received all of the other cuts they did. They lost their jobs, they lost their homes all because some people believe that tax cuts is the way to the future.” Van Roekel responded.

Cavuto interrupted yet another time to say they were getting nowhere with that argument. But before long, he was demanding to know what cuts Van Roekel would agree to – as if that were the only possible justification for raising the tax rate on the wealthiest few.