Jeb Bush Figures Out the Solution to His Problem Is More Tax Cuts for the Rich

[seafan]

Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine gets to the crux of Jeb!'s two-step performance for the Big Money Establishment.

Look at meeee. Look at MEEEEEEEE!!!!


(via New York Magazine

Jeb Bush has raised fantastical sums from Republican donors, yet he finds himself trailing badly against a demagogue who has taken populist stances on taxing the rich, social insurance programs, immigration, and the donor class in general. Bush’s solution? Suck up more to the Republican donor class. Robert Costa and Ed O’Keefe report that Bush is meeting with the high priests of the Voodoo Economics cult: The Wall Street Journal editorial page, Steve Forbes, Larry Kudlow, Stephen Moore, and Arthur Laffer, along with various wealthy New York Republicans. Bush reportedly “hopes his tax offering will jumpstart his candidacy” and is sending “a signal to the party’s business wing that in spite of the rollicking race so far, Bush is mounting an aggressive fall campaign built around traditional GOP principles.”

The catch here is that cutting taxes for the rich is super unpopular. Americans as a whole want to raise taxes on the rich, not lower them. Even Republicans are split on this question:

.....

And, to be sure, there is always a careful sales job that must go along with this policy platform. The first rule of cutting taxes for the rich is "You don’t talk about cutting taxes for the rich." You talk about tax reform, or whatever tiny tax credits you’re going to throw to the middle class. You save the frank discussion for the boardroom. Bush is following that strategy, too:

Here's a notable thing about Bush pitch: In NY mtgs., he's selling his slashing of corporate rate. Getting thumbs up from Wall St. types...
— Robert Costa (@costareports) September 8, 2015

But in NC Wed, and so far on trail, Bush making an emphasis of cutting of corp deductions. More populist. Trying to straddle GOP spheres.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) September 8, 2015

And perhaps Bush is worried that the Republican donor class will panic in the face of his struggles against Trump and throw its support to Rubio, Walker, or some other reliable water carrier. But if Bush needs to lock down the donors by giving them even more concessions, he’s also prying open even wider the ideological niche Trump has filled.

This has the smell of end-stage desperation for Jeb! Bush's campaign.


(Has anyone cleared out the drain for the mess that's coming?)

[smirkymonkey]

1. And he's considered the sane one in the republican field.