How much will proposal to roll back all the tax cuts hurt Dean/Gephardt?

[shawn703]

If either one of them get the nomination, that just seems like a very dangerous position to hold in the general election. The other plan some candidates have of selectively rolling portions of it back seems to be a lot safer to me.

I just look around my area, and a transportation referendum that would have helped fund more transportation projects at the cost of an extra half cent on the dollar for sales tax was easily defeated. Traffic is so bad around here that I was really surprised people felt so strongly about that half penny that they're willing to sit through two to three hours of traffic both ways for work every day.

Point being, no matter how much sense we think rolling back the entire tax cut makes to us, it'll be very tough to sell it to the American people in the general election.

[Rowdyboy]

1. An extremely dangerous and indefensible

position. They need to change/clarify it before they are forever tagged as wanting to increase taxes on the middle class. It SHOULD be a no-brainer.

[Dr.Phool]

2. I agree

You've got to have taxes to run a gov't. But you also need votes to run it. My advice for Dean and Gephardt is to back away. Leave the child tax credit alone.

An Extra $1000 (assuming 2 kids) means a lot for working families making less than 70,000 per year. They'd be better off finding some way to make it up, such as closing corporate loopholes.

Where I live, traffic is also atrocious. We have a 1% sales tax on the ballot to fix roads, and fund school building. Probably won't pass either. Our county Democratic Executive Committee (which I'm on) managed to piss off every teachers union in Florida because we wouldn't give carte blanche approval, until the County Commissioners told us exactly what road projects would be paid for. We wanted money to fix existing roads, not build new ones for more development.

We won, so we'll endorse it finally this week, but I still don't think it'll pass.:kick:

[KaraokeKarlton]

3. www.bushtax.com

www.bushtax.com

I don't think it will hurt Dean at all in light of how he frames the issue.

[shawn703]

6. But assuming most people won't bother to go to this site

Or even take the time to watch the Presidential Debates - can Dean or Gephardt make a convincing argument for repealing the entire tax cut in a 30 second television or radio ad?

[Bombtrack]

7. according to how he spins the issue

his property tax/deny cuts exist talking point is empty. the other candidates including Kucinich have plans to reverse the cuts that are driving up other costs locally, without raising there taxes

[Monte Carlo]

4. It'll be a VERY tough sell against "they're raising YOUR taxes!"

And, they'll have to be able to do it in about 5 words or less. This is where the Democrats are always vulnerable, and it's going to take some precise maneuvering to pull it off by going against ALL the tax cuts.

[Sir_Shrek]

5. Nearly untouchable....

Taxes are weird things. IMO people seem to be able to talk a good game when it comes to raising taxes, but when they really have to "pull the lever" (enact sweeping legislation or make it a primary platform issue) it can't be done. Based on my own perception of things it seems people are either fervently against tax hikes, or it's not an important enough issue in general to make for serious consideration. You don't have many pro-tax groups that have a whole lot of pull.

[Bombtrack]

8. the Dean spin worked so well for Mondale

oh wait, he lost 49 states, and he wasn't even a Vermonter with a huge ego!

[Adjoran]

9. Of course it hurts

We can talk "rollback" or "repealing cuts" all day long; people will still see it as "raising taxes," and Rove will be happy to oblige.

Neither is it necessary or consistent to advocate it. We complained when the cuts were proposed about the "cuts for the rich." Why then are we contemplating repealing the cuts for the middle class too?

Rising economic activity and lower military costs as the troops come home from Iraq will help cover the deficit. Both Dean and Gephardt plan to use the extra money to fund health care plans, which is fine, but they seem to think that by funding through repealing tax cuts they can claim not to be raising taxes. That train has left the station. It will be seen as a tax hike.

[adamrsilva]

12. Polls showed most people said they would rather

have increases in education and health care than tax cuts at the time? Why can't Dean's position work? It's the same as being against the war in Iraq. Sure, it won't work in Southern and midwest states, but no Dem will win those anyway. People need to start looking at the election in terms of the electoral college and not the "electorate." People are very divided on these issues, and that is reflected on state lines. Republican strategists have already admitted they think any Dem is gonna get at least 46% of the vote, and the election will be near as close as the last.

[BootinUp]

10. How does Death sound?

seriously, it will never win the GE, a broad across the board tax increase hasn't worked in an election in my lifetime anyways.

I would be interested in dissenting opinions or facts of course.

[adamrsilva]

11. Well, only as much as being against the war in Iraq...

And we are all banking on that aren't we?