Nate Jackson: Are You Better Off Now Than Two Years Ago?

A GOP bill to make tax cuts permanent is a great reminder that the right policies benefit everyone.

Remember that massive tax cut Republicans passed last year without a single Democrat vote – the one which continues to fuel the current economic boom? Well, the GOP has a great strategy for reminding voters how much almost every American enjoys having more money in their paychecks — a newly announced House bill to make those tax cuts permanent.

For the Leftmedia’s spin, we turn to Bloomberg: “The legislation — released as Republicans are at risk of losing their majority in the House — is seen as a last-ditch effort by GOP lawmakers to convince voters of the benefits of their new tax code. Polls consistently show less than half of Americans approve of the tax cut.”

Yes, it’s true that the Republican strategy is a midterm play for votes, and it’s unlikely to become law just yet. And yes, it’s also true that polls indicate voters aren’t as keen as they should be on those tax cuts.

Two observations: First, President Donald Trump has been remarkably effective in using the Democrats’ strategy against them, and the House GOP is taking a page from that same playbook. Good. Second, the Democrats’ class-warfare messaging, amplified by the propagandists of their Leftmedia super PAC, has convinced a significant number of Americans that Republican tax cuts were really “only for the rich.” Midterms are historically tough for the president’s party and Democrats have owned a lead in the “generic ballot” for months, so this misconception is hardly surprising.

Digging deeper, however, the main areas where the tax cuts are unpopular are blue states with high taxes, leaving voters unhappy with a reduced federal deduction for state and local taxes. In other words, Democrats are telling voters to blame Republicans for high taxes imposed by Democrats. Nice work if you can get it.

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