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December 10, 2003
Presidential Politics
There is no doubt that if I had to pick the best campaign for 2004, it would be Dean's. The people he's brought into politics work hard, care about their world, country and community, and, in the best possible way, don't know the meaning of the word "no" or can't, or whatever.
That said, Dean, while one of my favorite candidates, is not my ideal candidate. A big reason for this is his tax-cut stance. Making the debate between keep the Bush tax cuts or get rid of them, "keep them" will probably win with at least 60% of voters. Partially, you can blame Congressional Democrats who added many lower-middle class tax cut amendments that weren't initially in the bill. Who to blame is irrelevent though.
Dean, or any candidate, should make the tax debate "keep the tax code" vs "redo the tax code." Make a relatively simple plan for individuals, promise to crack down on corporate loopholes, put up a calculator that shows what you'd pay under Bush's plan and under Dean's, etc.
$300 (about the average savings from the tax plan) doesn't sound like a lot of money, and if your local or state taxes have gone up, that $300 might actually constitute a net-loss, but it means something to many voters. Go ahead and raise taxes on people making over $200K, the ones who care about lower taxes aren't going to vote for the Democrat anyway. And big government types would rather their big government be paid for by the wealthier, anyway, so it seems like a win-win situation.
That said, tax reform should be something any candidate regardless of party should be for. Even Bush is for tax reform. Only his vision is so unpopular that it will take years of piecemeal reform that initially disguises the end product and, eventually, when it's inevitable, it will be too late to stop it. Democrats can legitimately make this a winning issue, so why haven't they?
Posted by Chris at December 10, 2003 01:07 AM
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