Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

These Charts Show Why Republicans Who Planned to Run on Trump's Tax Plan in November Are Going to Need a New Plan

These Charts Show Why Republicans Who Planned to Run on Trump's Tax Plan in November Are Going to Need a New Plan
MSNBC

Yeah, that's not gonna work.

In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan proposed an idea that giving more money to the richest of Americans would ultimately benefit the poorest. The idea , intended to sell Americans on tax breaks for the wealthy during a poor economy, became known as Reaganomics.

No one bought Reaganomics by the end of Ronald Reagan's presidency, and George H. W. Bush paid for that failure, as did the American economy. But the failure of trickle down economics didn't stop it from being recycled as a selling point by the GOP in 2017.


But do Americans believe huge tax cuts for the richest of people and corporations benefit those lower on the income scale? Polling from the recent election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district seems to indicate they do not.

During an appearance on Morning Joe on MSNBC, President Barack Obama's car czar, broke down the numbers. Steven Rattner, who worked restructuring the auto industry in 2009 as Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury, is a renowned veteran Wall Street financier.

Ads touting the Republican tax cuts actually took public support away from the GOP candidate. These are numbers the GOP and President Donald Trump need to study leading up to the 2018 midterms.

Polls prior to the recent election, which saw Democrat Conor Lamb defeat Republican Rick Saccone, in a heavily red district, all indicated voter dissatisfaction with the GOP tax breaks.

The 18th congressional district is not the first district that favored Donald Trump in 2016 to flip blue. However it does seem to indicate a slight change in GOP strategy.

Early campaign ads and appearances praised the Republican tax plan, Donald Trump's signature achievement. But by the end of the Saccone campaign, no one as talking about it, including President Trump.

In his final appearance in Pennsylvania, stumping for Saccone, Trump spoke at length on his proposed tariffs, but failed to mention his former greatest achievement. Perhaps the facts that polls have been trying to convey finally sunk in.

The majority of American voters haven't forgotten Reaganomics. Trickle down theory failed in the 1980s and no one expects it to succeed now.

In addition, businesses made it clear where they will be spending their surplus money. It won't be on worker wages as the GOP claimed.

But will just not talking about their tax breaks for the wealthy help Republicans win in the 2018 midterm elections? We will see in November if a strategy of avoidance works for those members of the GOP who employ it.

More from News

Screenshot of Martina Navratilova; Donald Trump
@HomeoftheBrave/X; Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images

Tennis Legend Martina Navratilova Slams Trump In Blistering New Ad: 'I Am P*ssed Off As Hell'

Tennis icon Martina Navratilova criticized President Donald Trump and warned Americans of the rise of his totalitarian regime in a new political ad in which she lamented moving to the U.S. from communist Czechoslovakia in 1975 to be in what she once considered the "freest country in the world."

The athlete, a native of Czechoslovakia who defected to the United States at just 18, delivered her message in a video published Wednesday by the conservative-leaning nonprofit Home of the Brave. The group uses its video campaigns to spotlight what it describes as the damage Trump is inflicting during his second term.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Trump Melts Down In Bonkers Screed Claiming Media Reports That Question His Health Are 'Treasonous'

President Donald Trump was criticized after he issued a long screed on Truth Social accusing media outlets that question his health of being "seditious, perhaps even treasonous."

Trump spoke out after The New York Times published an article that argued that despite Trump's projection of “round-the-clock energy, virility and physical stamina" and the fact that he "and the people around him still talk about him as if he is the Energizer Bunny of presidential politics," that image is getting harder to pull off because Trump is showing signs of aging.

Keep ReadingShow less
people holding cocktails and chatting at a social gathering
Michael Discenza on Unsplash

People Explain The Psychological 'Cheat Codes' For Social Situations That Rarely Fail

Borrowing terminology from gaming culture, "psychological cheat codes" are simple techniques that can provide an advantage to the user in personal, social, or professional situations by influencing the thoughts and behaviors of others.

Often counterintuitive, they're shortcuts that bypass traditional methods to achieve the user's desired outcome, like a cheat code in a video game.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kelsey Grammer; Lauren Holly
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Kelsey Grammer Just Got Brutally Called Out By Former Co-Star After He Gushed Over 'Extraordinary' Trump

In case you weren't aware, Frasier icon Kelsey Grammer long ago decided to forever ruin his legacy by hitching his wagon to Donald Trump.

Why is anyone's guess, but much like his few remaining cult members, even the President's 37% approval rating hasn't been motivation enough for Grammer to get off the MAGA train.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jennifer Welch; Erika Kirk
I've Had It/YouTube; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Liberal Podcast Host Blasts Erika Kirk For Being An 'Absolute Grifter' In Mic Drop Rant

Outspoken podcaster and former Bravo home improvement star Jennifer Welch spoke out about the publicity tour Erika Kirk has been on since her husband Charlie Kirk was shot and killed back in September.

Appearing at the White House and at as many conservative conventions and on as many right-wing networks as possible, Erika Kirk has been all smiles as she promotes Turning Point USA and her late husband's last book.

Keep ReadingShow less