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

Carmen Baldwin; Alec Baldwin
@alecbaldwininsta/Instagram

Alec Baldwin Left Speechless After Daughter Points Out How Old His Wife Hilaria Was When He Turned 40

We all know actor Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria are in a "May/December romance," but having the actual age difference put in context is pretty surprising—even for Baldwin himself, it turns out.

Baldwin recently posted a hilarious video in which he and Hilaria's 12-year-old daughter Carmen did the math in a way that had Baldwin joking, "God help me."

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael J. Fox
Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Michael J. Fox Speaks Out After CNN Accidentally Sparks Death Scare With Video 'Remembering' His Life

Michael J. Fox made a surprise appearance at the PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Tuesday to celebrate the television show he's recently been a part of, Shrinking, effectively ending his acting retirement.

But while there, a surprise was in store, not just for the people in the audience, but for Michael J. Fox, as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Paris Jackson (left) speaks during an Entertainment Tonight interview about her father, Michael Jackson (right), and his legacy.
@Entertainment Tonight/TikTok; Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Michael Jackson Fans Called Out Over Their Deranged Reaction To Paris Jackson Talking About Her Late Dad

Paris Jackson is no stranger to public scrutiny—but this time, the backlash isn’t about her. It’s about fans of her late father, Michael Jackson, and the increasingly unhinged way they’re responding to her simply speaking about him.

It all started when Entertainment Tonight shared a red carpet interview from the Vanity Fair Vanities party, where Jackson was asked about the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic. The film stars her cousin, Jaafar Jackson, as the King of Pop, with Colman Domingo portraying family patriarch Joe Jackson.

Keep ReadingShow less
Riley Gaines; Tim Walz; Donald Trump
Ivan Apfel/Getty Images; Stephen Maturen/Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Riley Gaines Ripped For Bonkers Attempt To Discredit Tim Walz After He Condemns Trump's Genocidal Threat To Iran

Former NCAA swimmer and current transphobic conservative darling Riley Gaines was criticized for a desperate attempt to discredit Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after he condemned President Donald Trump's genocidal threat to kill the "whole civilization" of Iran.

Trump has insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of S.E. Cupp; Donald Trump
@secupp/X; Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Anti-Trump Conservative Epically Sounds Off On MAGA Voters Who Suddenly Have 'Buyer's Remorse'

Conservative CNN pundit S.E. Cupp criticized MAGA voters who now have "buyer's remorse" over President Donald Trump's war with Iran in a video on Instagram that condemned them for their support of a "homicidal maniac."

Trump has insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less