Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Republican Party Commissioned a Poll on Trump's Tax Plan and the Results Are Everything They Feared

The Republican Party Commissioned a Poll on Trump's Tax Plan and the Results Are Everything They Feared
President Donald Trump with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of KY, Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Paul Ryan of WI., and Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, speak about the passage of the tax bill on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Ouch.

Back in December, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated:

"If we can’t sell this to the American people, we ought to go into another line of work."

The Kentucky Senator made the statement after the Republican controlled Senate passed the tax plan endorsed by President Donald Trump and the GOP. Now it looks like some of McConnell's colleagues—and maybe even McConnell—may need to find new jobs.


In a poll conducted by the Republican National Committee (RNC), public opinion of the GOP tax plan passed in December 2017 is less than favorable. The one piece of legislation held up as the major achievement of the Trump administration failed to impress voters.

This news does not bode well for the GOP heading into November's midterm elections.

The key to the success of selling the Trump tax reform lay in convincing middle and working class voters that they somehow benefit from the GOP designed tax cuts. But it appears most are not buying what Trump and the GOP are selling.

Voters responding to the poll overwhelmingly viewed the GOP tax plan as a benefit to corporations and the rich, not the middle class or workers. Dubbed the "Tax and Jobs Act" by Trump and his party, 61 percent of respondents said the new tax law benefits "large corporations and rich Americans" over "middle class families." Only 30 percent felt families benefited.

In the words of the RNC poll report:

"Voters are evenly divided on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. But, we’ve lost the messaging battle on the issue."

Public Opinion Strategies poll data (Bloomberg)

While the data concerning their tax plan shows that perception is true, the GOP hoped to convince their supporters and other voters otherwise. The poll, completed September 2 by RNC firm Public Opinion Strategies however found voters evenly divided as far as approval of tax reform with 44 percent for and 45 percent against.

The even split benefited from strong support from GOP voters and an evenly split independent vote.

Public Opinion Strategies poll data (Bloomberg)

The GOP tax plan dropped the corporate tax rate permanently to 21 percent from 35 percent. It also temporarily reduced individual tax rates, doubled standard deduction, eliminated or capped some itemized deductions and created a special tax break for "pass-through businesses" until the end of 2025.

According to an analysis from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, by 2025, "25 percent of the gains will go to the top 1 percent while 66 percent of the benefits will go to the top one-fifth of earners." Meanwhile, with reductions in itemized deductions, some middle and working class taxpayers may pay more in taxes.

By 2027, 83 percent of the GOP tax plan benefits go to the top 1 percent.

Trump signed his new tax law on December 22. The legislation went ahead without a single Democrat voting in favor of the changes.

And some voters will remember who voted for the bill dubbed the #GOPTaxScam while at the polls in November.

But the perception of the benefits of the GOP tax cuts was not the only bad news from the RNC poll.

Voters worry the Trump tax law heralds cuts to Social Security and Medicare. According to the RNC poll, "most voters believe that the GOP wants to cut back on these programs in order to provide tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy."

Despite the unfavorable message from their first round of tax reform, Republicans still plan to push more cuts to benefit the same groups before the 2018 midterms in November. The GOP plans to hold a floor vote in the Paul Ryan controlled House of Representatives next week.

But Speaker of the House Ryan's planned floor vote is largely symbolic. With a tighter margin in the Senate—and several key Senators fighting to keep their seats in the midterms—their latest tax cuts stand little hope of passage in the Senate.

However House Republicans can try to campaign on a narrative of voting for tax cuts for working and middle class people while the try to retain their own seats in the November elections. Speaker Ryan is retiring and will face no potential backlash.

In an email sent by his office to GOP members, Ryan stated:

"We promised more jobs, fairer taxes, and bigger paychecks. And we delivered on that promise."

He also added the RNC branded slogan "Better Off Now." If only he could get voters to believe it.

Midterm elections are set for Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less