What They’re Saying: “The Political Ads Almost Write Themselves” – Senate Republicans Plan “To Raise Taxes On As Much As Half Of The Country”

Senate Republicans unveiled their policy agenda for the midterm elections this morning:  “raising taxes on more than a hundred million Americans” – including retirees.

From Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Communications Director David Bergstein: “While Senate Democrats are fighting to lower costs and cut taxes, Senate GOP candidates have found their midterm bumper sticker: raising taxes on Americans, seniors and working families.”

See for yourself:

• Ramesh Ponnuru (National Review): Might also have been good to put out an agenda that did not include raising taxes on more than a hundred million Americans.

• Bill Kristol (The Bulwark): The NRSC head is promising to raise income taxes on tens of millions of Americans, including retirees.

• Sam Stein (POLITICO): Tucked in Rick Scott’s 11 pt GOP plan is a call for a tax hike, however small, on the lowest incomed Americans. It’s an ancestor of Romney’s 47% comments (minus the moocher talk)

• Matthew Yglesias (Slow Boring): Rick Scott’s new thing is mostly shrewd demagoguery but I’d be interested to know how many 2022 candidates agree with his proposal to raise taxes on retired people … it seems like a bad idea to me.

• Shane Goldmacher (New York Times): I try to avoid the “coming to a TV ad near you” genre of tweets but this probably merits it.

• Andrew Prokop (Vox): Shot: McConnell says releasing a GOP agenda before the midterms would be a liability
  Chaser: Rick Scott releases an. agenda with a proposed tax increase on half of Americans, seemingly including retirees

• Joseph Zeballos-Roig (Business Insider): The @dscc already out with a statement drawing a contrast with the GOP on cutting costs for families

• Washington Post: Rick Scott thrusts the GOP back into Romney-’47 percent’ territory. “The political ads almost write themselves: The leader of the effort to elect a Senate majority wants to use that to raise taxes on as much as half of the country… The GOP has for years defined virtually any new tax as a tax increase, and this meets that definition.”

• MSNBC: Why a GOP plan calls for tax increases on millions of Americans. “The campaign ads practically write themselves: ‘Democrats want tax hikes on the wealthy, a leading Republican wants tax hikes on everyone else.’”

• HuffPost: Rick Scott Releases Far-Right Plan For GOP Senate Majority. “The plan would radically downgrade the federal government, drastically cutting spending on social services, raising taxes.”

• POLITICO: Everyone should pay income tax: Getting very 2012 Mitt Romney presidential campaign vibes from this idea from Scott: “All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount.” Romney got relentlessly hit for his comments about the 47 percent of U.S. people (rated true by the fact-checkers) who pay no income tax.

• MSNBC: Ignoring McConnell, NRSC’s Scott unveils post-election agenda. “Just as notable is what isn’t mentioned in the senator’s plan: Scott offers nothing on health care, child care, ideas on how to curb inflation.”

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