Giffords and Pederson Get Populist Tax Politics

I’m encouraged that both Pederson and Giffords are demonstrating the importance of undermining the middle- to low-income appeal of GOP tax policy by offering populist programmes of their own. Pederson has proposed the bolder plan by recommending a revenue neutral 25% cut in payroll taxes (pdf). Now if Pederson’s IT team would just make the details his policies available without a PDF download…

Giffords has taken a solid shot at the current Congressional majority’s failure to implement a basket of middle-class tax relief measures. It’s a good start and an encouraging sign that she understands the value of having a Democratic tax reduction policy that can steal the GOP’s thunder by offering more to average taxpayers and less to the wealthy and special interests while being fiscally responsible with a sustainable, long-term tax policy – in contrast to the wild fluctuations, sunsets, and short-term thinking that characterizes GOP tax mongering.

Reasonable, populist, and fiscally responsible tax reduction is emerging as a major feature of the Western Democratic tradition that is swiftly turning the Mountain West blue. I hope to see our Democratic candidates to continue to develop and coordinate on this issue; it is the key to winning solid support from Independents and pulling fiscally conservative and socially liberal Republicans out of the GOP’s tent.