
Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) holds up a postcard size tax return form during a news conference on the tax reform legislation November 2, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
GOP 'Propaganda' Not Working: Only 13% Believe Tax Plan Will Help Middle Class
New survey also shows that 60 percent believe the Republican plan will "mainly favor" the rich
For months Republicans and President Donald Trump have worked to convince Americans that massive tax cuts for the top one percent and the largest corporations would somehow primarily benefit the working class, but a new Washington Post/ABC News poll published Friday finds that the public isn't buying the GOP's "propaganda."
" GOP selling points aren't sinking in."
--Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR
Despite House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) insistence on Thursday that his party's proposals are geared toward helping "the middle class families in this country who deserve a break," only 17 percent of Americans believe the GOP tax plan "mainly favors" the middle class, while 60 percent believe their plan would primarily benefit the wealthiest.

As NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben noted on Thursday, previous polling leading up to the GOP's tax bill rollout revealed similar skepticism.
"GOP selling points aren't sinking in," Kurtzleben wrote. "One of Republicans' biggest talking points is that a corporate tax cut will benefit workers (though even right-wing economists have cast doubt on White House estimates on this point). But nearly 60 percent of people believe corporations won't 'use that money to create jobs.'"
As Common Dreams has reported, most Americans believe the economy is already rigged in favor of the wealthy, and an overwhelming majority think corporations pay too little--not too much--in taxes.
Following House Republicans' long-awaited release of the details of their tax plan on Thursday, progressive organizations and lawmakers are beginning to mobilize and raise public awareness about the bill's "outrageous and immoral" provisions.
"Just as we defeated the Republican healthcare bill, our job now is to bring people together to defeat this disastrous tax bill and to create an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the one percent," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) concluded in a statement on Thursday.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
For months Republicans and President Donald Trump have worked to convince Americans that massive tax cuts for the top one percent and the largest corporations would somehow primarily benefit the working class, but a new Washington Post/ABC News poll published Friday finds that the public isn't buying the GOP's "propaganda."
" GOP selling points aren't sinking in."
--Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR
Despite House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) insistence on Thursday that his party's proposals are geared toward helping "the middle class families in this country who deserve a break," only 17 percent of Americans believe the GOP tax plan "mainly favors" the middle class, while 60 percent believe their plan would primarily benefit the wealthiest.

As NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben noted on Thursday, previous polling leading up to the GOP's tax bill rollout revealed similar skepticism.
"GOP selling points aren't sinking in," Kurtzleben wrote. "One of Republicans' biggest talking points is that a corporate tax cut will benefit workers (though even right-wing economists have cast doubt on White House estimates on this point). But nearly 60 percent of people believe corporations won't 'use that money to create jobs.'"
As Common Dreams has reported, most Americans believe the economy is already rigged in favor of the wealthy, and an overwhelming majority think corporations pay too little--not too much--in taxes.
Following House Republicans' long-awaited release of the details of their tax plan on Thursday, progressive organizations and lawmakers are beginning to mobilize and raise public awareness about the bill's "outrageous and immoral" provisions.
"Just as we defeated the Republican healthcare bill, our job now is to bring people together to defeat this disastrous tax bill and to create an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the one percent," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) concluded in a statement on Thursday.
For months Republicans and President Donald Trump have worked to convince Americans that massive tax cuts for the top one percent and the largest corporations would somehow primarily benefit the working class, but a new Washington Post/ABC News poll published Friday finds that the public isn't buying the GOP's "propaganda."
" GOP selling points aren't sinking in."
--Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR
Despite House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) insistence on Thursday that his party's proposals are geared toward helping "the middle class families in this country who deserve a break," only 17 percent of Americans believe the GOP tax plan "mainly favors" the middle class, while 60 percent believe their plan would primarily benefit the wealthiest.

As NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben noted on Thursday, previous polling leading up to the GOP's tax bill rollout revealed similar skepticism.
"GOP selling points aren't sinking in," Kurtzleben wrote. "One of Republicans' biggest talking points is that a corporate tax cut will benefit workers (though even right-wing economists have cast doubt on White House estimates on this point). But nearly 60 percent of people believe corporations won't 'use that money to create jobs.'"
As Common Dreams has reported, most Americans believe the economy is already rigged in favor of the wealthy, and an overwhelming majority think corporations pay too little--not too much--in taxes.
Following House Republicans' long-awaited release of the details of their tax plan on Thursday, progressive organizations and lawmakers are beginning to mobilize and raise public awareness about the bill's "outrageous and immoral" provisions.
"Just as we defeated the Republican healthcare bill, our job now is to bring people together to defeat this disastrous tax bill and to create an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the one percent," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) concluded in a statement on Thursday.

