Third Way Dispatch

Gas could hit $7 a gallon. Iraq could collapse into anarchy. Kim Jong Il could sell nukes to Iran. But as bad as things get, conservatives are betting that one thing scares voters more—having “tax and spend liberals run Washington.”

It’s not a new strategy. The “tax and spend” charge was first used by conservatives around the time that George W. Bush was pledging Skull & Bones. But it’s their old reliable, and they go back to it every election cycle, no matter what is happening in the world. So if you live in a targeted state or district, look for it coming soon to a television near you. (He’s Conrad Burns, and you can bet that he approves that message.)

We have a simple plan for helping progressive candidates turn back the “tax and spend” attack: If the conservative candidate says he’ll cut taxes, so should they. Here’s why:

1. They can offer a concrete batch of ideas to lower taxes on the middle-class and to create middle-class opportunity.

2. They can contrast their own plan for middle-class tax cuts with conservative proposals, which mostly benefit the richest of the rich and do little for ordinary Americans. (“My opponent wants to send the children of the rich to Europe this summer – I want to send the children of the middle-class to college this fall.”)

3. They can shift their tactics from defense to offense and change the terrain of the debate. The battle becomes not about defending against the spurious “tax and spend” charge, which is fighting on their turf, but about whose plan is better for middle-class voters. And that’s fighting on OUR turf.

We hope you will take a look at our memo, Tax Reform and Economic Growth, for some ideas on middle-class tax cuts and more on how candidates can win the battle on taxes.