Warren Buffet today said that the estate tax must stay. "I would hate to see the estate tax gutted," Buffett said at a Manhattan news conference with the Gateses about his donation. "It's a very equitable tax," Buffett said. "It's in keeping with the idea of equality of opportunity in this country, not giving incredible head starts to certain people who were very selective about the womb from which they emerged."
Democrats need to seize on this. The wealthy among us don't want the estate tax repealed. Republicans are using it for political gain.
Americans always think they're going to be that rich so they support cutting taxes for the rich. There was a great line in a West Wing episode years ago written about that. It was written by Frank Luntz. A professor asked me why Americans support cutting taxes for the rich in class once and I remembered the line and said it and scored brownie-points.
Getting back to the title of this diary. Don't call it the death tax. Luntz has shown that if you call it the 'death tax' the support increases greatly because Americans don't know the difference. Tell them they're the same thing and that we cannot cut taxes when we're at war with such record deficits. Tell them that is fiscal irresponsibility at its core.
Let's learn from Luntz to understand how to win this debate. The rich don't want this tax repealed. And please Don't ever call it the 'death tax' because if you do then we will have already lost the debate.
Read his leaked memos. They're gems. They really help you understand political framing and the art of language. Luntz is writing a book due out in December that will be a necessity for PROGRESSIVES to read because its a how-to and history book of political language.
I worked for him for a year. I've learned the ins of his operation. If anyone has any questions about him please e-mail me at patmcgill@gmail.com