Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers' group that would be better named Americans for the Prosperity of the Kochs, is not at all surprisingly lining up behind Republicans' massive tax cuts for the wealthy. Even though there isn't really a bill yet to lobby for, the Kochs are running millions of dollars—$4.5 million to be exact—worth of advertising to try to get people to call their Democratic senators in support of it. And, of course, lying about what's in it.
The television ad buy, announced Thursday morning, will target Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, all of whom are facing tough re-election efforts next year in states that President Donald Trump won.
The conservative-leaning Koch organization has made passing tax reform a priority and has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars organizing voters and pressuring elected officials to support an overhaul.
In the ad, a woman looks at the camera and says that tax reform will help "average" Americans.
"People are sick of politics. I am too. But fixing our broken tax system isn’t about politics — it’s about helping people," she says. "That’s what tax reform will do. So, what’s stopping us?"
The script doesn't just say that it will help average Americans, it says "the powerful, the well-connected, the politicians—they'll stop benefitting from a rigged system." Then this laugh-riot: "It means every day Americans will have more to spend on what's important to them."
You know, that new kitchen or car you can get with $1,000 you'll be saving. But actually, Trump's economic advisor Gary Cohn was being optimistic on that $1,000 savings.
The [Urban Institute and Brookings Institution's Tax Policy Center] analysis says the average household in the top quintile [incomes above $730,000] would see its tax bill decline by $8,470 in 2018 under the plan—a drop of 2.4 percentage points from the average federal tax rate. For people in the middle quintile, making between $48,601 and $86,100, it would mean a decrease of just $660—or 1 percentage point.
Are you making big renovation plans for your $660 windfall?