Donald Trump’s Wednesday speech in Missouri was a hot mess. The man cannot finish a thought before he veers into self-praise, although he then sometimes returns to finish the thought without warning paragraphs later. But one thing jumped out:
I mentioned before, we have to run on the tax cuts because that has become the most popular thing.
To be fair, the Republican tax scam has become significantly more popular than it was before it was passed, not that that would have been difficult given how hated it was. But few people are seeing a bump in their paychecks, and many of those who do see it are high earners who knew all along that Republicans would take care of them. On one of its many forays into Trump Country, the New York Times described blue-collar Trump voters as "underwhelmed" by the changes in their paychecks. “It’s just a little extra money I can count on,” one said. “It’s not going to change my life.” “It’s definitely not going to change my life,” said another. Others were concerned about service cuts or their own future tax refunds.
Not only that, but the tax message had a concrete, on-the-ground test in this week’s Pennsylvania special election. Republican groups did run ads about the tax law … and then they stopped. Because it wasn’t working.
Passing the tax scam may have boosted the morale of the Republican base after a year of failures. So far, before people have started seeing how it plays out long-term, it’s gained a little in popularity. But it is not mobilizing voters (for Republicans, anyway).
So … by all means, Republicans! Please, listen to Trump. Run on the tax scam.