Republicans try to make hay on tax cuts with Pelosi's 'Armageddon' and 'crumbs'

ajc.com

Credit: Jamie Dupree

Credit: Jamie Dupree

As President Donald Trump goes before Congress and the nation on Tuesday night in his first State of the Union Address, Republicans in Congress are doing all they can to press the case for a sweeping tax cut package signed into law by the President late last year, doing their best to ridicule two words used by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to knock down the plan - 'crumbs' and 'Armageddon.'

Commenting on the GOP tax effort, Pelosi said the amount of money that working Americans would get from tax cuts wasn't much compared to that of the wealthy and corporations - 'crumbs' was her quote.

"These aren't "crumbs," Leader Pelosi," said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), the head of the House Freedom Caucus about the tax cut plan.

"These are real benefits for real Americans, keeping more of THEIR hard-earned money," Meadows tweeted.

While the GOP seized on that quote, they've also been recycling attacks based on another term used by the House Democratic Leader, as Pelosi again charged the tax bill would run up a massive amount of new debt.

Her comment compared the approval of the tax bill to the end of the world, labeling it "Armageddon."

Almost daily, Republicans have been making the case that getting more money in your paycheck is not 'Armageddon' or a 'crumb,' as GOP lawmakers have joined with the President to remind voters that every single Democrat in the U.S. House and Senate voted against the tax cut plan, and that Democratic leaders were disparaging the idea of voters getting more in their paycheck.

Here are just a few examples:

For Republicans, there have been signs of better poll numbers in recent weeks, both for the Congress and President Trump, as Republicans hope they can use this tax cut argument to turn things in their favor for the 2018 mid-term elections.

If you watch the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, you are certain to hear even more about tax cuts and economic growth.

"We've massively cut taxes for the middle class and small businesses to let working families keep more of their hard-earned money," the President said last week at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

"The Dems only want to raise your taxes," the President tweeted last month. "Why would smart voters want to put Democrats in Congress in 2018 Election when their policies will totally kill the great wealth created during the months since the Election."

With reports trickling in almost daily of big companies giving bonuses and raises to their workers, the President has taken on the role of Economic Cheerleader, using the bully pulpit - and his bullhorn on Twitter - to make the case that tax cuts are good for everyone.

That's being amplified on conservative talk radio and Fox News - along with Pelosi's words.

Republicans hope to amplify their argument even more in February, when withholding changes go into effect for millions of American workers, which should mean more money in most paychecks.

"The President’s policies are creating millions of jobs, increasing workers’ wages, creating several stock market records, increasing the value of college savings accounts, retirement accounts," said a Senior Administration Official last week.

Democrats in Congress are still labeling the plan a "tax scam," echoing Pelosi in arguing that it mainly benefits those who are already well off.

But those two words from Pelosi have unintentionally given GOP lawmakers something else to rally around.

The tax cut "is fueling an economic boom," said a Senior Administration Official.

President Trump gets the chance to make that case again on Tuesday night on Capitol Hill - and it's one that he's certain to make in the heat of the 2018 campaign in coming months as well.