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While I have said this to you numerous times, I still think if JRB wants to differentiate himself from the field making tax reform a centerpiece of his campaign is the way to go.

If he talks about simplifying the tax code and getting rid of tax loopholes it allows him to make the same points that Sanders is making about campaign finance. Tax loopholes allow for soft corruption. There would be less interest among corporations and billionaires to fund Super PACs if they didn’t think they could influence tax legislation. It would be a tricky needle to thread because Dems like to use tax policy to influence social and economic policy as much as Reps like to use it to favor corporations and billionaires.

But you can use it to talk about a lot issues where it will be hard to differentiate himself from HRC or Sanders. For example, while HRC is calling for an elimination of the Cadillac Tax on healthcare policies under Obamacare which the Unions want, JRB could say that he agrees but taxing of healthcare needs to be looked at as part of comprehensive tax reform. It makes HRC look like she is just pandering to the unions with this one thing while he’s looking for overall tax fairness and not interested in one thing here and there.

Tax reform can benefit the middle class by making the code more progressive.

You can talk about the funding of infrastructure under the tax rubric too because it is funded by the gas tax and funding infrastructure through the repatriation of overseas taxes.

Am in no way a tax expert so maybe the nuts and bolts get too complicated but I think it gives JRB one big idea through which all of his other ideas could run. HRC looks like a think tank just putting out policy papers with no real unifying theme. And these allows JRB to sound like he’s got more of a plan to Sanders on how to talk about Wall Street and campaign finance.

And it is outside the box enough that JRB looks like a different kind of candidate and he can say that because he’s been around for so long he uniquely understands this.

Just some rambling thoughts…..


Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com <x-msg://59/eschwerin@obblaw.com>
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