Tax Reform Revealed There’s No Growth Wing in the Democratic Party

In this March 13, 2017, file photo, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., accompanied by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of N.Y., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Photo: AP)

The debate and vote on tax reform in the U.S. Congress has revealed there’s no longer a “growth wing” in the Democratic Party. Not a single Democrat in the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a signature bill for the Trump Administration.

It’s the first overhaul to the U.S. tax code in 31 years.

Historically, tax reform has been a bipartisan issue and there has always been a wing in each party that put economic growth above ideology. The Democratic Party that slashed the capital gains tax under President John F. Kennedy is extinct, replaced by a radical ideology that puts politics and the power of the federal government above everything else.

Democrats Dick Gephardt and Dan Rostenkowski led efforts to pass the Tax Reform Act of 1986 in the House of Representatives. Liberal New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley was considered one of the top architects of the measure in the U.S. Senate, which voted 74 to 23. That includes 33 Democrats voting “Yes” on the final bill, which slashed the top marginal income tax rate to 28%.

But unfortunately, despite promising bipartisanship on the issue all year, Red State Democrats now exclusively vote like they represent the most liberal states in the union. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is considered one of the most conservative Democrats in the U.S. Senate, has proven himself to be full of rhetoric.

At the end of the day, he and other Red State Democrats vote as Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., demands.

Senator Manchin and the faux conservative Democrat caucus in the upper chamber claimed they wanted to make the cuts for individuals permanent, rather than implement a 10-year sunset provision. Ironically, Republican leadership added the 10-year sunset provision to avoid parliamentarian rules that require a 60-vote threshold for passage in the U.S. Senate.

Why? Because there was no realistic chance of support for the bill among Democrats. When push comes to shove, the senators from West Virginia, North Dakota, Indiana and Missouri vote like they represent New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California.

The Democratic Party is now run by the far left wing of their base. The Resistance demands complete and total opposition to President Trump and that means they will oppose good policy even if it means hurting working Americans.

In fact, outside of the pathetic attempt to steal and rebrand the Trump Agenda, they don’t have a plan to help Americans. Their plan is and has been to use immigration to replace working Americans with a permanent underclass.

Democrats have no plan to grow the U.S. economy or to share in its return to prosperity after 8 years of a part-time malaise.

The potential for tax reform coupled with deregulation in MAGAnomics under the Trump Administration has driven a resurgence of optimism and economic growth. That is no longer debatable.

If the fourth quarter (4Q) for 2017 comes in at the lower end of the regional Federal Reserve forecasts — which appears almost certain — U.S. economic growth during the first year under President Trump will exceed the strongest year under Barack Obama.

Democrats simply cannot allow that to happen; they cannot allow the presidency of Donald Trump to be a success.

Unlike Tip O’Neill, the former Democratic Speaker of the House under the Reagan Administration, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will not allow Americans’ interests and economic growth to jeopardize their obstruction. Unlike Senator Bradley, Minority Leader Schumer has abandoned tradition and precedent in the upper chamber.

Sadly, tax reform demonstrated beyond a doubt that — no matter what state or district they’re from– Democrats in the House and Senate will vote however Chuck and Nancy want them to vote.

Check out how the tax reform overhaul impacts you with the tax plan calculator.