The Patriot Post® · Dems' Tax-Hike Plans Take a Hit

With the mainstream media salivating over the “real” possibility of Republicans repeating a Roy Moore fiasco in the West Virginia primary — only this time with a much more problematic candidate — the GOP braced for the worst. Then Tuesday night came and, much to Democrats’ chagrin, the most dangerous Republican candidates to Dems’ hopes of a “blue wave” won. In other words, Tuesday night proved to be a good night for the GOP, dimming Democrat dreams for regaining control of the Senate and maybe even the House in November.

The two most significant primary wins for Republicans came in the states of Indiana and West Virginia, both having heavily voted for Donald Trump. In Indiana, Washington outsider and anti-establishment candidate Mike Braun won the primary and will face off against Joe Donnelly, the vulnerable Democrat incumbent senator. Of the three Republicans who ran, Braun was widely considered the best candidate to challenge Donnelly. In West Virginia, former Massey Energy CEO and ex-convict Don Blankenship was defeated by a wide margin, coming in a distant third with just 20%; the victor was state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who was instrumental in blocking Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan and saving the coal industry. That’s huge in West Virginia, and Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin must be sweating it now.

Meanwhile, if Democrat hopes for a “blue wave” are to materialize, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) seems bound and determined to make it as difficult as possible. The House minority leader declared this week (again) that one of Democrats’ primary goals is to raise taxes. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Pelosi to respond to a Republican ad charging that, should Democrats regain control of Congress, they would seek to “institute a single-payer health care program” and raise taxes. Pelosi responded, “I think they mean roll back the tax cuts they passed this year. Well, the second part there is accurate.” She added, “I do think we should revisit the tax legislation in … a bipartisan, transparent way.”

Remember, not a single Democrat voted to reduce anyone’s tax burden last year.

So while the Democrats’ anti-Trump base may be loving the prospect of getting back at the president, there are a couple of warning signs for Democrats. First, polls show that a majority of Americans now view the Robert Mueller investigation against Trump as primarily politically motivated. That may not seem like much, but it’s the spearhead of the #Resistance, and the American people are seriously skeptical. Second, and even more significantly, a good economy is bad for Democrats — and we’re in the midst of a good economy.

Obviously, the midterms are still months away and, as that old adage goes, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. But the Democrats’ strategy of offering little more than Trump-bashing in the midst of a booming economy may prove to backfire.

(Edited.)