Progressive Breakfast: The Incredible Shrinking Populist: Donald Trump's Tiny Economic Vision

MORNING MESSAGE

On Monday, Donald Trump talked about the economy on television for an hour. That may have exceeded the graduate-level curriculum at Trump University. But the biggest lesson I learned is that Trump contradicts himself more, and becomes more typically Republican, with every passing day.

Trump's ECONOMIC SPEECH ATTACKED ON ALL SIDES

Trump economic speech fact-challenged. AP: “He wrongly accused Hillary Clinton of proposing to increase middle-class taxes and blamed crumbling roads and bridges on money spent on refugees … He overstated the corporate tax burden and declared the jobless rate … a hoax.”
EPI’s Larry Mishel trashes speech: “Donald Trump fashions himself a populist, but his economic plan just recycles the failed policies of deregulation and massive tax cuts for the rich and corporations … There was nothing in Trump’s policy agenda that would ensure that wage growth will be generated by economic growth.”
Republican economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin calls Trump speech “a hot mess” on MSNBC: “He’s saying, for example, we’re going to tax those carried interests for the first time. But the rate at which he’s going to tax them is lower than the rate at which they’re currently being taxed, so he’s actually cutting the tax on carried interest.”
“Trump’s child care plan won’t help poor families” says Politico’s Danny Vinik: “…Trump is proposing a tax deduction, not a tax credit—and that’s a problem … Millions of low-income Americans—the families most likely to be unable to afford child care—don’t pay any income taxes. They won’t see any benefit from Trump’s new proposal.”
Republicans unsettled by Trump infrastructure promises. The Atlantic: “Trump’s devotion to infrastructure draws criticism even from his own economic advisers … [Stephen] Moore ripped Trump’s comments on infrastructure in an op-ed for the Washington Times … congressional Republicans have largely kept quiet about Trump’s promises to spend big on roads, rails, and bridges. House Speaker Paul Ryan … has responded with the rhetorical equivalent of a brush-off … [However,] Trump hasn’t released a detailed infrastructure plan…”
Trump won’t name bundlers. Politico: “Trump has scheduled a blitz of fundraisers across the country in the coming weeks … including one at the home of billionaire Bill Koch, the lesser-known brother of Charles and David … It is a sharp departure from the primary, when Trump claimed he couldn’t be bought … [And] it is Clinton who is more open about her own finances and where the money is coming from.”
Libertarian Gary Johnson touts national sales tax. Roll Call: “Johnson made clear … that he hoped his sales tax plan would attract voters and entice endorsements from uncommitted GOP elected officials and donors … Johnson calls for replacing the income tax with a 28 percent national sales tax on goods and services, and says his blueprint is revenue neutral and includes incentives for low-income families.”

CLINTON MOVES INTO RED TERRITORY

Clinton campaign moves into AZ and GA. W. Post: “Representatives of Hillary Clinton’s campaign phoned state Democratic leaders in Arizona and Georgia on Monday night to alert them of plans to begin transferring funds to hire more field organizers in those states … Polls in both states … show a tightening race … And the money could also help promote down-ballot candidates in Arizona and Georgia.”
Trump weak in Utah. NYT: “…a large Mormon population with a strong distaste for Mr. Trump has left the state up for grabs, and with a substantial Mormon presence spilling into places such as Arizona, Idaho and Nevada, what would normally be a Republican safe zone could be surprisingly competitive … [Gary] Johnson, whose campaign headquarters is in Salt Lake City, has been returning regularly … the Clinton campaign has staff on the ground in Utah, and it is dispatching former President Bill Clinton to the state for a fund-raising event this week…”

OBAMACARE MAKING PEOPLE HEALTHIER

New data shows improving health after Obamacare. NYT: “A new study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, offers another way of looking at the issue. Low-income people in Arkansas and Kentucky, which expanded Medicaid insurance to everyone below a certain income threshold, appear to be healthier than their peers in Texas, which did not expand.”
Louisiana embraces Obamacare. Boston Globe: “Last January, Louisiana voters elected John Bel Edwards governor (the only Democrat governor in the Deep South). On just his second day in office he signed an executive order that made Louisiana the 31st state to expand Medicaid, which is a crucial part of Obamacare … Though applications for the new Medicaid benefit did not begin until June, already 265,723 Louisianians have signed up.”

BREAKFAST SIDES

Class gap emerges with paid family leave. American Prospect: “…it’s far more common in the lucrative tech and finance industries and in the liberal coastal states [to] such policies. But those who are working blue-collar jobs or in the South are far less likely to have access to paid time off to care for newborns or sick loved ones … only about 12 percent of American workers had access to paid family leave.”
Speaker Paul Ryan faces primary tonight. AP: “[Opponent] Paul Nehlen’s star rose after Trump praised him last week on Twitter, then later pointedly withheld his endorsement of Ryan. Trump relented just three days later … He ran well to Ryan’s right, accusing Ryan of betraying Trump and favoring a ‘globalist agenda’ of disastrous trade deals and porous borders.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's Future. more »