Jelly Bellies? Seriously?
When you’re bribing Members with Jelly Bellies, you know there’s a problem. After passing a tax bill that gives 83% of tax cuts to the wealthiest in America and adds $1.8 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years, it’s no wonder that Republicans are having a hard time selling the bill. The Washington Post takes a look inside GOP efforts and things are looking more and more desperate. Key excerpts:
“Republican leaders and campaign officials are scrambling to do more to sell voters on their signature legislative achievement — a $1.5 trillion tax cut — amid poor polling numbers, rank-and-file members who lack a consistent message and a president who refuses to focus on the issue.”
“Lacking a consistent messenger at the top, GOP lawmakers and outside groups are increasingly anxious about their ability to fill the void…”
“The $1.5-trillion-plus tax-cut law remains poorly understood by voters, according to strategists, pollsters and Republican lawmakers themselves… But more recently, the public has cooled to the law, and an NBC News and Wall Street Journal poll last month found 27 percent of respondents calling it a good idea while 36 percent said it was bad.”
“Leaders’ exhortations to members to focus on the law range from the serious — such as weekly talking points pointing out the top five ways workers and families would benefit from the law — to the symbolic. House leaders each week award a jar of Jelly Belly candy to the member of their caucus deemed to have worked the hardest to promote the law.”
“The pressure on Republicans to drive a positive message on the law was underscored by a blowup last week over comments by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) suggesting that there was ‘no evidence whatsoever’that corporations that had reaped a windfall were distributing those profits to their workers.”
“Numerous GOP lawmakers and campaign strategists acknowledge that their message hasn’t yet broken through amid a constant stream of controversy on other topics, often emanating from the White House.”
“Lacking a consistent messenger at the top, GOP lawmakers and outside groups are increasingly anxious about their ability to fill the void…”
“The $1.5-trillion-plus tax-cut law remains poorly understood by voters, according to strategists, pollsters and Republican lawmakers themselves… But more recently, the public has cooled to the law, and an NBC News and Wall Street Journal poll last month found 27 percent of respondents calling it a good idea while 36 percent said it was bad.”
“Leaders’ exhortations to members to focus on the law range from the serious — such as weekly talking points pointing out the top five ways workers and families would benefit from the law — to the symbolic. House leaders each week award a jar of Jelly Belly candy to the member of their caucus deemed to have worked the hardest to promote the law.”
“The pressure on Republicans to drive a positive message on the law was underscored by a blowup last week over comments by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) suggesting that there was ‘no evidence whatsoever’that corporations that had reaped a windfall were distributing those profits to their workers.”
“Numerous GOP lawmakers and campaign strategists acknowledge that their message hasn’t yet broken through amid a constant stream of controversy on other topics, often emanating from the White House.”