In November, after securing a tax break for his wealthiest constituents in the House version of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) used a familiar argument to defend raising the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. “Thanks to this bill, we scored a big round against the Moocher States and we will cut taxes for families across New Jersey’s Fifth District.”
It was not the first time that Gottheimer, or other elected Democrats, had discussed federal revenue in this way. Yet the concept of “moocher states” is about the most tone-deaf Democratic message since Hillary Clinton uttered the phrase “basket of deplorables.” Directed at red states that voted for Trump, the framing is embarrassingly elitist, cutting against the spirit of inclusive social and economic development that has defined the Democratic Party’s better legacies. For a party agonizing over how to appeal to voters outside its loyal constituencies, it threatens to undermine any outreach to less prosperous regions and distract from the considerable investments that the American Rescue Plan and the recently signed bipartisan infrastructure framework contain.
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