Wichita Eagle:

“We need a flat tax instead of the dreadful, incomprehensible tax code we now have,” Brownback wrote in the letter that announced the creation of his presidential exploratory committee.

Brownback, R-Kan., is best known for his conservative stances on social issues such as abortion and stem cell research. But he touts himself as the Republican field’s truest conservative candidate on fiscal issues as well, and his call for a flat tax is in line with that.
…
He hasn’t proposed a specific rate but envisions an optional flat-tax system to coexist with the current system, allowing taxpayers to choose.

“It’s sort of a 30,000-foot approach at this point,” Brian Hart, a Brownback spokesman, said of the lack of specifics.

Last month Brownback hired Kevin McLaughlin, an Iowa businessman who’d worked on both of Steve Forbes presidential campaigns, to work on his exploratory campaign. McLaughlin has been a strong proponent of the flat tax in Iowa. I wrote at the time:

Sam Brownback has added an Iowa businessman, Kevin McLaughlin, to his exploratory committee staff. McLaughlin cited Brownback’s positions on “tax, Social Security, and health care reform” as primary reasons for supporting his campaign. McLaughlin is an investment banker and is an activist for privatizing Social Security.

McLaughlin is also the founder of Iowans for Discounted Taxes, a group that supports the Steve Forbes’ flat tax plan (McLaughlin worked on Forbes’ presidential campaigns in 1996 and 2000). IDT, like most Iowa Republican groups, has close ties to other wings of the Republican movement. McLaughlin has frequently posted columns on the Iowa Christian Alliance’s website. The Iowa Christian Alliance’s mission centers on getting people to vote on “Christian principles,” which translates to advocacy of reducing abortion rights, banning gay marriage, and outlawing gambling. McLaughlin will likely try to leverage his seat at the nexus between business and Christian parts of the Iowa caucus.

I find it doubtful that McLaughlin is the sole source for Brownback’s adoption of a flat tax to his platform, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt things. Brownback needs to find ways to win over the Grover Norquist contingent of the Republican base, both for their financial power and free market appeal to rural voters.

This month Brownback signed a pledge — proffered by the conservative group Americans for Tax Reform — not to raise taxes, a move that further buttresses his bona fides among fiscally conservative Republican primary voters but that might make instituting a flat tax more difficult.

It’s probably just me, but anyone nitpicking about raising taxes to institute what would constitute the largest tax cut in American history (the implementation of a flat tax) is probably too conservative for anyone to the left of Attila the Hun to gain support from.

What this does do, though, is define Brownback as a candidate with strong beliefs at a time when other leading Republican contenders are regularly lambasted for flip-flops and shifting political visions. Not every Republican will go for a flat tax, but it will certainly distinguish Brownback from other candidates – just as his stance on the Iraq war is unique for GOP candidates (save Pataki). Unlike Chuck Hagel, whose only hope is through voters valuing his principles, Brownback’s principles have appeal to a larger segment of the primary voting base. Standing up for one’s beliefs is a tactic that I’d recommend to any politician; it just happens to be something that can realistically be expect to propel Brownback to the nomination.

Technorati Tags: Kevin McLaughlin, flat tax, Sam Brownback

Posted by Matt Browner Hamlin
Monday, January 15, 2007 at 10:59 pm

3 Responses to “Brownback Adds Flat Tax to His Platform”

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