As soon as Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan as his running mate, Democrats pointed out that under Ryan’s budget proposals, Romney would pay just about nothing in federal income taxes — and they hoped Obama would seize on that fact as well.
He did in New Hampshire Saturday, incorporating Romney’s would-be tax rate into his stump speech.
Even as Romney backs away from Ryan’s House budget plans — promising his own detailed plans to cut spending that are different from Ryan’s politically unpopular proposals — Democrats have sought to link him with the House budget Ryan offered.
Going one step further, Obama hybridized Ryan and Romney in New Hampshire, tying both men to the politically risky parts of both their plans. Obama raised both the tax proposals of the Ryan budget and the independent analysis of Romney’s tax plan Obama’s campaign has been discussing for weeks.
“The centerpiece of my opponent’s entire economic plan is a new, $5 trillion tax cut, a lot of it going to the wealthiest Americans,” Obama said, according to prepared remarks. “And his new running mate, Rep. Ryan, put forward a plan that would let Gov. Romney pay less than 1 percent in taxes each year. Here’s the kicker: He expects you to pick up the tab. Gov. Romney’s tax plan would actually raise taxes on middle-class families with children by an average of $2,000.”
The Romney campaign responded by attacking Obama’s plan to raise taxes on wealthy Americans. The Romney camp ignored Obama’s attacks on the Ryan budget and its tax proposals, trying to keep the conversation focused on Romney’s plan. While Romney is running on his own proposals, he’s said he would sign Ryan’s budget into law.
“The fact is President Obama wants to raise taxes on private investment and job creators, which will lead to higher unemployment and fewer jobs,” Romney spokesperson Ryan Williams said. “The Romney-Ryan plan eliminates taxes for the middle class on interest, dividends and capital gains and implements pro-growth policies to deliver more jobs and more take-home pay for middle-class families.”
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