The Democrats' cheeky attack on Mitt Romney's tax plan
A gimmicky website and a new ad go after the Republican's arithmetic. And that's probably just the beginning of Obama's latest campaign offensive

The attack: The Obama campaign is pulling out all the stops to pull apart Mitt Romney's tax plan. Former President Bill Clinton explains in a new Obama ad (watch it below) that Romney's proposed 20 percent reduction in tax rates across the board would cut tax revenue by $5 trillion over 10 years, a sum far greater than any potential savings from closing loopholes such as mortgage-interest and charity donation deductions for the rich. Clinton says Romney's insistence that his plan wouldn't cut taxes for the super wealthy, or raise them for the middle class, is simply not mathematically possible. The Democratic National Committee is following up with a website, www.romneytaxplan.com, poking fun at the lack of details Romney has offered to explain how his plan would work. The site has a tab that reads "Get the details," but when you try to click on it, it jumps away from the cursor.
The reaction: The Dems' website is "a gag, sure," says Neetzan Zimmerman at Gawker, "but the comment is poignant and gets the point across: Saying you'll figure it out after the election shouldn't be good enough." But Romney has explained his plan adequately to anyone willing to listen, says the Washington Examiner in an editorial. He'll simplify the tax code by lowering rates without affecting what individuals, wealthy or not, pay. Romney wants to spur job growth by lowering rates paid by small businesses. He knows that "keeping those rates low is vital to a robust economic recovery." Let's get real: Romney has been able to "snowball voters on with spurious facts and figures," says David A. Graham at The Atlantic. A cheeky website is one way to get people to think about tax policy, "an otherwise somewhat arcane subject." Another is for President Obama to hammer him on the issue face-to-face. Stay tuned, because that will surely happen in Tuesday night's debate.
Read more political coverage at The Week's 2012 Election Center.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published