Subject: Re: Sample release
From: "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>
To: "Helmstetter, TJ" <[email-masked]>, CommsApproval_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2016 06:15:48 -0700

Bumping for approval

On May 9, 2016, at 8:41 PM, Walker, Eric <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

Minor eds. Plus mark and Luis for signoff

On May 9, 2016, at 8:23 PM, Helmstetter, TJ <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

Happystate Democrats Slam Trump-Ryan Tax Plan During Event Held Earlier Today

Earlier today, Happystate Democratic Chairman Ronald McDonald, joined by state Senator Grimace and others, held a press conference to discuss the negative effects that the Trump-Ryan tax plan would have on our state’s economy and how it would harm ordinary Happystate residents.

 Donald Trump has exposed himself as reckless and dangerous on the American economy. His comments over the last few days promise to undermine the role of the United States as a major economic power and potentially threaten the global financial system. But Trump's dangerous ideas are just an extension of the misguided stances of Paul Ryan and the Republicans in Congress, who have pushed tax cuts for the rich, cuts for the middle class, and repeatedly threatened the full faith and credit of the United States.

“Donald Trump’s reckless tax policies and his suggestion that we should play chicken with the country’s finances are lifted directly from the same old failed Republican playbook.,” said Ronald McDonald, chairman of the Happystate Democratic Party.

“Trump can ignore reality and crown himself the king of debt, but it’s clear that his economic ideas, and those of his fellow Republicans are simply bankrupt. The American people and our economy can’t afford a disastrous Trump presidency,” said state Senator Grimace.

"Donald Trump's plan to give our hard-earned tax money away to the rich means there's less money to spend on things we care about like quality schools and safe facilities for our kids,” said Birdie, whose elementary school children would be harmed by the type of policies the Trump-Ryan plan advocates.

Over 50 anti-Trump demonstrators held signs at the press conference that said “Reject the Trump-Ryan Agrnda.” Photos are available here: www.LINK.url<http://www.LINK.url>

The message of the press conference was clear: Donald Trump can’t hide from the GOP’s obsession with trickle-down economics. Yesterday, Trump tried to dismiss concerns about his reckless tax plan, which would reward those at the top<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN0XZ0I3> by slashing the top income tax rate to 25 percent from 39.6 percent, claiming that “the rich” are “probably going to end up paying more.”

In reality, such a move would give<http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/first-read-why-trump-s-flip-flop-taxes-matters-n570431> the “top 0.1% of income earners like himself an average tax cut of more than $1.3 million (versus $2,700 for those in the middle class).” And just this morning, Trump once again confirmed<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-idUSKCN0Y01J4> that he would, in fact, lower taxes on the wealthiest of Americans. Trump also plans to substantially<https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/tax-reform> reduce the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, even beyond the reckless plan put forth by Republican Speaker Paul Ryan.

That’s not all Trump has in common with Ryan. Paul Ryan also said that Planned Parenthood shouldn’t get a “red cent<http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/01/politics/paul-ryan-planned-parenthood/index.html>” in funding. Trump, of course, supported shutting down<http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/donald-trump-government-shutdown-planned-parenthood-120981.html> the government to defund Planned Parenthood.

When it comes to immigration, we all know that Trump would build a wall<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/politics/donald-trump-runs-for-president-this-time-for-real-he-says.html> on the Mexican border; Paul Ryan has said that he supports such a wall and has voted for building one “repeatedly<http://www.hughhewitt.com/paul-ryans-way-forward-renewing-american-idea/>.”

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TJ Helmstetter
Deputy Director of Regional and Specialty Media
Democratic National Committee
202.863.8022 – desk
973.464.9224 – cell
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>