Subject: FOR REVIEW: RE: LTEs for signoff
From: "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>
To: "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>, "Walsh, Tom" <[email-masked]>
Cc: RR2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2016 15:54:03 -0700

From: Walker, Eric
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2016 6:33 PM
To: Miranda, Luis; Paustenbach, Mark; Walsh, Tom
Subject: LTEs for signoff

LTE 1:

It's disturbing to see the chaos in the Republican primary, and their constant bickering. How can Republicans lead if they can't get their act together and why should we like them if they don't like each other? And if House Speaker Paul Ryan is willing to step down from being their convention Chair, why won't [STATE NAME] explain clearly whether [he/she] supports Donald Trump.

It's also obvious that despite the circus, they're all pushing the same policies. From Donald's opposition to raising the minimum wage to his plan to cut taxes for the rich, Trump, [STATE NAME] and House Speaker Paul Ryan are cut from the same cloth.

I was also troubled to hear that Trump would avoid paying the country's debt and that the treasury would just print more money. If I don't pay my bills I know what happens, I can't get any credit. What would happen if he refused to pay our nation's bills? This whole Republican primary feels full of reckless and irresponsible personalities.

LTE 2:

The more I read about Donald Trump's tax proposals, the more I am terrified of another Republican presidency. That's what hurt hard-working Americans like me, under Bush. Trump's tax plan would cost $9.5 trillion by slashing taxes for billionaires, while standing staunchly against a minimum wage increase. Trump even made the outrageous claim that wages were too high. His plans are an even more reckless version of the same, trickle-down tax plans that Speaker Paul Ryan has tried and failed to advance in Congress, in which the rich get richer at the middle-class's expense.

I'm concerned [STATE CANDIDATE/INCUMBENT NAME] hasn't spoken out and taken a clear position on Trump. Especially because of the economy. The last Republican administration left our country in a recession, and I worry about that.

I don't believe Donald Trump's populism, because it seems he has built his fortune by taking advantage of others, and his tax plan would mean a big windfall for himself, once again giving middle-class families the short end of the stick. That would be taking us in the wrong direction.

LTE 3:

While Republicans like Donald Trump and Paul Ryan argue, their historic spat isn't taking something into account, they're both promising pretty much the same thing. No wonder most Republicans in exit polls think their primary has been divisive. But we can't be misled that any of these guys is a friend of working people. First, Trump said in a debate that wages are "too high" in this country. Then, he rolled out a tax plan that would give the top 0.1% of income earners like himself an average tax cut of more than $1.3 million. We can't know exactly how much Trump would benefit from his own plan to cut taxes for the rich, since he has refused to release his tax returns. And [STATE NAME/CANDIDATE/INCUMBENT] hasn't taken a stand.

I wonder if it's because Republicans in Congress have been riding the same Bush-style tax cuts for the rich and trying to cut things like healthcare, education, and infrastructure spending to pay for it, and they've done it for years. Either way, it's troubling.

LTE 4:

I don't understand why Donald Trump and Paul Ryan don't get along. They both support the same trickle-down economic policies that preceded the economic downturn in 2008. They both want to more Bush-style tax breaks for the rich. They both oppose raising the minimum wage. They both oppose equal pay for women. They are both content to threaten the country's full faith and credit by playing games with the debt limit. They both want to undo the progress we've made under President Obama - 14 million new jobs and cutting the unemployment rate in half.

Trickle-down economics simply doesn't work. The last two times Republicans implemented this agenda, our country was left mired in recession and facing massive deficits. The fact that Donald Trump and Paul Ryan are still pushing this failed economic theory shows they just don't understand what regular Americans are going through.

Eric Walker
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
732-991-1489
@ericmwalker<https://twitter.com/ericmwalker>