Pressured on tax cuts, Democrats see little reason to deal

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) joins members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and representatives of progressive activist groups for a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 4. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In August, a month before the release of their framework for tax cuts, Republicans thought they saw an ally in Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). The congressman, a critic of his party leaders, repeatedly insisted that his party seemed too "anti-business." Ryan's support for "tax reform" perked up the American Action Network, a conservative group aligned with House Republicans, which ran TV ads thanking the Democrat.

But last week, when the framework dropped, Ryan wasn't sold.

"It looks like a dog," Ryan said in a short interview at the Polk County Democrats' fundraiser in Iowa last weekend. "Getting rid of the Alternative Minimum Tax, which makes sure that the wealthy pay at least something? Getting rid of the estate tax? It's a big tax cut for Trump and people like Trump."

The sales pitch for tax restructuring, which after several false starts is finally underway, is in part a pitch aimed at vulnerable Democrats. AAN is one of several groups buying ads and releasing polls that show sky-high support for some version of "tax reform." President Trump's speeches on the issue, which have diverged from the contents of the GOP's framework, have taken place in three states where Republicans hope to beat incumbent senators in 2018 — Missouri, North Dakota, and Indiana.