The lunacy of Republicans' post-bloodbath focus on tax cuts

If Republicans think tax cuts will save them from another shellacking, they're out of their minds

Republicans and their taxes.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In their postmortems of a brutal election night, Republican elected officials, strategists, and pundits all seemed to agree on one thing: The party really, really needs to pass the tax-cut bill now. It needs to "put a W on the board." It needs to deliver something meaningful to President Trump's desk.

Even before Tuesday's rout, the GOP tax cut effort was the "glue holding a fractured Republican Party together," according to a New York Times analysis: "The prospect of a once-in-a-generation bill to cut taxes on businesses and individuals increasingly appears to be the best hope for a party anxious to find common ground and advance an effort that it has long championed as the pinnacle of Republican orthodoxy. It is a bit like having a baby to save a failing marriage."

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Scott Galupo

Scott Galupo is a freelance writer living in Virginia. In addition to The Week, he blogs for U.S. News and reviews live music for The Washington Post. He was formerly a senior contributor to the American Conservative and staff writer for The Washington Times. He was also an aide to Rep. John Boehner. He lives with his wife and two children and writes about politics to support his guitar habit.