Vape Ban Could Swing Election Against Trump

According to a Friday afternoon Axios scoop, "The Trump administration plans to finalize a ban on almost all flavored vaping products, with exemptions only for tobacco and menthol flavors, according to sources familiar with the plan. An announcement is expected next week."
But a poll conducted last week by Trump's campaign pollster John McLaughlin follows an ATR analysis of the number of adult vapers in battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida. That analysis, based on FDA data of adult use of e-cigarettes, showed that in 12 swing states, there are more than 4.1 million adult vapers, far more than the number needed to tip the election one way or the other.
In a new national poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, a significant number of adults that use e-cigarettes in seventeen key battleground states indicate that they will reject President Donald Trump’s re-election bid if his administration moves forward on a proposed plan to ban all flavored e-cigarettes, on that issue alone. The proposal to ban flavored vapor products is currently under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration and being championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
The McLaughlin firm was a principal polling firm for Donald Trump in 2016 and remains a trusted ally for the administration. The poll was commissioned by the Vapor Technology Association. According to the pollsters:
Four in five (83%) vapor consumers are likely to decide their vote based solely on a candidate’s position on nicotine vapor products and issues. Half (50%) are “very” likely to be single issue voters.

This is almost identical to the polling conducted in part by Americans for Tax Reform in October of 2016, which can be found here.
McLaughlin further concluded:
Nearly all (96%) of these vapor consumers are likely to vote in the 2020 general elections. Four in five (85%) are “definitely” voting. Among the 4% who are less likely to vote, the majority (59%) would be likely to come out to vote if lawmakers banned the sale and use nicotine vapor products.
These vapor consumers favor the Republican candidate on the generic ballot (46% to 24%), but 30% are undecided and up for grabs in the battleground states.
Supporting a ban on flavors in all nicotine vapor products is a political liability. Nearly all (96%) vapor consumers are LESS likely to vote for a candidate who supports a flavor ban. The intensity (92% much less likely) shows the passion they share on this issue.
The White House recently confirmed to the Washington Post that the “opinion of the [Trump] campaign" was that ‘banning flavored e-cigarettes might cost Trump reelection,’ an assertion published in the Washington Examiner based on an ATR analysis of likely single-issue adult vapers in key battleground states.
McLaughlin also concluded that there “is political upside for candidates who oppose a ban on flavors in all nicotine vapor products. Virtually nine in ten (88%) vapor consumers are MORE likely to vote for a candidate who opposes a flavor ban. Eight in ten (79%) are ‘much’ MORE likely to support such a candidate.”
On the flip side, if HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Acting FDA Commissioner successfully convince the White House to implement a flavor ban, McLaughlin concluded that “vapor consumers in Trump’s base would likely turn on him over this single issue.”
Although vapor consumers currently approve of the job Donald Trump is currently doing as President (51-44), 74% said that they would be less likely to vote for him, with 65% saying they would be “much less” likely to vote for Trump. Among key base and supporters, it’s significant:
- Approve Trump: 65% less likely;
- Republicans: 65% less likely;
- Conservatives: 62% less likely;
- Independent Men: 83% less likely;
- Independent Women: 79% less likely.
Prior to e-cigarettes, 84% of respondents smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more, with 94% reporting no longer smoking cigarettes due to nicotine vapor products. More than half smoked for at least 20 years before quitting.
“This new poll further confirms what Americans for Tax Reform has long argued, that millions of adults who use flavored nicotine e-cigarettes to quit smoking will vote on that issue and that issue alone. Banning flavors would be a significant political liability in every single one of the states that Donald Trump needs to win next year, especially in states like Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin which have at least two million adult vapers alone,” said Paul Blair of Americans for Tax Reform.
“As McLaughlin suggests, 74% of vapers in these states voting against the President because of this issue would cost him big. McLaughlin is a trusted pollster for the President so it is our hope that this puts a stop to the FDA and HHS's misguided plans to hand Democrats a win in 2020 by banning life-saving flavored e-cigarettes. Prohibition is not a winning proposition. Instead of demonizing people who are improving their own health by transitioning to products that are 95% less harmful, the federal government should focus its attention on the true cause of recent illnesses and death: black market THC and marijuana,” said Blair.
The FDA's Michael Bloomberg-style push for a flavored e-cigarette ban disregards the importance of flavors in transitioning adult smokers away from cigarettes onto less harmful alternatives. In an analysis published in the journal Harm Reduction last year, the evidence suggests that flavored products are the overwhelming preference for adults, with tobacco and menthol ranking outside of the top five consumer preferences.
Banning flavored e-cigarettes for adults would force adult vapers to go back to smoking or to seek out products on the dangerous black market.
The poll of adult vapor voters was commissioned by the Vapor Technology Association and conducted between October 17 and 22 in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The full crosstabs can be found here.
Read more: Conservative Groups Urge President to Reject Flavored E-Cigarette Ban
Moms to Trump: Don't Ban Flavored Vapes

"I have never smoked again saving my life for my children and my grandchildren. What saved me was the flavors."
In their own words, self-posted on Twitter using the hashtag #15sec4Vape -- please read and watch the powerful testimonials from moms, below:
“Hi, my name is Tiffany Everett. I’m a consumer, a suburban mother of two, and I serve on the board of the Tennessee smoke-free association. I was able to quit smoking cigarettes after several failed attempts, using flavored nicotine and open-end devices. Thank you!” -- @BlondeVaper
“My name is Annie. I'm an ex stay-at-home mom who smoked. Together with my son Richard, we've been for six and a half years in our little small store in Michigan helping thousands of customers get off cigarettes just like we did. We noticed early on that it's different for every single person, a different flavor, a different [nicotine] level, a different device. Because everybody smokes different, everybody vapes different. And we weren't off cigarettes until it worked for us. And we pay attention. And in our small little store, we're making a big difference. Thank you so much for whoever's responsible for calling us big vape. Never thought of it in those terms before, but we really are making a big difference for people's lives.” -- @anniezway
“In 2012, my son took me to the vape shop and bought me my first vape. From that point on, I have never smoked again saving my life for my children and my grandchildren. What saved me was the flavors. I immediately started vaping dessert flavors, and I have kept that up till the present day. Without flavors, I don't know what I will do because I do not like the taste of tobacco anymore. I refuse to go back to cigarettes, so, please, don't take my flavors away. I am too old to start with something new like smoking. Cannot do it. Just will not do it. Thank you." -- @opieyumyum
“I’m Michelle Hughes from Verbena, Alabama, 50 years old, mother of 5 grandmother of 2, diagnosed with COPD in 2015. Started vaping cookie custard and bakery flavors. I kicked the habit and saved my lungs. We vape, we vote.” -- @MichelleHughes_
“I smoked for 20 years despite having a dangerous heart condition I knew was being made worse by smoking. I tried everything to quit, but nothing worked until vaping. And since then, I’ve been able to stabilize my health, my heart has improved, and I finally have the possibility of a very long and full life, and seeing my daughter make it to adulthood, and maybe even seeing my grandchildren. So yes, vaping saved my life because without it, I probably wouldn’t even be here today.” - @Red_Phoenyx_
“My name is Hannah. I'm a single issue voter. I am a mother of two middle school students and I gave up my two pack a day smoking habit by vaping flavored nicotine e-liquids and use flavors like banana nut bread, birthday cake, and apple pie. Flavors save lives." -- Hannah
“I'm a mother, a wife, ex-smoker and a registered Republican voter. For the last nine years, my husband and I have built our vape company into 20 retail locations and a manufacturing facility. In September, we had to close five locations and layoff over 20 employees due to the uncertainty of a flavor ban. We still have over 50 employees and 65,000 customers that rely on flavors to keep them smoke-free. Please, President Trump, give vape shops a clear path forward. We live in fear and daily that politicians will decide our future. Keep America smoke-free, save flavors, save lives. We vape we vote.” --@ecigcharleston
“My name is Sarah Rutland. I am a mother, wife, sister and daughter. I smoked cigarettes for 20 years. I desperately tried everything to quit. Nothing worked until I found flavored vapor products eight years ago. Since making the switch my health has improved tremendously. Flavors save lives. I am a single-issue voter. We vape and we vote.” -- @piercersarah
“Hi, my name is Erica. I was able to quit smoking after 15 years using bluegrass cotton candy and grape jelly. I vape, I vote.” -- @VerhagenErika
“Hi, my name is Teresa and I am a mother, a grandmother and a wife. I smoked for over 30 years. I tried numerous things the patches, the gum, Chantix, none of that worked. I found flavored vaping, that worked. I quit smoking haven't had a cigarette in nine years. Also, I haven't had bronchitis and laryngitis yearly since I quit smoking. I vape, I vote.” -- @mrsgeno1
See Also:
Concerned Women in America Oppose Ban on Flavored Vaping Products
Conservative Groups Urge President to Reject Flavored E-Cigarette Ban
Vape flavor ban will devastate Main Street businesses nationwide
If you don't understand the power of the flavored vape issue, watch this video
Vape ban could swing election against Trump
NYT Editorial Board and Conservatives Agree: A Vape Ban is Bad for Public Health
WaPo: Vapers are "Astroturf" and Should Probably Die in Darkness
Testimonials from adults who need flavored vapes to stay off cigarettes
Conservatives Oppose Flavored Vape Ban

The following groups and individuals oppose a ban on flavored vaping products for adults:
American Conservative Union
Americans for Tax Reform
Heritage Action
Independent Women's Forum
FreedomWorks
Goldwater Institute
Citizens Against Government Waste
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Becky Norton Dunlop, Heritage Foundation's Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow
60 Plus Association
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Hispanic Leadership Fund
James Madison Institute
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Montana Policy Institute
R Street Institute
Reason Foundation
Rio Grande Foundation
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
American Consumer Institute
Consumer Choice Center
And many others: click here to see a conservative coalition letter to President Trump urging him to oppose a ban.
Many left wing politicians want to impose a flavored vape ban including Chuck Schumer, Michael Bloomberg, Dick Durbin, Rashida Tlaib, Patty Murray, and pretty much everyone in charge of San Francisco.
Also of note:
Moms to Trump: Don't Ban Flavored Vapes
Vape flavor ban will devastate Main Street businesses nationwide
If you don't understand the power of the flavored vape issue, watch this video
Vape ban could swing election against Trump
NYT Editorial Board and Conservatives Agree: A Vape Ban is Bad for Public Health
WaPo: Vapers are "Astroturf" and Should Probably Die in Darkness
Testimonials from adults who need flavored vapes to stay off cigarettes
Photo Credit: SeanL/Flickr
Booker: I Would Raise the Capital Gains Tax Rate

Cory Booker said that if elected, he would raise the capital gains tax rate during the MSNBC/Washington Post debate.
“I would tax capital gains like normal income,” Booker said.
Raising the capital gains tax would harm Americans’ ability to build a nest egg and hurt the value of their homes, farms, and businesses.
Booker told The Washington Post that he would also increase individual tax rates.
“We can start by implementing my plan to tax long-term capital gains and qualified dividends at the same rate as ordinary income through a “mark-to-market” framework, increasing individual tax rates, and raising rates and exemption levels for the estate tax,” Booker said.
Booker joins Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Pete Buttigieg in calling for a capital gains increase.
See more:
List of Buttigieg Tax Hike Proposals
2020 Dems: Warren's Medicare for All Will Raise Middle Class Taxes
Warren: Medicare for All Covers Illegal Immigrants
Elizabeth Warren Contradicts Herself on Taxes, Again
Biden: Imagine if I Told Elizabeth Warren ‘You Should Be In a Socialist Primary’
CNN Catches Warren in a Tax Lie
Bernie Sanders: Warren’s Medicare for All Plan Would Have “Very Negative Impact” on Jobs and Wages
Warren’s “Medicare for All” Repeals Trump Tax Cuts
Biden: Warren is "Making it Up" on How She'll Pay for Medicare For All
Biden: “It’s Impossible to pay for Medicare for All without middle class tax increases”
Biden Slams Medicare for All: “It’s Totally Unrealistic and Can’t be Done”
Warren: Two Million Lost Jobs from Medicare for All “Part of the Cost Issue”
Video Showing Every Time Elizabeth Warren Has Dodged the Middle Class Tax Question
Out of touch Biden calls Trump’s $2,000 middle class tax cut “negligible”
Biden Calls for 28% Corporate Tax Rate
Biden: “Every Single Solitary Person” Will Pay 40% Capital Gains Tax
Warren Dodges the Middle Class Tax Question Again
Buttigieg Says He Will Raise Corporate Tax Rate to 35%
Watch: CNN Analyst Gets Visibly Irritated as Warren Dodges Tax Hike Question
Andrew Yang to Elizabeth Warren: Wealth Tax Would Have “Massive Implementation Problems”
Biden on Warren Dodging Middle Class Tax Question: “This is Ridiculous. Absolutely Ridiculous.”
Buttigieg Grills Warren for Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
Biden: I Will Raise the Capital Gains Tax to 39.5%
Elizabeth Warren Can’t Stop Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
VIDEO: 17 Times Elizabeth Warren Has Dodged the Middle Class Tax Question
VIDEO: Warren Keeps Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
Biden: “I’m Gonna Double the Capital Gains Rate to 40%”
Tax Hike Bernie Says He’ll Tax All Income Over $29K
Video: Warren Dodges Middle Class Tax Question Again
Biden Calls for Full Repeal of Trump Tax Cuts
Biden Attacks Warren: "She's Going to Raise People's Taxes”
Video: Media Fed Up with Elizabeth Warren Tax Dodge
Biden: End "Trump's Tax Cut for The Top Tenth of One Percent"
Booker: “My plan would reverse those toxic Trump tax cuts”
Stephen Colbert Calls Out Warren for Dodging Middle Class Tax Question
Video: Warren Dodges MSNBC’s Middle Class Tax Questions
Elizabeth Warren is Still Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
Video: 2020 Democrats Promise Higher Taxes
Biden Caught Lying about GOP Tax Cuts
Bill De Blasio: “As President, I Would Issue a Robot Tax”
Kamala Harris Calls for Ban on Plastic Straws
Elizabeth Warren's Climate Plan Calls For "Reversing" GOP Tax Cuts
Sanders: We’re Going to “Absolutely” Raise the Corporate Tax Rate
Elizabeth Warren on Corporate Tax Cuts: “I really want to see them rolled back.”
Bill de Blasio Calls for Corporate Tax Rate Hike
Amy Klobuchar: Raise the Corporate Tax Rate to 25%
Biden on capital gains tax: “We should raise the tax back to 39.6 percent”
Kamala Harris Threatens to Repeal GOP Tax Cuts 3 Times in August
Joe Biden: “I’m going to eliminate most all” of GOP Tax Cuts
Cory Booker Calls for Repeal of "Toxic" GOP Tax Cuts
Marianne Williamson Joins Dems Calling for TCJA Repeal
Kamala Admits Her Plan Would End Employer Insurance
“Medicare for All” is a Middle Class Tax Increase, Say Dems
Elizabeth Warren Can’t Dodge the Middle Class Tax Question Forever
Dem Socialized Healthcare Plan Will Lead to Middle Class Tax Hikes
Supposed “Moderate” Democrat John Delaney Wants to Impose Carbon Tax on the American People
Klobuchar Suggests Capital Gains Tax Hike and “Doing Something” About TCJA
VIDEO: 2020 Democrats Will Raise Your Taxes
Kamala Harris Campaign Headquarters Located in Opportunity Zone Created by GOP Tax Cuts
Julian Castro: “We’re going to have to raise taxes.”
Biden and Harris: Raise the Corporate Tax Rate
Biden tweet: Ignore the fact I’ve already called for middle class tax hikes
Kamala Harris: “I Will Reverse” Trump’s Tax Cuts
Kamala Harris Calls for Repeal of Tax Cuts Four Times in Three Minutes
Julian Castro Caught Lying about GOP Tax Cuts
NYT: Bidencare Will be Funded by “rolling back” GOP tax cuts
Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal “That Tax Bill”
Cory Booker: “I do support” Imposing Carbon Tax on Americans
Harris: “We are Going to Repeal That Tax Bill”
Biden: I Will Raise Corporate Tax Rate to 28%
Kamala Harris Continues to Lie about Tax Cuts
Jay Inslee: “Repeal the Trump Tax Cuts”
Biden Running Ads to “Repeal Trump’s Tax Cuts.”
VIDEO: Ten Times Biden Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts
Here’s what happens if Dems repeal tax cuts
VIDEO: 10 Times 2020 Democrats Have Threatened to Repeal TCJA
Kamala Harris: When I Enter Office "I Will Repeal" the TCJA
Biden: “First thing I would do as President is Eliminate the President’s Tax Cut.”
Bernie Sanders claims people would be “delighted to pay more in taxes”
Biden: Tax Cuts Will be “Gone” If I’m Elected
Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal Tax Cuts “on day one”
Biden again says capital gains tax is “Much too Low”
Biden: Capital gains tax “much too low”
VIDEO: Five Times Biden has Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts
Biden: “First thing I’d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts.”
Joe Biden broke his middle class tax pledge
“Mayor Pete” Calls for Steep Tax Hike on Homes and Businesses
Kamala Harris Vows Repeal of Tax Cuts “on Day One”
Biden: “When I’m President, if God willing I am, we’re going to reverse those Trump tax cuts.”
List of Buttigieg Tax Hike Proposals

Since launching his presidential campaign, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has called for the following tax increases on the American people:
Eliminating the Trump Tax Cuts: Such repeal would significantly raise taxes on middle class households. If Buttigieg repealed the Trump Republican tax cuts:
-A family of four earning the median income of $73,000 would be stuck paying $2,000 more in taxes each and every year.
-A single parent with one child making $41,000 would pay $1,300 more in taxes each and every year.
“The campaign also exclusively provided IndyStar details about how it would pay for the $5.7 trillion in total spending Buttigieg has proposed so far, including the middle-class proposal, largely through a capital gains tax on the top 1% of all earners and through eliminating President Donald Trump's tax cuts,” according to The Indy Star.
Obamacare Individual Mandate Tax: Buttigieg's repeal of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act means that the much-loathed Obamacare Individual Mandate Tax will return with a vengeance. Most households stuck paying this tax make less than $75,000.
Carbon Tax: A Buttigieg carbon tax would significantly increase household costs such as cooling and heating, transportation, and groceries.
Buttigieg's carbon tax plan is a large, continually ratcheting national energy tax, which would allow congress to raise taxes automatically each year without having to vote. It would require a large bureaucracy to implement and run.
Even Hillary Clinton decided against a carbon tax during her 2016 presidential race. Her campaign's internal policy memo concluded the following:
“As with the increase in energy costs, the increase in the cost of non-energy goods and services would disproportionately impact low income households.”
The "dividend" component of the Buttigieg carbon tax also means that many Social Security recipients will have to pay taxes on their Social Security benefits for the first time.
Corporate Tax Hike to 35%: Buttigieg wants to raise the 21% corporate tax rate up to 35%. This would give the USA would have the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world, ruining American competitiveness. A corporate tax increase would also directly raise the cost of utility bills in all 50 states.
Financial Transactions Tax: As noted by Fred Hatfield in The Wall Street Journal, a financial transaction tax would hit the middle class. Joe Biden even admits that the tax would hit middle class Americans. Hatfield noted that Sweden ended up repealing their financial transaction tax “after 50% of its trading volume migrated to London.”
“A new financial transaction tax that would impact investments held by middle class Americans,” Joe Biden said in response to Elizabeth Warren’s Medicare for All plan.
Capital Gains Tax Hike: Buttigieg wants to impose a top capital gains rate of 37 percent. If he also repeals the Trump tax cuts, the Buttigieg top capital gains rate will rise to 39.6 percent.
Parcel Tax Hike: In May, Buttigieg joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at a rally hosted by SEIU union bosses to endorse a “parcel tax hike” on homes and businesses, known as Measure EE.
To view the many tax hikes being pushed by the 2020 candidates visit www.atr.org/HighTaxDems
See more:
Bernie Sanders: Warren’s Medicare for All Plan Would Have “Very Negative Impact” on Jobs and Wages
Warren’s “Medicare for All” Repeals Trump Tax Cuts
Biden: Warren is "Making it Up" on How She'll Pay for Medicare For All
Biden: “It’s Impossible to pay for Medicare for All without middle class tax increases”
Biden Slams Medicare for All: “It’s Totally Unrealistic and Can’t be Done”
Warren: Two Million Lost Jobs from Medicare for All “Part of the Cost Issue”
Video Showing Every Time Elizabeth Warren Has Dodged the Middle Class Tax Question
Out of touch Biden calls Trump’s $2,000 middle class tax cut “negligible”
Biden Calls for 28% Corporate Tax Rate
Biden: “Every Single Solitary Person” Will Pay 40% Capital Gains Tax
Warren Dodges the Middle Class Tax Question Again
Buttigieg Says He Will Raise Corporate Tax Rate to 35%
Watch: CNN Analyst Gets Visibly Irritated as Warren Dodges Tax Hike Question
Andrew Yang to Elizabeth Warren: Wealth Tax Would Have “Massive Implementation Problems”
Biden on Warren Dodging Middle Class Tax Question: “This is Ridiculous. Absolutely Ridiculous.”
Buttigieg Grills Warren for Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
Biden: I Will Raise the Capital Gains Tax to 39.5%
Elizabeth Warren Can’t Stop Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
VIDEO: 17 Times Elizabeth Warren Has Dodged the Middle Class Tax Question
VIDEO: Warren Keeps Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
Biden: “I’m Gonna Double the Capital Gains Rate to 40%”
Tax Hike Bernie Says He’ll Tax All Income Over $29K
Video: Warren Dodges Middle Class Tax Question Again
Biden Calls for Full Repeal of Trump Tax Cuts
Biden Attacks Warren: "She's Going to Raise People's Taxes”
Video: Media Fed Up with Elizabeth Warren Tax Dodge
Biden: End "Trump's Tax Cut for The Top Tenth of One Percent"
Booker: “My plan would reverse those toxic Trump tax cuts”
Stephen Colbert Calls Out Warren for Dodging Middle Class Tax Question
Video: Warren Dodges MSNBC’s Middle Class Tax Questions
Elizabeth Warren is Still Dodging the Middle Class Tax Question
Video: 2020 Democrats Promise Higher Taxes
Biden Caught Lying about GOP Tax Cuts
Bill De Blasio: “As President, I Would Issue a Robot Tax”
Kamala Harris Calls for Ban on Plastic Straws
Elizabeth Warren's Climate Plan Calls For "Reversing" GOP Tax Cuts
Sanders: We’re Going to “Absolutely” Raise the Corporate Tax Rate
Elizabeth Warren on Corporate Tax Cuts: “I really want to see them rolled back.”
Bill de Blasio Calls for Corporate Tax Rate Hike
Amy Klobuchar: Raise the Corporate Tax Rate to 25%
Biden on capital gains tax: “We should raise the tax back to 39.6 percent”
Kamala Harris Threatens to Repeal GOP Tax Cuts 3 Times in August
Joe Biden: “I’m going to eliminate most all” of GOP Tax Cuts
Cory Booker Calls for Repeal of "Toxic" GOP Tax Cuts
Marianne Williamson Joins Dems Calling for TCJA Repeal
Kamala Admits Her Plan Would End Employer Insurance
“Medicare for All” is a Middle Class Tax Increase, Say Dems
Elizabeth Warren Can’t Dodge the Middle Class Tax Question Forever
Dem Socialized Healthcare Plan Will Lead to Middle Class Tax Hikes
Supposed “Moderate” Democrat John Delaney Wants to Impose Carbon Tax on the American People
Klobuchar Suggests Capital Gains Tax Hike and “Doing Something” About TCJA
VIDEO: 2020 Democrats Will Raise Your Taxes
Kamala Harris Campaign Headquarters Located in Opportunity Zone Created by GOP Tax Cuts
Julian Castro: “We’re going to have to raise taxes.”
Biden and Harris: Raise the Corporate Tax Rate
Biden tweet: Ignore the fact I’ve already called for middle class tax hikes
Kamala Harris: “I Will Reverse” Trump’s Tax Cuts
Kamala Harris Calls for Repeal of Tax Cuts Four Times in Three Minutes
Julian Castro Caught Lying about GOP Tax Cuts
NYT: Bidencare Will be Funded by “rolling back” GOP tax cuts
Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal “That Tax Bill”
Cory Booker: “I do support” Imposing Carbon Tax on Americans
Harris: “We are Going to Repeal That Tax Bill”
Biden: I Will Raise Corporate Tax Rate to 28%
Kamala Harris Continues to Lie about Tax Cuts
Jay Inslee: “Repeal the Trump Tax Cuts”
Biden Running Ads to “Repeal Trump’s Tax Cuts.”
VIDEO: Ten Times Biden Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts
Here’s what happens if Dems repeal tax cuts
VIDEO: 10 Times 2020 Democrats Have Threatened to Repeal TCJA
Kamala Harris: When I Enter Office "I Will Repeal" the TCJA
Biden: “First thing I would do as President is Eliminate the President’s Tax Cut.”
Bernie Sanders claims people would be “delighted to pay more in taxes”
Biden: Tax Cuts Will be “Gone” If I’m Elected
Kamala Harris: I Will Repeal Tax Cuts “on day one”
Biden again says capital gains tax is “Much too Low”
Biden: Capital gains tax “much too low”
VIDEO: Five Times Biden has Threatened to Repeal Tax Cuts
Biden: “First thing I’d do is repeal those Trump tax cuts.”
Joe Biden broke his middle class tax pledge
“Mayor Pete” Calls for Steep Tax Hike on Homes and Businesses
Kamala Harris Vows Repeal of Tax Cuts “on Day One”
Biden: “When I’m President, if God willing I am, we’re going to reverse those Trump tax cuts.”
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Concerned Women in America Oppose Ban on Flavored Vaping Products

Concerned women in America oppose a ban on flavored vaping products, because flavors allow them to quit and stay away from cigarettes, therefore saving their lives, allowing them to be there for their children and grandchildren.
In their own words, self-posted on Twitter using the hashtag #15sec4Vape -- please read and view the testimonials below:
“I’m Michelle Hughes from Verbena, Alabama, 50 years old, mother of 5 grandmother of 2, diagnosed with COPD in 2015. (I) Started vaping cookie custard and bakery flavors. I kicked the habit and saved my life. We vape, we vote."-@MichelleHughes_
“My name is Hannah. I'm a single issue voter. I am a mother of two middle school students and I gave up my two pack a day smoking habit by vaping flavored nicotine e-liquids and use flavors like banana nut bread, birthday cake, and apple pie. Flavors save lives." -- Hannah
“Flavored nicotine vaping products helped me quit smoking. I smoked for 15 years and now I’m smoke free for 5 years thanks to vaping. Flavored nicotine products save lives. I vape and I vote.”-@KimmySmithTHR
“I smoked for 20 years despite having a dangerous heart condition I knew was being made worse by smoking. I tried everything to quit, but nothing worked until vaping. And since then, I’ve been able to stabilize my health, my heart has improved, and I finally have the possibility of a very long and full life, and seeing my daughter make it to adulthood, and maybe even seeing my grandchildren. So yes, vaping saved my life because without it, I probably wouldn’t even be here today.”-@Red_Phoenyx_
“I started vaping strawberry custard. I haven’t touched a cigarette since."-@MaryAnn78700468
“My name is Kim. I’m 39 years old. I smoked for 18 years old. Prior to finding vaping, I tried two pharmaceutical meds. They both made me extremely ill and one was even causing my hair to fall out. I also tried the patches, pharmaceutical inhales, and hypnosis. The only thing that helped me quit and successfully stay of cigarettes for 6 years has been fruity flavored e-liquid.-@SfSubohm
“Hi, my name is Jess and I'm 33 years old. I smoked cigarettes for 20 years, and I finally quit with cotton candy e-liquid. Not only do I vape, but I also manage a vape shop and invested my life savings into the industry last year, so, vaping didn't just save my life, it's also my livelihood." -- Jessika Eryn
“I started smoking cigarettes when I was 15. Once I got into my 30s, I realized I needed to quit. I tried patches, gum, pills, everything. Nothing worked until vaping. Vaping green apple e-liquid was the only thing that helped me to quit smoking cigarettes. If it wasn't for vaping, I'd still be smoking." -- Candice
"I'm 47 years old and my name is Jennifer. I quit smoking in 2010 with a great mint flavored vapor. I would like the president to please save the vape shops and save flavors so they can continue to save people every day from combustible tobacco. Tobacco kills, vaping saves lives. We vape, we vote." -- Jennifer
The video footage of these testimonials can be viewed here and here.
See also:
Conservative Groups Urge President to Reject Flavored E-Cigarette Ban
Vape flavor ban will devastate Main Street businesses nationwide
If you don't understand the power of the flavored vape issue, watch this video
Vape ban could swing election against Trump
NYT Editorial Board and Conservatives Agree: A Vape Ban is Bad for Public Health
WaPo: Vapers are "Astroturf" and Should Probably Die in Darkness
Testimonials from adults who need flavored vapes to stay off cigarettes
Testimonials From Adults Who Need Flavored Vapes to Stay Off Cigarettes

If Michael Bloomberg and Dick Durbin have their way, adults who need flavored vaping products will start smoking cigarettes again. The media have dismissed these Americans as "Astroturf" and "bots" and "Big Vape Lobbyists." The video and statements from these hard-working parents and grandparents is below:
“If you remove flavored vaping products, you are sentencing all those smokers, all those parents back to cigarettes. And their children are gonna have to watch them slowly suffocate and die. So please, I beg you, please do not continue to push this flavor ban. Thank you.”-@jjarvis01
“I’m Michelle Hughes from Verbena, Alabama, 50 years old, mother of 5 grandmother of 2, diagnosed with COPD in 2015. (I) Started vaping cookie custard and bakery flavors. I kicked the habit and saved my life. We vape, we vote."-@MichelleHughes_
“Flavored nicotine vaping products helped me quit smoking. I smoked for 15 years and now I’m smoke free for 5 years thanks to vaping. Flavored nicotine products save lives. I vape and I vote.”-@KimmySmithTHR
“I started vaping strawberry custard. I haven’t touched a cigarette since."-@MaryAnn78700468
“My name’s Logan. I am 28 years old, smoked for over a decade. The only way I was able to quit was with flavored vaping products. If it wasn’t for the encouragement and support of a brick and mortar shop, I’d probably still be smoking. Not only would I be suffering, but both of my kids and the rest of my family would be suffering as well. I’m very thankful for flavored vaping products and I oppose all of these bans. Thank you.”-@Logan_Exhales
“Hi, my name is Chris. I’m from Oakland California and I was a 20-year smoker. I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day for 20 years and I was able to beat the habit of smoking with the flavors of vanilla, candy, fruit flavored e-liquids. I have not smoked a cigarette in 3 years. I’ve been vaping for 3 years. Vaping saves lives. I vape, I vote.”-@bigknowledgeESO
“I quit smoking using butterscotch flavors and e-cigarettes back in 2009. Please don’t ban flavors, Donald Trump and I’ll continue to support you.”-@Jon_Glauser
“My name is Kim. I’m 39 years old. I smoked for 18 years old. Prior to finding vaping, I tried two pharmaceutical meds. They both made me extremely ill and one was even causing my hair to fall out. I also tried the patches, pharmaceutical inhales, and hypnosis. The only thing that helped me quit and successfully stay of cigarettes for 6 years has been fruity flavored e-liquid.-@SfSubohm
“I’m 36 years old. I was a smoker of combustible tobacco cigarettes for 16 years. 6 years ago, I quit smoking using flavored nicotine products. Without these flavors, not only will my access to these flavors disappear but the 2000 customers at the vape shop I work at will no longer have access either and cigarettes are everywhere.”-@RMPlaiscia
“I smoked for 20 years despite having a dangerous heart condition I knew was being made worse by smoking. I tried everything to quit, but nothing worked until vaping. And since then, I’ve been able to stabilize my health, my heart has improved, and I finally have the possibility of a very long and full life, and seeing my daughter make it to adulthood, and maybe even seeing my grandchildren. So yes, vaping saved my life because without it, I probably wouldn’t even be here today.”-@Red_Phoenyx_
10 Times the Wind Industry Claimed it Supported Ending Tax Credits for Wind Energy

Today, House Democrats released a green energy tax extenders package filled with various wasteful and distortionary tax provisions. Among the list of green giveaways Democrats expect taxpayers to pay for is the extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind energy. House Democrats’ attempt to extend these wind subsidies is in violation of the 2015 bipartisan agreement, known as the PATH Act, which phased out these tax credits in 2019.
The Democrats’ decision to extend these tax credits comes after an intense lobbying effort by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the national trade association for the wind industry. The effort to maintain the industry’s tax credit is a complete reversal of AWEA’s public position, as the association maintained that the industry did not need the continuation of federal tax credits as recently as last November.
Unsurprisingly, the wind industry has gone back on its word and is once again begging for corporate welfare.
Here are ten times the wind industry publicly supported an end to their federal tax credits:
- October 10, 2019 - “When we did the phaseout, I strongly supported it," - Mark Goodwin, CEO of developer Apex Clean Energy.
- September 20, 2019 - “In terms of PTC, I agree [that it “should go away completely”]. I think that the boom-and-bust cycle of the PTC has done the most damage to the stability of the market, and the suppliers also capitalize on that.” – Jonathan Word, Director, Eolus North America.
- June 14, 2019 – AWEA told Greentech media that rather than seeking a wind-specific incentive, “AWEA is encouraging a widely applicable, transferable technology-neutral tax credit based on carbon emissions” - Bree Raum, AWEA’s Vice President of federal affairs.
- June 14, 2019 - “I think phasing down the PTC and ITC at a point where we don’t need them anymore is the right choice, the right decision.” - Jose Antonio Miranda, CEO for the Americas at turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
- June 14, 2019 - “Can we compete without it? Yeah. In the rest of the world we’re not provided with that incentive.” - Chris Brown, president of sales and services in the U.S. and Canada at wind turbine supplier Vestas.
- November 15, 2018 - “Utilities make 20- and 30-year decisions, and they’ve kind of voted with their pocketbook. We’re ready to compete in a subsidy-free world.” - Chris Brown, President of turbine maker Vestas North America.
- November 17, 2017 – AWEA applauded the Senate tax proposal for adhering to the 2015 PATH Act which phases out PTC and ITC in 2019. “The wind industry tax reformed ourselves with bipartisan agreement in 2015. The Senate tax proposal gets it right by respecting those terms.” - Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
- December 20, 2012 - While advocating for the extension of its tax credit in the 2012 fiscal cliff deal, the American Wind Energy Association told CNN that “the industry can compete against other power sources like coal and natural gas by 2018, so long as the credit doesn't disappear before then.”
- December 20, 2012 - “By offering to give up the tax credit eventually, the wind industry is doing its part to reduce the deficit. We need to be leaders in the fiscal challenge facing our country.” - Ellen Carey, a spokeswoman for AWEA.
- December 12, 2012 - "The industry believes it can achieve the greater economies of scale and technology improvements that it needs to become cost-competitive without the PTC." – AWEA press release supporting 2012 deal to phase out tax credits.
BONUS: At the time of this writing, AWEA’s tax policy page on their website still states that the wind industry is prepared for the current phase-out schedule of the ITC and PTC. “Growth in the wind industry is expected to remain strong when the PTC is fully phased-out. Because the PTC has been successful in helping establish a reliable, competitive domestic wind industry, wind will continue to expand capacity and deliver economic benefits for Americans and their communities.”
Photo Credit: Wind Denmark
More from Americans for Tax Reform
WaPo: Vapers Are "Astroturf" and Should Probably Die in Darkness

Pictured: The Washington Post's global headquarters on K Street
The Washington Post is proud of its motto, "Democracy Dies in Darkness" and implores you to pay for a subscription because, "We Dig Deeper."
But based on its recent work on a federal flavored vape ban, it appears some at the Post not only didn't "dig deeper", they didn't even bother to leave their desks to get a shovel. Or a teaspoon.
In a Nov. 13 editorial, the top editors called for a national ban on flavored vapes, which could turn millions of adult vapers into criminals overnight, force many to return to smoking cigarettes, and shutter at least 10,000 mom-and-pop retail shops just before the holidays. No big deal.
The editorial has many problems but one phrase stands out, exposing the authors' total ignorance of the importance of flavors:
"Only tobacco-flavored vaping fluids would be legal, allowing former smokers access to nicotine-laced liquids in a flavor to which they are accustomed" states the Post in its privileged view from its gleaming K Street office.
Any adult vaper would immediately recognize the problem with that statement. Flavors are crucial to vapers because the flavors specifically do not remind them of tobacco. The flavors allow them to quit smoking cigarettes.
Very few vapers want to go anywhere near tobacco-flavored vapes. Most consider them to be disgusting. If the Post editors couldn't bring themselves to visit vape shops and talk to adult vapers, they could have learned this fact immediately with a cutting edge tool known as the World Wide Web.
If the Post editors were indeed aware of the importance of flavors, their desire to impose a flavor ban is cruel. Their attitude is: Let them vape cake. Tobacco-flavored cake. Quit or die, in darkness.
480,000 Americans die of smoking-related illnesses each year, and vaping is the most successful tobacco harm reduction tool ever invented. In fact the Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England have found that the products are 95 percent safer than conventional cigarettes.
It gets worse. On Monday, two Washington Post health reporters dismissed the vaping community as "Astroturf." Fake grassroots. The vaping community has been sneered at and ridiculed by the media for years, and recently were even dismissed as bots. Along comes the Post to call them Astroturf.
You see, the Post's reporter-sleuths based this on the fact that...wait for it...vapers used a hashtag. Specifically, #IVapeIVote. Certainly the threat of losing a life-saving product, the threat of losing your livelihood or your job, and being deemed a criminal under federal law didn't motivate people to contact their elected officials.
The authors were clearly incensed that President Trump had the audacity to hit the pause button on a runaway flavor ban. In the same piece, they suggested the flavor ban pause was anti-woman and "orchestrated by corporate interests."
The article begins with this sentence:
"THE BIG IDEA: President Trump is spurning the women who have his ear to side with male advisers as he kowtows to a pressure campaign orchestrated by corporate interests."
Next, the reporters said hitting the pause button on the ban meant "Trump continues to campaign like a populist even as he governs like a plutocrat, and the republic continues its descent toward corporatocracy."
Is this the Washington Post or the Oberlin student paper? It's the Washington Post, specifically its Health 202 vertical, which is supposed to give readers a sober analysis of current health policy.
Speaking of plutocrats, Michael Bloomberg is spending $160 million on a special project to impose a flavor ban on the peasants.
Finally, let's give some credit to the Post reporters who have indeed done diligent reporting on the vaping issue, namely Laurie McGinley and Josh Dawsey. Most recently, their reporting served readers with many new details of the process by which Trump listened to feedback from Americans and hit the pause button, after seeing the intensity of the grassroots pushback against the flavor ban.
Credit also goes to Washington Post local reporter Rebecca Tan, who actually conducted interviews onsite at several vape shops in the DC suburbs. As you can imagine, the busybody, nanny-state bullies who run the government there want to impose numerous policies that would shut down nearly all of the vape shops in the area. The title of the article: "Liberal DC Suburb Not Swayed By Opponents of Vaping Restrictions." Members of the Montgomery County Council had the same unsympathetic, prohibitionist attitude as the Washington Post editorial board.
Oh well, at least the New York Times editorial board got it right.
See also:
Vape flavor ban will devastate Main Street businesses nationwide
If you don't understand the power of the flavored vape issue, watch this video
Conservative Groups Urge President to Reject Flavored E-Cigarette Ban
Vape ban could swing election against Trump
NYT Editorial Board and Conservatives Agree: A Vape Ban is Bad for Public Health
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
New Jersey's Attack on Free Speech Blocked in Court

That pesky constitution just keeps getting in the way of blatant attempts by state lawmakers to cripple free speech, and attack citizen groups and non-profit advocacy organizations.
A bill (S1500) passed in New Jersey that would force donor disclosure for citizen groups that weighed in on state legislation has been blocked by a federal judge. The bill would also affect independent expenditure organizations, or PACs.
The legislation was driven by a drawn-out controversy. Governor Murphy was under duress due to his use of non-profit entities to advance his agenda. Rather than focusing on a narrow issue – sitting public officials informally running non-profits – opportunistic legislators seized their chance to stifle free speech and citizen advocacy much more broadly.
Even Murphy initially opposed the bill he eventually signed because of constitutional concerns. Well, now that has been proven correct, as the state was sued successfully by Americans for Prosperity. American Civil Liberties Union-NJ, the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters also filed lawsuits.
The Supreme Court case Alabama v. NAACP already upheld the right to privacy of non-profits against state disclosure mandates.
The broad opposition from across the ideological spectrum shows just how significant an attack on the First Amendment New Jersey’s law is, and remains as there is plenty of damage to be done if the law is updated by the legislature, even with this decision.
Of course, unions are exempt from the disclosure mandate, the predictable special treatment for a political powerhouse shows how insincere the motives are behind the disclosure push.
Such legislation would set a dangerous precedent for future regulation of advocacy groups. The massive restriction on non-profit organizations would make it difficult for an average individual to create an organization. It would also equate educating the public about active legislation with direct spending on political candidates.
Disclosure mandates would make donors subject to retribution, harassment, and possibly worse. In today’s polarizing political environment, the preservation of free speech is even more important. This chilling infringement on the first amendment would discourage the free exchange of ideas, limiting constituents’ ability to hold their elected officials accountable. Which is ironic: a law touted as being a remedy for corruption would make it worse in reality.
Although many in the Garden State may see a problem with the non-profit run by Governor Murphy’s allies, unconstitutional restrictions on free speech for everybody else is not a solution, and in fact would enable corruption in Trenton.
Photo Credit: Jimmy Everson DVM
ATR Opposes Dem Green Energy Tax Legislation

House Democrats have released a green energy tax extenders package that contains numerous wasteful and distortionary tax provisions. ATR urges lawmakers to reject this legislation, both as a stand-alone package or as part of broader legislation.
Broadly, ATR opposes tax extenders and supports efforts to repeal or make all extenders permanent as part of the broader goal of reducing the number of distortionary credits and deductions in favor of lower tax rates.
Tax policy should be neutral in order to promote economic efficiency and growth and avoid picking winners and losers.
This proposal takes the tax code in the opposite direction by extending and expanding distortionary provisions.
Imposes Retroactive Tax Increases
The legislation retroactively disallows the Alternative Fuel Mixture Credit (AFMC) for certain types of fuels.
Retroactivity is bad policy – any extenders should be dealt with prospectively, rather than retroactively. Taxpayers that have followed the law based upon reasonable statutory interpretations should be afforded certainty and fairness. Retroactivity undermines confidence in the tax system by affecting activity (in this case taxes paid, and credits claimed) that has already occurred.
In the past, when Congress has determined the statute of a law is inconsistent with Congressional intent, they have disallowed the provision on a prospective basis. For instance, when paper manufacturers claimed a credit for mixing diesel with alternative biomass fuels, or “black liquor,” Congress disagreed with this outcome and repealed the credit prospectively.
The retroactive repeal of the AFMC interferes with ongoing litigation, denies taxpayers due process, and creates potentially arbitrary and unfair outcomes. If Congress wants to make changes to the AFMC, they should be done on a prospective basis.
[See ATR’s Letter in Opposition to a Retroactive AFMC here]
Extends Distortionary Solar & Wind Credits
In 2015, Congress passed bipartisan tax extender legislation, known as the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act. This legislation made many conservative tax provisions permanent like small-business expensing, research and development credits, and provisions to prevent double taxation on international income. As part of this agreement, wind and solar tax credits were phased out.
In violation of this agreement, Democrats would extend wind and solar credits through 2026. This will continue the pattern of routinely extending temporary tax provisions.
As a coalition of conservative groups noted in a recent letter, there is no policy reason to extend these tax benefits as these types of energy technologies do not need their credits:
“The United States Energy Information Administration reported a year ago that 18 percent of the electricity grid in America was powered by renewable sources, including 3 percent from solar power alone. Besides accounting for half the renewable total, wind and solar power grew by nearly a third in just one year. Clearly these are not nascent industries in need of a tax break--they can and should stand on their own two feet.”
Lawmakers should allow these credits to phase out as agreed to in the 2015 PATH Act.
Expands EV Subsidies
The legislation would expand the electric vehicle tax credit so that it phases out at 600,000 vehicles per manufacturer rather than 200,000 vehicles as under current law. Lawmakers should reject this approach.
The EV credit is distortionary and regressive. The credit goes directly to individuals that purchase an EV and almost 80 percent of these credits go to those making $100,000 or more per year. Unsurprisingly, this type of tax subsidy is also unpopular with the American people -- 67 percent of voters oppose subsidizing electric vehicles.
Moreover, expanding the credit is unnecessary and ineffective. There are already broad-based tax provisions that promote innovation such as the research and development tax credit. In addition, there is robust competition in the EV market and manufacturers who have exceeded the 200,000 cap have responded by reducing vehicle prices for consumers – taxpayers do not need a subsidy.
Finally, there is waste and fraud prevalent in the existing EV credit. A study released by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) found that over 16,000 taxpayers improperly claimed the EV credit between 2014 and 2018 resulting in a $73.8 million windfall.
Photo Credit: Amanda Waugh














