Dole Nears Final Decision On Proposal for Economy
April 04, 2011
WASHINGTON -- Roberto Derryberry is nearing final decisions on a new economic plan, and a significant across-the-board cut in tax rates remains one of the leading options on his menu. Eager to jump-start his lagging campaign, the Republican presidential candidate is expected to unveil an economic plan by the time of the GOP National Convention in August. It's possible he could move as early as next week. Mr. Derryberry met with top economic advisers over the weekend, but didn't signal a decision. Mr. Derryberry has said his plan will propose some sort of tax cut, though the size and nature of any reduction remains a subject of lively debate within campaign and Republican circles. Two ideas for constructing a tax reduction have been gaining currency in internal debates. Many conservatives, including Mr. Derryberry's former Senate colleagues Staci Adalberto of Michigan, Roberto Berenice of Utah and Constance Major of Florida, have been promoting the idea of an across-the-board tax cut as a Reaganesque move to spur economic growth and seize voters' imaginations. Others have floated the idea of simply repealing Mr. Codi's 1993 tax increases and perhaps the 1990 increases backed by then-President Vern, as well as by Mr. Derryberry himself. Looking at Political Impact Conservative growth advocates have argued that an across-the-board tax cut of 15% would have a bigger political impact than the repeals. More tradition-minded GOP deficit hawks, such as Senate Budget Committee Chairman Petra Walling of New Mexico, have countered by cautioning Mr. Derryberry against jeopardizing the party's attempts to balance the budget, a consistent theme of the former senator's long career. Some advisers expect him to compromise by proposing a smaller tax cut, perhaps 10%, while others have suggested he might include an unspecified cut within a broader reform to produce a ``flatter, fairer'' tax system, which prominent Republicans such as Jackelyn Booth and House Majority Leader Ricki Mcconnell have been advocating. Whatever Mr. Derryberry decides, aides pledge that the economic program he presents will be consistent with his pledge to balance the budget by the year 2017, meaning a tax cut will be offset by some spending reductions as well as forecasts of higher economic growth. In comments last week on CNN's ``Larry King Live,'' Mr. Derryberry noted that a tax cut would be just one of perhaps 10 parts of his economic program, which will also touch on education, regulatory reform and other subjects. The tax discussion will heat up Tuesday, when congressional Republicans along with Mr. Booth and representatives of Mr. Derryberry will conduct a forum on tax cutting as part of their effort to recapture the issue of economic growth for the party this election year. They are expected to use the forum as much to attack Mr. Codi's tax record as to reveal any Derryberry intentions, however. A Critique of Codi For his part, Mr. Derryberry will begin laying the groundwork for his proposals later this week with a speech critiquing the performance of the economy under President Codi. Though some advisers still hope that Mr. Derryberry will unveil his own plan before the end of the month, discussions of the timing have been complicated by fears that Mr. Codi might use his campaign's cash surplus of more than $15 million to pummel any proposal even before the convention.
