Romney Rule vs. Buffett Rule

CORE MESSAGE

Do we really want our kids to grow up in an America where millionaires pay lower taxes than working families?

Connect: We need leaders who understand the challenges working Americans face.

Define: In his State of the Union, President Obama called for passage of the "Buffett Rule" -- based on the simple idea that middle-class families shouldn't have to pay higher taxes than millionaires.

Contrast: On the same day, Mitt Romney's partial tax disclosure confirmed that he pays a lower tax rate than millions of middle-class families.

Illustrate: That's the Romney Rule -- the idea that millionaires are entitled to pay lower taxes than Americans who work for a living. And if we don't like it, we're just jealous.

Pose the choice: Which America do we want: anation where millionaires pay lower taxes than working Americans or one where everyone finally contributes their fair share?

ATTACKS AND RESPONSES

"This is a choice between Romney's pro-growth opportunity society and Obama's entitlement society."

• In America, our economy works best when we value working families, everyone plays by the same rules, and everyone contributes their fair share.
• Here's Romney's vision for America: raise working parents' taxes so he can pay less, shift the burden even more to working families, and let Wall Street get away with abusing the rules.
• Which America do we want: anation where millionaires pay lower taxes than working Americans or one where everyone finally contributes their fair share?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Three-fourths of Americans, including nearly 70% of Republicans, support the Buffett Rule, and the majority of Americans say investments should be taxed at the same rate as earnings Americans make from working at their jobs.
• In the last two years, Mitt Romney paid an average tax rate of 14 percent on the money he made off money each year -- lower than millions of middle-class Americans pay on the earnings they make from working in a job.
• President Obama would see his taxes go up under his own Buffett Rule. In contrast, Mitt Romney is trying to cut his own taxes by nearly half and raise taxes for many working parents and middle class families.
• Romney showed 23 years of his tax returns to Sen. John McCain's campaign when he was vetted to run for Vice President and in the past has also challenged his political opponents to release their tax returns to prove they had "nothing to hide." But he's still refusing to release more than two years' worth of taxes to the American public.
• Romney is struggling with regular voters: among blue collar white voters, his unfavorable rating has jumped up 20 points in less than a month. And in all three primary elections so far, he did worse with voters the closer they got to the average American's income.

We develop messaging by aggregating, analyzing and distilling polling, tested messaging, and expert recommendations, and monitoring the media to identify what is and isn't working. See here for some of the experts and organizations we draw on.