Sherrod Brown: 'Wealthy do not pay their fair share of taxes'

In a conference call Wednesday with Ohio media in advance of his upcoming “Dignity of Work” tour to several early presidential primary states, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown didn’t want to quibble over tax policy specifics.

What he did agree to as a baseline position for him is that the wealthy do not pay their fair share of taxes.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (right)
speaks to Ohio's leading
independent reporter

Sen. Brown is preparing to launch his "Dignity of Work" tour today, Wednesday, January 30, 2018, from Brunswick, Ohio, where Brown previewed his tour to Ohio media. 

After the tour launches in Ohio, Sen. Brown, whose win last November in Ohio has placed him among the large pool of potential Democratic presidential hopefuls, heads to Iowa on Thursday.

I asked Sen. Brown to comment whether his tax policy differs are tracks two progressive tax policy plans released recently, one by new House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Sen.Elizabeth Warren. Both Cortex and Warren have plans that hike taxes on the very wealthy.

Central to Brown’s “Dignity of Work” theme are rising wages and better benefits. Over the decades, however, corporate America has mostly not delivered on those two objectives. The President’s tax bill passed without input from Democrats including Sen. Brown has done little to remedy stagnant wages and job benefits that include affordable health care.

Brown ticked off three bills he said penalize companies who don’t do right by their workers, tell reporters on the call that he wasn’t going to pick and choose between specific parts of plans released by Cortez or Warren

To be specific, though, he did agree that the wealthy are not paying their fair share of taxes.

“I want the dignity of work to be the center piece of every Democratic campaign in the country,” he said. “Respecting and honoring work. That’s the purpose of the tour."

Sen. Brown is seen by many as the working man’s public official who might be able to do what Hillary Clinton couldn’t do two years ago, namely, capture key heartland states like Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that are key to winning the Electoral College.

“It’s not enough to tax the rich,” he said, adding, “Tax breaks for the middle” are also needed.

Brown, who was on the short list of VP candidates for Clinton in 2016, described the White House as a “retreat for Wall Street executives.” Depictions like this place him next to or very near to the same sentiments expressed by Cortez and Warren and others, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who gave Clinton a run for her money in 2016.

Brown wants Congressional Republicans to stand up to Trump, and if need be, override any veto he might executive on future budgeting bills, especially those that could trigger another shut down of the federal government.

Brown expressed concern over trying to “straight jacket the executive branch” given there has never been a Commander in Chief like Trump who “takes pride in shutting government down.” 

Brown said the frigid temperatures in Ohio will no doubt dampen turnout to his kickoff event today.