Politix Mr. Hollen's Opus
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Mar 18, 2026 They debate new Democratic tax-cut proposals and whether promised worker tax cuts can actually be funded. They contrast taxing billionaires versus maximizing revenue and unpack strategies to close avoidance loopholes. They connect cultural takes on the Oscars to broader political traditions. They tease how global oil markets could shape presidential decisions about war.
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Oscars Chat Reveals Shifting Cultural Tastes
- Matthew and Brian open with Oscars chatter and cultural takes, using the ceremony to illustrate shifting generational tastes.
- They joke about Academy choices, racial politics in film, and Ta-Nehisi Coates' essay on black conservatism.
Danger Of Broad Middle Class Tax Cuts
- Democrats are proposing large, across-the-board tax cuts for low and middle earners that risk crowding out safety net expansion.
- Matthew Yglesias contrasts Booker's very generous, unfunded cuts with Van Hollen's narrower, ostensibly budget-neutral approach and warns Booker's plan doesn't add up.
Booker Versus Van Hollen Trade Offs
- Booker and Van Hollen use different trade-offs: Booker gives larger cuts to the poor and middle but raises less from the very rich; Van Hollen targets top 1% more heavily but favors middle earners.
- Yglesias points out Van Hollen's plan helps 40–80th percentile more than the poor.
