The TAKE with Rick Klein
It’s often said that the capital is disconnected from the country, that official Washington is hopelessly out of touch with the nation it serves.
That notion melted away this week.
As scandals rock prominent members of both parties, a cultural moment has coincided with a political one. Long-dormant issues of sexual harassment are now squarely inside the marble corridors of the Capitol itself.
Forget predictable false equivalencies, for the moment. What Al Franken is accused of doing is not what Roy Moore is accused of, which is not what Bill Clinton did, and is not what has been alleged about Donald Trump.
It’s not that this is a bipartisan problem.
It is a nonpartisan problem.
It is a societal problem, as this autumn of revelations across industries and political affiliations has made clear.
Where does Washington come in? The Capitol is a workplace, so new procedures there are an important start.
This moment is bigger than that, though.
And it seems like we’re closer to the beginning of Washington’s involvement in this story than the middle or the end.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
Nearly drowned out by the flood other news, the House this week passed a major rewrite to the American tax code.
If signed into law, the bill would impact every single citizen and put in place one of the deepest and most sweeping cuts to corporate taxes in years.
But is the bill underwater politically?
Republicans in the House have struggled to explain how much the average family would save — partially because some of the numbers don’t look great for them. The fact is, at a time when economic inequality in the country is mind-bogglingly high, the largest individual tax savings would likely go to the wealthiest Americans.
The bulk of the bill is a boon for big businesses and a much smaller win for “mom and pop” shops.
The House bill made the corporate tax breaks permanent, but the individual changes temporary – a data point that may make sense to pro-market conservatives, but could be hard to explain to voters. And it includes politically potent odds and ends that have gained traction online, like the elimination of the deduction some teachers use to write off their classroom supplies.
The Senate, too, is storming ahead.
Their bill now includes a repeal of a key component of the current Affordable Care Act. Considering that fact, the Joint Committee on Taxation (a nonpartisan committee on the Hill made of Ph.Ds, economists and accountants that helps write legislation) now estimates that in the next decade Americans earning $75,000 or less a year would likely pay more in taxes not less. This spike will take place even as tax credits for health insurance plans fall by the wayside after, as they estimate, prices for individual insurance skyrocket.
Bottom line: Republicans in both chambers will have to work hard to prove that GOP tax reform efforts won’t leave middle class Americans treading water.
The TIP with John Parkinson
Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo is upset his request to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus was denied Thursday, ending his bid to become the only Republican in the group.
“After due consideration, the CHC determined not to accept Rep. Curbelo’s request to join the Caucus,” CHC spokesperson Carlos Paz, Jr announced Thursday. “The CHC isn’t just an organization for Hispanics; it is a Caucus that represents certain values. This vote reflects the position of many of our members that Rep. Curbelo and his record are not consistent with those values.”
“They know that’s a lie,” Curbelo, a moderate Republican, said of the CHC’s explanation. “That’s just cover for their discrimination, the bigotry that clearly a majority of those members have decided to abide by.”
Curbelo, a second-term lawmaker representing Miami, says he believes that the decision was “precooked,” though he was assured “a very strong number” of members supported his candidacy.
Not all caucuses are partisan. Although he didn’t attempt to join as a freshman, Curbelo says he decided to join the CHC in his second term “because I’m Hispanic” and adds he was inspired by Rep. Mia Love, the only Republican in the Congressional Black Caucus.
“Mia Love inspired me to join,” he said. “She told me that these caucuses should be integrated and that Hispanics should all work together just like in the CBC all the African-Americans in Congress work together.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY:
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I respect women. I don’t respect men who don’t. And the fact that my own actions have given people a good reason to doubt that makes me feel ashamed.” — Sen. Al Franken said in response to alleged sexual misconduct behavior.
NEED TO READ
The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back Monday for the latest.
