This morning, Linda McMahon responded in kind to Edward M. Kennedy, Jr.’s letter demanding that she nix her ads featuring his uncle’s defense of tax cuts:
While I appreciate your interest in my campaign, I must disagree with your characterization of the tax situation. As you cite, the 91% tax bracket was in place for the top bracket in 1963. However, it must be noted that the top bracket was for those making $300,000. Your uncle, President John F. Kennedy, decided a tax cut was in order so his policies reduced the top marginal rate to 77% for those making $200,000 or more. What you neglected to mention was that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that equals $1.4 million in today’s dollars. So in short, your uncle supported tax cuts for those making nearly six times more than what today’s Democratic Party, as well as your letter, labels as “the wealthy.”
Later in the letter, McMahon cites Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover’s examples as further evidence for her position. Coolidge lowered taxes and the economy grew. Hoover raised taxes and the economy shrank. Not the most nuanced of arguments, but kudos for working in Coolidge.