Left-wing group calls CSE “…ground troops for the tax cut movement”
“Upper Brackets: The Right’s Tax Cut Boosters” is a report published by the left-wing People for the American Way (PFAW) that details how five key groups define and advance the conservative tax-cutting agenda in America. According to PFAW, those groups are Citizens for a Sound Economy, Americans for Tax Reform, the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the Club for Growth.
The PFAW report accurately describes some of CSE’s activities and role:
“Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) coordinates the ground troops for the tax cut movement. From deregulation to Social Security, CSE pushes an agenda that subscribes to a doctrine of free enterprise, less government, and lower taxes. CSE President Paul Beckner makes clear the niche his group has carved: ‘We are not a ‘think-tank,’ content to study the issues and publish papers and reports. There are many groups doing important work in this area. CSE’s mission is to turn those ideas and policies into action.’”
“On tax issues, CSE focuses on short, snappy pieces it can funnel to right-wing activists, rather than the policy papers produced by Heritage and Cato. CSE brings local activism to the tax-cut table via e-mail campaigns and local chapters and activists who organize anti-tax events.”
“Immediately following President Bush’s 2003 State of the Union Address, CSE said ‘the heart of [President Bush’s] domestic plan is the agenda that CSE … [has] been working on for a long time.’”
