For a tax bill they say "sells itself," conservative groups are planning to spend many millions on marketing campaigns in the new year to convince skeptical Americans that it's a boon for them, Politico reports.
The Koch brothers network is planning a multimillion dollar blitz; a GOP super PAC is poised to launch a $10 million campaign in support of GOP lawmakers; the Committee to Unleash Prosperity (CUP) has designated $1 million to sell the plan, Politico reports.
"We have a public that distrusts anything coming out of Washington, especially anything from the majority party," Tim Phillips, president of the Kochs' Americans for Prosperity, told Politico. "We have a job that's not that hard. We have to make sure people understand the benefits they're going to receive from this legislation."
At the same time, they insist Americans will find out how beneficial tax reform will be for them once they see their paychecks in the coming year.
“Right now, Americans think it is a tax increase instead of a tax cut, but when they start to see what happens to their paychecks and how the economy responds, they will change their minds," CUP co-founder Stephen Moore said.
Why the multi-million dollar marketing blitz then?
GOP strategist Karl Rove blames the White House for doing a "lousy job" of selling the legislation.
However, Democrats say it's because conservatives themselves know tax reform was passed to benefit the wealthy more than the middle class.
“I think they are going to spend millions of dollars trying to put lipstick on this pig,” progressive movement Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin told Politico. “But unfortunately there’s nothing they can do to change it from being a pig.”