GOP thinks tax-cut strategy will win votes

WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- Although Iraq and immigration are divisive issues, Republican strategists still believe U.S. tax cuts can unite the party and turn out voters in November.

But some political analysts question the potency of the tax issue at a time when polls suggest the U.S. public is more concerned about the war in Iraq and healthcare costs.

President George Bush has gone beyond his standard campaign remarks on fighting terrorism to frame the midterm election as a referendum on taxes as well, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In a recent radio address, the president called on Congress to make the tax cuts passed in his first term permanent, saying failure to do so would weaken the economy and stick families "with a big tax hike that they do not expect and will not welcome."

Democrats say they favor tax cuts too, only more carefully targeted to help middle-class Americans by taxing the rich.

Stuart Rothenberg, who publishes a widely read non-partisan guide to national elections, said taxes had become the GOP's "default message."

"The problem with size of government spending is they haven't done anything about it," Rothenberg said of the Bush administration.