I think the smart thing to do would have been to just hit on the problems with the current tax system and the need to consider ways to encourage economic growth including lowering corporate taxes and possibly considering flat tax proposals. There wasn’t going to be any upside to advocating this 999 plan right now.
There the ticket. Be a total bonehead. Advocate lying to the voters and then changing your agenda after you get elected.
That is a remarkably stupid bit of political advice.
There isn’t any upside to advocating preemptive surrender to the status quo because you are too politically gutless to fight for what is right.
I agree. It can be sliced and diced like crazy which takes away from the overall theme that overhaul is needed. Besides, without a Republican House and Senate, his plan would never see the light of day - that is unless the Democrats so bastardized it that no Republican would vote for it.
His plan was smart if all he expected to be doing was raising his profile and selling books. Not so smart if you actually expect to win.