Corporate Jets: The Next Political Punching Bag

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 10:33 PM ET

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John Travolta's private jet sits on the tarmac at Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photos/Alan Diaz) Original Filename: Bahamas_Travoltas_Son_FLAD106.jpg Diaz/AP

Key Takeaways:

Democrats are using "corporate jets" as a campaign issue, framing proposed tax code changes as Republicans supporting tax loopholes for corporations.
An early campaign ad employing this tactic drew criticism for its insensitive imagery (a jet near the NYC skyline) and for dubiously labeling a decades-old aircraft depreciation schedule as a "tax loophole."
Despite the specific ad's failure and the questionable nature of the "loophole" claim, the article predicts this "corporate jet/tax loophole" angle will remain a potent and frequently used campaign tactic.

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Watch for “corporate jets” to emerge as a hot-button campaign issue in the coming months as Democrats seize on a change in the tax code proposed in President Obama’s Jobs Act to paint their Republican rivals as supporting tax-cheating corporations.

It’s happening already. In an ad created for the Congressional campaign of Democrat David Weprin, a business jet is shown flying across the screen as a voiceover warns viewers: “Corporate executive Bob Turner lives the high life. While you struggle to pay the bills, Turner supports tax loopholes for corporations.”