The Obama campaign is calling out one of Mitt Romney’s wealthiest donors in an effort to paint the Republican presidential nominee as beholden to the rich.
The president’s campaign sent an email Friday to its donors, citing recent reports that billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson — who has pledged to spend $100 million on getting Mr. Romney elected — could see $2 billion in savings under Mr. Romney’s proposed tax plan.
A report this week from the Democratic-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund speculated that Mr. Adelson could save as much as $2 billion under a Romney plan that could cut income tax rates, maintain the current low tax rate on dividends, repeal the estate tax and eliminate taxes on foreign profits such as Mr. Adelson’s Asian casinos.
The email, attributed to Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod, argues that Mr. Adelson’s support for the GOP nominee comes “not out of love for Mitt Romney,” but as “highly cynical but straightforward calculation.”
“We don’t have Sheldon Adelson, and with all due respect, we don’t want him,” Mr. Axelrod wrote. “We’re relying on 3 million grassroots donors, who are giving an average of $58.”
The Romney campaign has frequently dismissed claims that its policies would favor the rich, arguing that Mr. Romney would preserve existing tax cuts for upper- and middle-class households.
