A Wilder Tax Ploy

Here’s a radical notion: putting the Democrats on record as the party committed to “no new taxes.” The scheme is the latest ploy from Virginia Democratic leader Paul Goldman, political aide to Douglas Wilder, the nation’s only black Governor. Goldman will present a read-my-lips resolution to this week’s meeting of the Democratic National Committee, where its chances are akin to Michael Dukakis’ making a comeback. But Goldman’s gambit highlights the distinction between his man Wilder (who has slashed spending rather than raise taxes in Virginia) and both the Democratic congressional budget negotiators and Mario Cuomo, who personally favors a federal tax hike for the most affluent Americans. “We have too many rubber stamps in Washington,” says Goldman, striking a populist chord that Wilder may echo in 1992.