He knew how to flatter you high and he knew how to flatter you low.

NEWYORKER: Politics and Prose

Pre-warn your target that you are going to flatter him or her.

FORBES: Six Scientific Ways to Suck up Successfully

As I say, it's much better to set a broad direction at this stage, which is for lower, simpler, flatter taxes, if necessary and then people know the direction you're travelling in, but you're not actually writing budgets, five years before they have to be delivered.

BBC: NEWS | Programmes | Politics Show | Jon Sopel interview

He has opposed the idea of a flat tax, which means whatever your income, you pay the same percentage of tax, although he does support a "flatter tax".

BBC: Is redistribution a foreign idea to the US?