Wednesday, 04.16.08
McCainomics
CARL DE SOUZA - AFP - Getty Images
McCain's speech reads like an attempt to unify a divided party by offering every faction something to make them happy. For the GOP's supply-siders and business interests, there are promises to extend the Bush tax cuts and slash corporate rates. For moderate Republicans clinging to seats in Democratic states, there's a pledge to cut the Alternative Minimum Tax, which hits upper-middle class Blue Staters hardest. For free traders, there's a shout-out to the Colombian Free Trade Agreement; for flat-tax obsessives, there's a call for an alternative tax-filing option, featuring just two brackets instead of four or five. For deficit hawks and porkbusters, there's a promise to veto any bill with earmarks, an attack on corporate welfare, and a call for a one-year freeze in discretionary spending and a top-to-bottom review of every agency's budget. For entitlement reformers, there's a call to means-test the prescription drugs benefit. There's even something for the small band of conservatives (this writer among them) who have been agitating for a distinctively pro-family economic agenda, in the form of a pledge to double the tax exemption for dependents, from $3500 to $7000.
And for voters who don't share the concerns of right-wing activists and interest groups, there's a dose of straightforward populism as well: An attack on skyrocketing CEO salaries, a reiteration of McCain's earlier promise to provide government assistance to families struggling to make their mortgage payments, and a pledge to suspend the federal gas tax all summer long, to provide an "immediate economic stimulus" in the teeth of a looming recession.
There are two obvious difficulties with this something-for-everything approach. The first is practical: Can McCain really pay for all his proposed tax cuts, temporary and otherwise, while also making good on his promise to balance the budget? (Answer: Probably not.) The second is political. Successful residential candidacies depend on narratives as much as on specific policies -- Ronald Reagan as the foe of bloated government, Bill Clinton as a Mr. Fix-It for an economy in recession, George W. Bush as the "compassionate conservative," etc. Going into '08, McCain appeared to have a narrative ready-made: He was going to run as the budget-balancing grown-up, the old-school Republican out to restore sanity to Washington after the binges of the Bush years. But his campaign seems to have decided that it would be folly to run as the candidate of belt-tightening and balanced budgets in a year when economic insecurity is uppermost in voters' minds. Thus the grab-bag approach on display in this speech, in which calls for fiscal responsibility jostle for space with tax cuts and giveaways of various kinds.
This is almost certainly a wiser approach than campaigning as the prince of budgetary rectitude and nothing else, but by leaving McCain without a signal theme, it runs the risk that the media will end up deciding which aspects of his program get highlighted, and what narrative he ends up saddled with. If he's lucky, the press will highlight the populist themes and proposals, and portray him (once again) as the heir to Teddy Roosevelt. If he isn't, though, they'll peg him as a flip-flopping opportunist -- or worse, as George W. Bush redux.
Rave reviewNational Review's campaign blog is impressed by McCain's economic speech, saying that when he attacks fellow Republicans on spending few will mind. |
Wouldn't be prudentRobert Gordon and James Kvaal argue that "there's no way John McCain will succeed in selling his atrociously conceived, wildly irresponsible tax plan to the American people." |
Johnny meets TeddyIrwin M. Stelzer says John McCain's economic agenda is reminiscent of Teddy Roosevelt. |
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" . . . a flip-flopping opportunist -- or worse, as George W. Bush redux."
FWIW, Howard Dean says likely-voter focus groups needn't be prompted to see McC as a flipper; invariably, they offer this description themselves. And the guy who runs voter research for the AFL-CIO says their focus groups are "stunned" (and not favorably) when they learn his positions on Soc Sec and health care, which are, of course, indistinguishable from GWB's.
Worst of both worlds.
Welcome to Dole '08.
Instead of straight talk, we have nothing but pandering to every Republican constituency. There is nothing in this plan that comes remotely close to paying for this vast tax-giveaway. Too bad the Democrats are just as bad and therefore won't be able to exploit this vulnerability.
Pandering is what they do, McCain on supply side economics, Obama on bitter people and Hillary the hunter. How about some real reporting on what these politicos are really likely to do and get accomplished. As George Wallace (Democrat formerly of Planet Earth and Alabama) famously said "there ain't a dime's worth of difference..." even accounting for inflation.
What makes these news commentators think they're the experts? As far a I'm concerned, they're the ones who keeps fanning the flames.Bosnia Lies, Dr wright, bitter, and etc.Why don't you report real news, I'm so sick of this judgemental attitudes fo people.Stop printing stupid stuff, and tell the real issues..Obama will be our next president, so tell Hillary to stop wasting money...
Give'm hel* John...........
There is absolutely nothing new or different in this policy than what we've had the last 7 years. Nothing about fixing the growing national debt, nothing about paying for the war so that our children and great grandchildren won't have to, nothing about preventing lenders and hedge fund managers from acting like drug dealers addicted to money.
I want a politician who will be honest and say, we don't get rich quickly as a society. We go for slow steady growth and sometimes even that can be painful. Stop using credit and start saving for discretionary items. It takes a brave person to tell people that they have behaved like greedy morons and that has to change.
How's he going to pay for it?
He'll be our new-age Robin Hood. He'll steal from the middle class and give to the rich!
Are you better off than you were four or eight years ago?
McSame (or worse) as George Dumb-U Bush!
Using a gimick "no gas tax summer" is not what this country needs, but what can we expect from the senator who jokingly sings, "Bomb, bomb, bomb,...bomb, bomb Iran. Senator McCain is just another four years of G.W. Bush. I hope not, but the alternatives are not much better.
whats up with the tax deduction for kids I have no children and thus I am less of a burden on the tax system. some one who makes 49,000 and has seven kids pays no taxes. and cutting gas tax lets send our highway workers to the breadline during the summer. this man is a total idiot I love that his wife had to steal recipes from Rachel Ray I gaurentee none of these ideas are John Mcains since they are not his ideas whose are they. This man was sent out as chum by the republicans. they never expected him to be elected lets face it.
Is Senator Obama for real? I wonder how he can stop Washington lobbyist, if he gets elected the US President 2009? He has the biggest fund raised among all the candidates (Democrats and Republicans). Those big donors would insist paybacks for their big donations. Remember Bill Clinton? quote: I will eliminate Washington lobbyist as a campaign promise. He ended up having the most lobbyist in Washington surpassing all his (Presidents) predecessors.
McCain is the only choice this time. The other 2 have proven to be liars, one proven racist and anti American and pro African (although that makes him against himself by being half white.) I know what people will think but just read the mission staement Trinity United Church,
McCain comments plainly show it is as he first said he knows nothing about economics so think about this when the USA has many serious issues to find anwers that will this time work well.
mccain good. him do econemy retarded am i
to them no one can afford the truth(ever)
I agree with mike, McCain good, McCain cares about me and my gas prices for this summer, who cares about next year? he probably wont even live 'till then anyway. OMG you guys should totaly check out the lindsey lohan blog on the yahoo celebs link, lol! it's so much more interesting than this stupid american idol election or whatever this page is about.
The upperhand. That they have. We well never be able to afford gas. Raise it a dollar drop it a quater makes us happier./ Sucks , my kids will never afford to go to work.
The old geezer is kidding, right? A repeal of the gas tax would only cut 2-4% off the price (as opposed to the 8-10% it might have saved in 2006 when this thing was laughed at the first time). Similarly, it wouldn't change the price at all. With fixed summer gas inventories, and with slightly increased demand, the price just reinflates and the margins go to the station operators, the oil co.s, and the petroleum producing states. If consumers are willing to pay $3.25 for gas, then suppliers are going to be loathe to lower the price when they can simply increase their margin by 18.4 cents per gallon. One more thing, what is going to make up the lost infrasture budget $$$? this tax goes directly to highways and bridges. Hasn't the country suffered from republican neglect for long enough?
As for the rest of his agenda, does the guy even know what causes inflation? i swear, the old guy must be suffering from another "senior moment!"
Right you are Allen. Ever notice that the republicans always try to use the tax cut ploy ?Say anything to get votes ! Thankfully,most Americans have seen through g dumb bush and his tax cuts for the rich,greedy corporations for what it was. mcmore of the mcsame. Look out,,,there may be wmd in Jamica. Lets invade !!! Makes sense dont it? Come on let the scare tactics work again. I would like to see the Iraq war resources used to bring OBL to justice,,and also some one should question the Saudies why 19 of the 9/11 hyjackers came from our so-called ally Saudia Arabia. The jerk oil tycoon in the whitehouse wont ask.
Rod, Who do you think owns the oil companies? If you have a 401k or IRA this is one place your money for retirement is as it is with millions of other Americans. Cut their profits you cut the throat of the peoples retirement funds. Also the investing from these in the futures market is whats pushing the price of oil up. Tax the corporations to death then they will pick up and move somewhere cheaper to operate. And Al Quida is now a big part of who we are fighting in Iraq. One of their leaders was recentlt killed in Iraq and documents from him stated (as reported by Hal Lindsey. You won't see this on liberal mainstream media )that they were having a harder time recruiting, many were leaving and their morale was low. Seems to me the dems are making the pie in the sky promises to get votes. And Blake its clear that you don't know what causes inflation. The same thing that got this country into this mess. The federal reserve of which the president nor congress has a say on what they do. Its about time the American public wakes up. Oh well I don't suppose many will care for this truth because the Bible states that in the end times men won't listen to sound judgement.
who cares if he's a flip-flopper. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.
McCain, I hope you win so you can balance our nation's budget. Hopefully you won't be a Roosevelt or a Clinton and spend like the money will come.
Maybe you'll spend like a Kennedy or a Nixon.
Whatever it is, you are the only candidate that understands that the budget situation in D.C. is getting out of hands and the corruption these past few years were ridiculous.
People forget peoples good efforts.
Predident Bus took over at a time when the stock market in colapse maybe ready to die less than 8000 and terrorist were at there worst. The people have no common sence and they are beyond spoiled. We live in the greatest counry in the world but my grandfather WWI,father and uncle WII plus prepost depression. Lets give Pres Bush some credit he took it to people who hate us the most. The stock market bounced to all time highs, Jobs growth was also better than post WWI, WWII and money went further then.My grandfather worked for 50 cents a day and could feed 6 with help of being a dairy farmer yet again Americans need hard times to get their priorities in order. Obama and Hilliary suggest raising taxes at a time people cannot care for there family on one days work again no common sence. I'm not a Bush fan but I give him credit where credit is due He has stuck to his convictions and I support any that says it like it is Obama one daY HE SAYS this and another that and Hilliary has more garbage in her pants than any person I know I lived in Ark when her hubby was gov he was an angle compared to Hilliary. I believe that we are getting closer to stupid than to smart. WAKEUP READ BETWEEN THE LINES
Wow, I was going to write something witty but I am speechless after reading some of the other comments. It almost makes want in a sadistic way see McCain win, just to see how bad it can get.I will be alright either way, It seems to be the people who are struggling who vote against their own interests. If the dems lose this time I may just go over to the dark side.
The first statements of Mcbush's speech "Excesses of both parties" reminds me of the excuse to my mother, when I finally managed to hit a homerun through one of our windows,(a rare confluence of my 10 year old passion and my true talent at the time)that "We broke a window". Exactly which "excesses is he referring to? The invasion of privacy in family matters of life, death, and progeny? The ramming of one religious sect's beliefs down our throats? The toadying up to corporations and the wealthy? The bold and naked attack on the fourth amendmant of the constitution and the Geneva convention? The continued transfer of wealth to the top 5% of our nation and coincidentally the top 1% of a needlessly named Asian Nation (Gee I guess that means they win right?)? The hand and face kissing of the newest Tsar and the elder eastern potentate? How about a birthday party for the former head of the former inquisition, author of a letter to the cardinals and bishops to not release information concerning "victims" of sexual abuse untill ten years after they had reached adulthood (Oh I get it, there is mention of the statute of limitations in the Bible, yes?) (Declined to attend party by the way.) Are these the excesses that "Gramps" is talking about?
YOU PINHEADS ON THE RIGHT BETTER WAKE UP SOON AND USE YOUR ATROPHIED BRAINS TO HELP GAIN CONTROL OF THIS NATION AGAIN.
The "excesses" are yours alone we've been screaming about health care and education for years and your response to the former has been "Its to ph*cked up to fix" and the latter is "How come these kids don't know where French Guyana (sp?) is?" (Hello! you try teaching a roomful of forty ten year-olds where fricking French Guyana is!!!) Buck up! admit your mistakes! Tell Limbaugh the liar, Hannity the hopeless, and Coulter the craven to go to H E two sticks, Turn those cheap arrogant bums on Fox OFF!! Fair and balanced (kidding right?) News? Hahahahahahha!!!! GROW UP!
First off Go John Go!
Second Fox News is balanced, most liberals don't think so because the rest are so liberal that a balanced program mistakenly looks slanted to right them. After all these years of assult from the liberal media, the younger generations never got to see or read real reporters.
Third Who else you going to vote for a liar or a racist? I wont say which one is which, mainly because I think the both fit the description.
GET IT RIGHT!
The first statements of McBush’s speech "Excesses of both parties" reminds me of the excuse to my mother, when I finally managed to hit a home run through one of our windows, (a rare confluence of my 10-year-old passion and my true talent at the time)that "We broke a window.” Exactly which "excess is he referring to? The invasion of privacy in family matters of life, death, and progeny? The ramming of one religious sect's beliefs down our throats? The toadying up to corporations and the wealthy? The bold and naked attack on the fourth amendment of the constitution and the Geneva convention? The continued transfer of wealth to the top 5% of our nation and coincidentally the top 1% of a needlessly named Asian Nation (Gee I guess that means they win right?)? The hand and face kissing of the newest Tsar and the elder eastern potentate? How about a birthday party for the former head of the former inquisition, author of a letter to the cardinals and bishops to not release information concerning "victims" of sexual abuse until ten years after they had reached adulthood (Oh I get it, there is mention of the statute of limitations in the Bible, yes?) (Declined to attend party by the way.) Are these the excesses that "Gramps" is talking about?
YOU PINHEADS ON THE RIGHT BETTER WAKE UP SOON AND USE YOUR ATROPHIED BRAINS TO HELP GAIN CONTROL OF THIS NATION AGAIN.
The "excesses" are yours alone we've been screaming about health care and education for years and your response to the former has been "It’s to ph*cked up to fix" and the latter are "How come these kids don't know where French Guyana (sp?) is?" (Hello! you try teaching a roomful of forty ten-year-old where freckling French Guyana is!) Buck up! Admit your mistakes! Tell Limbaugh the liar, Hannity the hopeless, and Coulter the craven to go to H E two sticks, Turn those cheap arrogant bums on Fox OFF!! Fair and balanced (kidding right?) News? Hahahahahahha!!!! GROW UP!
Yes, Democrats profess to care for the poor and downtrodden. Obama/Hillary plans to do just that-create more gov't programs, and guess who will pay? YOU thats WHO. If either one of them is elected, then you will witness the elimination of the middle class as we now know it. It will be only the rich and the dependant on government-left. Just what they want-to control you. They will tell you what doctor to see, what illness can or cannot be treated, where you can live, how you can live, they will educate your children for you-stick em all in a "Village" and explain the doctrines of Karl Marx, and on and on.. Conservatism may not be perfect, but it is better than Commie Liberalism. By the way, Those in California-have your children wished each other in public schrool a "Merry Christmas"? lately? Lefties, YOU are the ones who must grow up. Help the poor-YES, but help them help themselves, not give them everything for free-They will get used to it..My ex-wife went on welfare over 25 years ago and is still on it. It was easy to do!, Now she wants to go out and work. NO WAY..she wont be able to collect Soc.Sec because she wont have enough put into the system by the time she retires, SOOOOO she has to stay where she is. "GOTCHA" & thanks lefties..If the rest of us dont watch out, we will be a "GOTCHA" too. If you want to be controlled and be a "gotcha", then vote for Obama Hussien or Hillary socialist Clinton.
Ken, I wasn't talking to you, You are obviously a hopeless screwup who hangs on to thirty year old conservative ideology "Commies" are you kidding?we beat them in Vietnam IDIOT!
Please dear brothers, use rationale thinking in selecting a new leader who will improve economic and all security issues. let us all stand with John McCain as US next president so that he get rid of terrorist. Diing Southern Sudan, Juba
WHO CARES ABOUT McCAN'Ts TAX PLANS! HOW IN THE HELL IS HE GONNA PAY FOR AN UNWINABLE WAR IN IRAQ FOR WHICH HE SAYS HE IS HAPPY IF WE ARE THERE FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS?! ALL I CAN SAY IS HE'S GONNA HAFTA REINSTATE THE DRAFT BECAUSE RECRUITING IS ALREADY TAKING A HUGE HIT PARTICULARLY IN THE ARMY!
You liberals are really too much. You would vote for Adolf Hitler if he were the democratic nominee. Hmmm...left wing radical, government control, blame others for their problems with no personal accountability, asecular, only allow military and police to own guns? Sounds like the same group. Whatever your politics, you have to admit that the party that promotes low taxes, personal responsibility to educate yourself and choose your careers wisely, and promotes allowing business to prosper by reducing tax burden and government regulation, and one that trusts people to provide for their own defense, sounds like a better choice than Government regulated by elitist liberals who think you are too stupid to support yourself or make your own decisions in life because you might not succeed. Imagine that, not everyone can be successful, so lets screw the ones who are smart enough and motivated enough to be successful by taxing them up the wazoo to redistribute to people who will simply consume the money and never learn how to make their own. Lets create a society of welfare dependents who will have no skills, no motivation, and no ability to take any personal responsibility. Communism failed people! Socialism is dead. I believe Christ said, "Give a man a fish and he will not know hunger for a day, teach a man to fish and he will never know hunger again". It is not the duty or responsibility of a government to provide you or me with a living. People on the left have this misconception that they have a right to a job, food, clothing, shelter, etc. They have a right to persue these things, not a righ to them. If you can't feed, clothe, or house yourself, don't have kids you moron. If your job sucks and you can't pay the bills, go to schools and find a trade that pays well you moron. If you can't afford healthcare insurance, you can still get treated for emergency needs, but it doen't absolve you from owing the money. Nobody is denies necessary healthcare. These are just some examples of the numerous liberal misconceptions about what rights people do and do not have. The bill of rights is pretty specific in its mission to remove government from interfering with their lives, but big liberal government insists on being the extension of Mommy and Daddy. Get off the government cheese take some damn personal responsibility for yourself instead of whining you don't get what others get because you haven't made good decisions. Life is about learning from mistakes, but the liberals won't allow you to make mistakes to allow you to grow and learn. They keep you dumbed down with promises of a free lunch if you turn over more of your rights to them. I choose to make my own decisions, and take my own risks without a bailout option by big Daddy liberal government. We have a nation of liberal crybabies who never grew up or had to take personal responsibility, so they blame their country for the ills of the poor around the world and claim that it is the US's fault that terrorists attack us. What a crock. If the people in those countries were allowed to educate themselves in a free society, they would not allow their government to keep them dumbed down and blame the US for their ills...hmmmm sounds like a similar theme...Isn't that the liberal mission? If anyone needs to grow up, it's the people who complain and blame their ills on everyone else when they have full opportunity to get educated and paid. They want life handed to them on a silver platter. they don't want to work for it. I say get off your butt, do some research on high paying careers in demand, and go to school. If you screwed up by getting your Girlfriend knocked up before you finish college, that is your problem, not the rest of the countries. This notion that it is somehow the responsibility of society to caudle the morons who screw up in life. Don't blame your country or society. Take a good look in the mirror and point the finger where it belongs.
McCain economic plan is an oxymoron. He is trying to give something for everyone out of ignorance. He is obviously just putting everything his economic advisers say in the same speech to get Republican votes. The fact is the US has the 3rd lowest tax burden in the industrialize world out of 30 countries. The last thing corporations need is a lower tax rate when they can already write most of their taxes off anyway.
Great! another long-winded right-wing buffon (Brian) joins the discussion with a laundry list of used up ideology. WHY DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT SOMETHING SPECIFIC! We've been hearing this same commie handout crap forever. Who is doing all the handing out Huh? From Reagen to BushII Republican Presidents are reponsible for 70% of the national debt. Now that's real money handed out to giant corporations to make war material, or to not grow crops or to build military bases all over the world. Don't start up about entitlements pin head THAT IS OUR MONEY!!!!!!!!! Stop impugning our patriotism stop calling us lazy and shiftless(where have we heard that before) Stop calling your own party ideology the one of fiscal responsibility. Yes? come on now which president had the only balanced budget in the passt thirty years? I cant hear you? Oh Yeah Bill Clinton. You go on and on about personal responsibility, Did you mean Larry Craig, Ken Lay, Attaboy Brownie, How about your deaf pal Limbaugh can you say Oxycontin junkie? Why don't you take some personal responsibility and look for some other source of your news and opinions besides those cherrypicking chuckleheads on Fox. Try the BBC its very refreshing, informative and unbiased. TWIT!
Crap, I spelled Buffoon wrong, sorry.
I am going to make this simple, why you ask, because the problems though complex, the answer is simple. Ron Paul, the real Republican running for president this year. Ron has the plans and historical voting record to follow through. Ron needs not place a flag above his campaign office to determine the political winds and then develop government policy as McCain does.
Ron knows the answers and lives it. Ron’s Campaign is the only presidential campaign who never went into debt to run, he continues ruining today debt free, and is on the ballot in all 50 states. Visit www.ronpaul2008.com read Ron’s solutions he has held for 30-40 years. Then join the revolution to restore America to her greatness. Ron Paul is the only remaining candidate who is for real change.
WELL SAID BRIAN
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Ross
Doesn't the "Gas Holiday" strike people as consumer "pork." It does not solve any of the real issues surrounding gas price increases, and can cause supply - demand price issues.
Posted by j. Blah | April 16, 2008 3:23 PM