Candidates trade hits on taxes and spending
Republicans ramped up their assault today on Barack Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal.
On the tax side, John McCain's campaign unveiled a new web ad that features running mate Sarah Palin. "How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?" the spot shows Palin saying.
"Good question," the announcer says.
"The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, and raise payroll taxes, and raise investment income taxes," Palin continues. "How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?"
"The answer: we won't," the announcer concludes.
Obama does support ending President Bush's income tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers, to raise the top tax rate on capital gains, and to levy further Social Security taxes on wealthier taxpayers.
But the ad, as has been par for the course in such attacks, does not acknowledge that the vast majority of Americans would pay lower taxes under Obama's plans because he wants to cut taxes for those who make less than $250,000 a year.
On the spend side, the Republican National Committee launched an “Obama Spend-O-Meter,” asserting that his spending promises total $1.2 trillion.
That accounting doesn't tell the whole story. While the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Obama has promised a total of $990 billion in new spending over his first four-year term, it says he has also proposed a nearly equal amount in spending cuts, so the net cost balances out.
Obama has not curtailed his policy proposals despite the economic downturn. But he has put more stress recently on finding savings in the federal budget.
"It’s time to put an end to the runaway spending and the record deficits -- it’s not how you would run your family budget, and it must not be how Washington handles your tax dollars. It’s time to return to the fiscal responsibility and pay as you go budgeting that we had in the 1990s. Many in Congress have been fighting for these commonsense principles, and I will be a president who supports them and makes sure they succeed," he said today in Wisconsin.
Obama vowed to go through the federal budget, "page by page, line by line," and cut programs that don’t work and aren’t needed and make needed programs more efficient. He also pledged to go after corporations that avoid taxes by setting up offshore tax havens, to cut private contractors, and end no-bid contracts.
Obama's campaign retaliated this afternoon, unveiling an ad of its own painting McCain as a big spender.
"I can't wait to introduce her to the big spenders in Washington," McCain is heard saying over an image of him and his running mate Sarah Palin.
"Big spenders, like John McCain," the announcer says. "McCain’s tax plan means another three trillion in debt. His plan to privatize Social Security – another trillion. Tax credits sent to insurance companies, yet another trillion."
As images of neon streets in China appear, the announcer adds, So as we borrow from China to fund his spending spree, ask yourself.
"Can we afford John McCain?" the announcer concludes over an image of President Bush with his arm around McCain's shoulders.
The $3 trillion citation is from the Tax Policy Center, but the ad does not acknowledge that the center's analysis says that Obama's plans would raise the national debt by nearly as much over 10 years. Both campaigns, in fact, have disputed the numbers, saying they assume that President Bush's tax cuts will expire by the end of 2010.
The center also calculated that McCain's proposal for a $5,000 tax credit for a family that buys it own healthcare would increase the national debt by another $1.3 trillion over 10 years. But the McCain campaign says that does not include plans to cut healthcare costs.
UPDATE: Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman, responded to the ad: “Barack Obama is lying with impunity and now he is shamelessly accusing John McCain of being a ‘big spender’ while failing to cite a single legitimate McCain spending item – not a single new proposal or program. The truth is Barack Obama has realized that his requests for a billion dollars in pork barrel spending and his proposal for nearly a trillion dollars in new federal spending is desperately at odds with the American pocketbook. Every American voter knows that you don’t spend more when you have less, and they also know not to vote for an inexperienced politician who will say or do anything to get elected.”
Obama's campaign also launched a web video that shows a color-by-numbers critique of McCain's tax proposals. At the end, when the camera pulls back, it reveals a coloring book depiction of McCain embracing President Bush.
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THE WALL STREET BAILOUT IS A TRAP:
YOU DID THE RIGHT THING people by stopping this 700 billion dollar bailout of Wall Street with your money. It's a trap set by the Bush McCain administration years ago to spring on you, and the World just before the November elections. It will cripple our economy for years to come by taking away money from important social programs like health care reform, education, and social security.
What ever congress does to try and fix our stunning economic catastrophe needs to be done very carefully. Congress needs to take their time, and be sure of what they are doing. Whatever is done needs to be sharply focused at helping, and protecting the best interest of the ordinary Americans. In particular the vast American middle class. 700 billion dollars is a lot of the peoples money to spend to bail out a bunch of corrupt Bush loan sharks.
When have you ever known any government plan, or project to only cost what the government said it would. Remember the war in Iraq. Bush and his so-called advisers said it would only cost you about 80 billion dollars. But we now know that the war in Iraq will cost you, and your children, and your grand children over a trillion dollars, and still counting.
So if 80 billion can end up costing you over a trillion dollars. How much could 700 billion end up costing you. Any math wizards out there. I come up with 9 trillion...:-(
My fellow human beings, just as I warned you ahead of this catastrophic economic meltdown, I must now warn you that what is ahead has the potential to be even more catastrophic than what we are going through now. The worlds geopolitical landscape has been booby trapped by the Bush McCain administration and their republican allies in congress. These booby traps are poised to spring at any time.
Fortunately the Worlds Nations have been blessed with many excellent leaders (except the US) who have been careful, wise, strong, and self-restrained in dealing with the provocations, and antagonism's of the Bush, McCain administration.
Barack Obama and the democrats are your best hope now. Tell your family, friends, and everyone you know to support them as best you can, and vote for them like your life, and the lives of your loved ones depends on it. Because it does. You will not survive 4 more years of Bush McCain.
JACK SMITH - WORKING CLASS...
"Tax and Spend" Liberals are much better than
"Don't Tax, Spend Anyway, and Charge It To Your Kids" Conservatives:
Iraq War -- $700 MILLION PER DAY!
National Debt INTEREST -- $1 BILLION PER DAY!
What liberal media should to is stop falling in tank with the terrorist associated Nobama, and report the true.
I am ashame of myself to be a democrat.
Please tax me. I'd much rather have efficient highways, public works projects, decent healthcare, available grants, and public education than have a low income tax that's negated by a slew of private sector public programs taking more out of my pockets than taxes ever could.
The Repubs always want to accuse Dems of "tax and spend". What have the Repubs done? Borrow and spend, print worthless money and spend and spend and spend. Please, this argument is old and tired. This administration's policies have ruined us, so stop with the tax and spend diatribe.
It's time to start calling taxes "Buy In" and spending "Investment".
"What liberal media should to is stop falling in tank with the terrorist associated Nobama, and report the true."
"I am ashame of myself to be a democrat."
Are you kidding me. You can't even write a grammatically correct sentence. You're not qualified to vote, you're too stupid. I can't wait until all this is over so all of you right wing religious wacko's can crawl back into your rat holes.
Steve, from Phila.
President Obama..... The New leader of the **"Socialist Republic of America"**
To Steve Shive;
RIGHT ON!
I loved the way you handled that "Moron" Sometimes the only way to "Deal" with a jerk is to "call um as you see um" and "let them have it". Besides, it was funny, and funny is ALWAYS good!
ACORN........ACORN.......ACORN.......ACORN.....ACORN
Read about this far left organization's radical philosophy (welfare is a tool of "oppression") and OBAMA'S LINKS TO ACORN.
ACORN........ACORN.......ACORN.......ACORN.....ACORN
ACORN........ACORN.......ACORN.......ACORN.....ACORN
ACORN........ACORN.......ACORN.......ACORN.....ACORN
ACORN........ACORN.......ACORN.......ACORN.....ACORN
The Repubs always want to accuse Dems of "tax and spend". What have the Repubs done? Borrow and spend, print worthless money and spend and spend and spend. Please, this argument is old and tired. This administration's policies have ruined us, so stop with the tax and spend diatribe.
To the left wing liberal fools…”What a fool believes he sees (or hears) no wise man has the power to reason away”…. Quote “Doobie Brothers”.
Oh Hey Right; "Acorn", We wouldn' t want that would we? I mean the nerve of some people! How dare ANYONE try to render support to an organization dedicated to helping low income families find a home, ALL that money needs to go to those poor underprivilaged oil tycoons,Wall Street high rollers, and those banking CEO's. Those are the people that need our support. It takes alot of work to "Shake down" the American taxpayer, and lets face it, democrats don't excell at emptying my wallet like a good ole republican!
Excuse me sir (Barrack Obama) don't raise our taxes to pay for that $700.00billion fraudulant,misleading,mismanagement,manipulative Democrat Party idea.Raise Hollywood taxes or all richest democrat members in millions.You guys love to give graciously to other countries but what about poor children in America.There are more struggling families in America since the last twenty years than most countries in the world.What about this title for a song,"Hey Obama! leave our money alone,if they need more help then give it yourself."
Excuse me sir (Barrack Obama) don't raise our taxes to pay for that $700.00billion fraudulant,misleading,mismanagement,manipulative Democrat Party idea
The bailout was proposed by the Republican Treasury Secretary and the Republican White House and agreed to by the Republican Senate and the Republican leadership of the House.
If we had an IQ test at the polls, the Republican party would vanish overnight. I think it's related to the sharply higher rates of incest in Red states.
I've seen this Jack Smith comment on a few posts now. Didn't you read the news? Obama personally worked the phones all day to tell Dems and Reps alike to support the bailout....guess all hope is lost for you.
The problem with Obama's claims is that his *only* record is apparently almost a billion in pork barrel spending. Senator Clinton was right when she pointed out that if the sky were the limit there's lots more programs she would have put forth too. During the debate he couldn't come up with a single program he would cut or curb back...now, he's talking about "runaway spending"? He'll say whatever he thinks his audience wants to hear and will "shift" his position depending on who he's talking to and whatever appears politically favorable at the moment.
Color by numbers, really? Who's the target audience there? Despite ACORN's best efforts 6-year-olds can't vote. (As recent as earlier this month, the Michigan Secretary of State reported that ACORN had submitted a large number of duplicate and fraudulent applications to vote. Looks like more of the same.)
Excuse me sir(skmj) What part of THE REPUBLICANS CAUSED THIS DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? It does NO GOOD trying to reason with a republican for they are; STUPID, GREEDY & HATEFUL. They are SO HYPROCRATICAL they can actually LIE, TORTURE & MURDER, and then justify it by invoking Christianity, and totally miss the point that THEIR VERY ACTIONS are a violation of the teachings of JESUS CHRIST, AND our CONSTITUTION! I'm waiting for REPUBLICANS to file a lawsuit against Jeff Foxworthy for Defamation of character, just (1) problem, how can your character be defamed, if you have no character to begin with?