Romney Contradicts McCain Adviser: ‘You Can’t Keep On Growing The Federal Deficit’
Romney Contradicts McCain Adviser: ‘You Can’t Keep On Growing The Federal Deficit’
Yesterday, ThinkProgress noted that Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) economic advisers are abandoning McCain’s earlier talk of balancing the budget. According to the New York Times, his chief economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, “said that if the war and the personal and corporate tax cuts that Mr. McCain advocated added to the federal deficit and debt, so be it.” Holtz-Eakin added that he “would like the next president not to talk about deficit reduction.”
Apparently, no one gave the message to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who — while cheerleading for McCain on Morning Joe today — emphasized that “you can’t keep on growing the deficit” and said McCain has “made it very clear he wants to balance the budget.”
Watch it:
Scarborough is right to be skeptical. As the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s James Kvaal and Robert Gordon point out, McCain’s tax plan would:
– Double the size of the Bush tax cuts, costing more than $2 trillion in their first decade.
– Do virtually nothing for the middle class: only 9 percent of the tax cuts will go to the bottom 80 percent of households, while 58 percent will go to the top 1 percent of households.
– Follow Grover Norquist’s blueprint that’s been called a “stealth approach to tax reform” – and that aims to abandon progressive taxation in favor of a wage tax imposed mainly on low- and middle-income households.
As Holtz-Eakin himself admitted, McCain’s tax plan “will make deficits expand up front, no question.” Someone from the McCain camp should get the official talking points out to Romney: Deficits don’t matter.
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I wonder if a simpler tax plan is available.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:18 amWould someone please explain to me why it is that the lower and middle classes are expected to pay everything? ‘Cause, apparently I didn’t get the memo either.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:22 amHacks talking to hacks about hacks!! How much truth can there be in this conversation??? Zero comes to mind…
April 15th, 2008 at 10:23 amVA Voter Says:
I wonder if a simpler tax plan is available.
Hey, if it isn’t Little Miss “I Have No Agenda.”
April 15th, 2008 at 10:27 am“Out of Touch”: First Major Anti-McCain Ad Airs Today
By: SilentPatriot @ 6:20 AM – PDT
Greg Sergeant of TPM has the scoop:
Here’s a first look at the first ad being run against John McCain by Progressive Media U.S.A., the new pro-Dem third-party group headed by David Brock that’s planning to raise $40 million to bloody up the GOP nominee in advance of this fall’s election…
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/04/15/out-of-touch-first-major-anti-mccain-ad-airs-tomorrow/
April 15th, 2008 at 10:32 amJust showing support for the most simple and best tax plan presented to the US congress.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:32 amGrow the deficit? That’s an odd phrase.
President Bush and his Credit Card Republicans have been running our country on plastic and now the chief economic advisor to John Sydney McCain III says they plan to continue to Borrow & Spend in a McCain presidency.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:35 amVA Voter Says:
Just showing support for the most simple and best tax plan presented to the US congress.
Yeah, it’s almost like you have an agenda.
Support this!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:37 amHow far out of touch is McCain , if he doesn’t think the American people DON’T want to hand this off to their progeny?
April 15th, 2008 at 10:39 amI’m really starting to think that I’m loosing it.
The two dem candidates are savaging each other and even praising the repub candidate.
The conservatives hate their own candidate.
And now the conservative candidate seems to be running on more govt (military, terror, domestic surveillance) and increasing the deficit – And McCain is from the land of the fiscal conservatives ?
April 15th, 2008 at 10:41 amThis, my friends, is actually a flip/flop. Though the term is often overused, here I think it shows its original flavor. McCain promised to balance the budget because he’s ostensibly a “fiscal conservative”. However, as the reality of “conservative” Voodoo economics takes hold his advisers are at least honest enough to let us know that the pledge has been dropped. He panders to those who appreciate fiscal conservatism and then he drops support when it becomes politically expedient so he can pander to the tax cut and deregulation crowd.
Although it bucks conventional wisdom, in our political landscape the Democrats are the fiscal conservatives. Bill Clinton actually balanced the budget and started paying down the debt. Even the Presidency of Jimmy Carter showed more fiscal constraint than the Presidencies of Reagan or either Bush. Bush has reigned over the largest increase in government including both discretional funds and military spending. He has mortgaged this country to our grandchildren since he is unwilling to make any sacrifices today. McCain promises more of the same.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:49 amMapleStreet Says:
I’m really starting to think that I’m loosing it.
The two dem candidates are savaging each other and even praising the repub candidate.
The conservatives hate their own candidate.
And now the conservative candidate seems to be running on more govt (military, terror, domestic surveillance) and increasing the deficit – And McCain is from the land of the fiscal conservatives ?
April 15th, 2008 at 10:41 am
You are losing it Maplestreet, I know I am. This insanity has got to come to a close and soon.You said it all.If only Penn. can be the undoing of Hillary I`ll take it and back Obama all of the way.I, like you and the rest of this country want to see a fight between the two parties without a second Dem involved.
between the left and the right without another lefty be invovled.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:51 amStep right up Ladies and Gentlemen, see the Amazing Republican Party! See them embrace both sides of an issue! See them boldly ignore reality and embrace nothingness! No issue too complicated or pressing to ignore! No trivality so small as to be boldly embellished! Step right up!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:52 amImpeach Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution!
Abu Ben Hussein Leporello.
VA Voter Says
April 15th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Just showing support for the most simple and best tax plan presented to the US congress.
__________________________________________________
Except that the topic of this thread has to do with the federal budget deficit and the national debt, which your little tax plan will do nothing to alleviate. Therefore, you are off-topic.
I can’t flag you for spamming the thread with your agenda until we get our flag buttons back. But I can ignore you, which I will, and I hope others do as well.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:21 amAWESOME!
President McCain will expand the federal deficit while Vice President Romney will contract it.
When things come to a head, McCain’s temper will flair up and he’ll beat up Romney and call Anne a c^nt.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:05 pm