Despite McCain’s ‘Read My Lips’ Pledge, Fiorina Suggests A ‘Creative’ Tax Increase On Wealthy Americans
Despite McCain’s ‘Read My Lips’ Pledge, Fiorina Suggests A ‘Creative’ Tax Increase On Wealthy Americans
In February, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) took the “read my lips” pledge, promising publicly not to raise taxes under any circumstances. “No new taxes,” McCain declared. “Under no circumstances would you increase taxes?” asked ABC’s George Stephanopoulous. “No,” responded McCain. Watch it:
Similarly, top McCain surrogate Carly Fiorina has repeatedly expressed an aversion to raising taxes. “We [should] not raise taxes on the American people,” she said just yesterday on Meet the Press. But in an interview with Bloomberg’s Al Hunt published this weekend, Fiorina said that a McCain administration may be willing to raise taxes on the wealthy, echoing the plan set forth by Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL):
In an interview, Carly Fiorina, a top adviser, explains that any tax increases on “middle- and working-class” Americans are off limits. She says if a bipartisan coalition is “creative enough” to fashion tax increases on wealthier Americans, that may prove palatable.
We are glad to see McCain acknowledging the possibility of doing what most progressives think is now an unfortunate necessity in order to meet the nation’s needs. But Fiorina’s statement is the latest example of the McCain campaign’s inability to nail down where McCain stands on raising taxes. For example, in March, just weeks after making the “read my lips” promise, McCain backtracked:
I’m not making a “read my lips” statement in that I will not raise taxes.
But later that month, McCain reverted back to the no new taxes pledge:
I will wait forever to increase Americans’ taxes because I don’t think that’s beneficial to our economy.
As part of an increasingly muddled economic message, the McCain campaign has made similar flip-flops on a host of issues, including the Bush tax cuts, estate tax, balancing the budget, and privatizing Social Security.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
**deep breath**
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
July 14th, 2008 at 6:33 pmWho the F do they think is going to pay for this war? Or the Fannie/Freddie/Stearns Bailouts?
July 14th, 2008 at 6:35 pmDEFICITS FOREVER!!!
Phuck the RePugniScums!!
July 14th, 2008 at 6:37 pmI like how McSame touts the Reagan “prosperity” after Carter’s “mismanagement”.
He doesn’t note that reagan followed his massive tax cuts with the largest tax increase in history to that date the next year, because it was pretty clear pretty quickly that the tax cuts were unsustainable.
And Reagan STILL exploded the national debt.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:39 pmTooth Fairy Economics!
YAY for the Tooth Fairy!!!!
July 14th, 2008 at 6:44 pmRalph, so true.
Under Reagan, the national debt hit $1 trillion for the first time. By the time Pappa Bush left office, the debt was at $4.5 trillion. After 8 years of Clinton, the debt reached $5.5 trillion BUT the $1 trillion increase included interest payments of $1.5 trillion on his inherited debt, so he actually began paying down the debt, while staying ahead of the ongoing interest payments.
And now, under Baby Bush, the debt has ballooned to nearly $10 trillion, so you can just imagine what the annual interest payments are. There is no question that President Obama will inherit an economic mess, thanks to VP Bush, Bush 41 and Bush 43. McCain is on track to create even more of a mess, should he succeed in stealing the election.
PEACE
July 14th, 2008 at 6:51 pmGeez — does McCain ever actually MEET with those who presume to speak for him? You’d think that just connecting long enough to get their stories straight would be a prudent thing to do.
On the other hand, this may be part of the strategy. Keep things as fuzzy and blurry as possible, and nobody will know what you stand for. It may be the only way he thinks he can win.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:52 pmFirst, I second Zooey’s comments.
Second, even Bush 41 admitted that it was irresponsible to have made that “no new taxes” pledge.
Third, unless McCain just plans to completely bankrupt the country, I don’t see how he can prosecute wars in Afghanistan (where the people who attacked us on 9/11 are getting stronger every day) and Iraq (which posed no danger to us at all, except in the minds of people who get very scared about imaginary things) without raising taxes. Or cutting by 100% all other spending, including discretionary spending.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:52 pmMy friends, when I say no NEW taxes, that doesn’t mean that I can’t take some old taxes, and increase them. Then we, my friends, will have higher old taxes, but no higher new taxes.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:57 pmOn the wealthiest Americans, and corporations, we’ll lower old taxes and not raise new taxes, but I think there’s a pauper tax we can re-instate from feudal Europe.
If last week’s mis-steps happened to the Obama campaign, he would be toast – done. Because it was McSame and his spokespeople/not spokespeople, the MSM will not notice a thing. So many gaffes, so little bother.
Why does the MSM think McCain would make a good president?
July 14th, 2008 at 6:57 pmAnd Grover Norquist is the LAST person any responsible president or candidate for office should listen to. The only thing he wants is to not have to pay taxes. He doesn’t care about how we’ll pay for any of the services on which he and his ilk have come to depend.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:58 pmStratRat Says:
Why does the MSM think McCain would make a good president?
Maybe they don’t…but a CLOSE Election would attract more interest. In elections, like in Sports, a Blowout is Boring.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:03 pmMaybe they don’t…but a CLOSE Election would attract more interest. In elections, like in Sports, a Blowout is Boring.
Agreed, but it seems the media is giving McCain every possible chance to succeed, whereas Obama is being postioned as being from another world. I guess that is ‘fair and balanced’ in today’s government owned media.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:10 pmWhy are republics so bad at math?
July 14th, 2008 at 7:28 pmStrat Rat:
I agree with you, that the “media” is giving McCain every possible chance…But… The Internet, UTube, and Blogs have created a Whole New Ballgame.(sorry about all the sports metaphors).
I don’t think the major networks and newspapers are in the driver’s seat anymore.
BTW our networks are being inundated with campaign ads…in July!…from the campaigns AND from the issues oriented 501’s.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:29 pmThe joys of living in a swing state. T. Boone Pickens, the oil millionaire, is even out with ads supporting wind and solar. WTF???
10…9…8…7…6…5 to McCain saying that Carley doesn’t talk for him and there will be no taxes raised on the wealthy. As a matter of fact, he wants to make the wealthy tax break Bush gave them permanent and offer them even more tax relief.
It’s all voodoo how McCain is going to pay for anything. Oh…I forgot, he’s going to have all that money flowing in from winning the Occupation of Iraq. But, I guess he doesn’t understand that any better than he understands Social Security. Since we are borrowing the money to pay for Iraq, there won’t be any money left over for other things unless he plans on continuing to borrow from China to pay for running our government.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:45 pmBadger Says:
StratRat Says:
Why does the MSM think McCain would make a good president?
Maybe they don’t…but a CLOSE Election would attract more interest. In elections, like in Sports, a Blowout is Boring.
So you are saying that the RWM (right wing media) is manipulating the news to try to keep things close. I don’t think that is what it is. If they didn’t want McCain to win, they would not be skewing the news in his favor the way they are doing now.
Why isn’t Obama running ads introducing the public to the real John McCain. How long does he plan on waiting?
July 14th, 2008 at 7:51 pmBadger Says:
I agree with you, that the “media” is giving McCain every possible chance…But… The Internet, UTube, and Blogs have created a Whole New Ballgame.
There are still people not on the internet and those people still get their news from the msm, unless they pick up Indy or underground papers.
….
And unfortunately, many still think wrasslin’ is real.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:51 pmStratRat says…
“…government owned media.”
Correction:
Media and Corporate owned Government…welcome to Fascism 2.0!!
July 14th, 2008 at 8:05 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
Why isn’t Obama running ads introducing the public to the real John McCain. ??
Grit TV ,with Laura Flanders, often airs “Alternative” videos ( On free speech TV). One , I think,is actually called ” The Real McCain”. Much like stuff on TP,It juxtaposes McCain’s contradictory Statements to devastating effect, and since it is McCain in his own words , it is hard to refute.
If there is not a HUGE turnout by younger, under 40, voters for Obama, he won’t win…but these are the voters who watch U Tube…not Katy Couric.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:08 pmThe new McCain strategy: be as much like Obama as you can . . . . . . . . half of the time.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:19 pmIn an interview, Carly Fiorina, a top adviser, explains that any tax increases on “middle- and working-class” Americans are off limits. She says if a bipartisan coalition is “creative enough” to fashion tax increases on wealthier Americans, that may prove palatable.
I have a compromise they might accept: elimination of the estate tax, in exchange for an elimination of the SSI cap on income.
We know that statistics show very few would be affected by the estate tax elimination, while elimination of the earnings cap would pump substantial amounts of tax dollars into the system.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:31 pmAnd if the republicans balk at the deal, dems can paint them as financial elitists, who aren’t really interested in solving problems as much as playing politics with the tax issue.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:34 pmah so his plan is to eliminate numerous federal agencies/programs, putting those people who currently run them out of jobs, no new spending or spending increases for any agencies except those continuing the WOT. That huge rat hole we will continue to pour millions upon millions down every month. Is that his plan?
July 14th, 2008 at 8:56 pmWho they think they are fooling? mcchimpy will raise fees, postage stamps, tax things that weren’t tax before which will affect taxpayers.
Three wars and repugs want more.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:28 pmSo the McCain advisor is saying that they would raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Didn’t someone else say that before ? Begins with an O. Oh-Ba-something ??????
Chalk up another one for Obama!
Countdown last night had a pundit basically saying that Obama seemed to have a knack for identifying what needed to be done while it was still on the horizon. (Of course, the repubs would criticize it, but then do it and pretend that it was their idea instead).
July 15th, 2008 at 12:05 pm