Senator John McCain said that, if elected, he would do what other presidents had tried but failed to do: cut government spending sharply enough to reduce the budget deficit while lowering taxes at the same time...unlike Mr. Bush — or other Republican presidential candidates this year — Mr. McCain favors government mandates to halt global warming and slow the growth of Medicare costs. His campaign says it would also cut financing for programs that the White House budget office has deemed ineffective, a list that includes Amtrak.Bingo. Here's a little more.
During his campaign, Mr. McCain has focused much more on spending than on taxes. He has called for the end of earmarks, which are pet projects inserted into spending bills by legislators.There's more to the article, but you get the idea.
They are “a very small part of the budget,” he said, “but so symbolic” — because they prevent politicians from having any credibility when they try to persuade the public about other budget cuts. The campaign has also said Mr. McCain would consider cutting the programs that the White House has identified as ineffective, which together make up 10 percent of the budget.
We're spending way more than we take in. We can stop that the easy way (voluntarily) or the hard way (bankruptcy). McCain's the only one left talking about doing it the easy way.
7 comments:
McCain is not the "Only" one left talking about doing it the "Easy" way. Ron Paul is the only one who is talking seriously about reducing spending.
McCain is not too bright on economic issues, and has no clue what he's talking about. He's just another politician pandering to what people want to hear. Its impossible to cap Medicaid, look at all the babyboomers fixing to retire. Do you think that fixing Global Warming is going to be cheap?
Don't be fooled by McCain, there are many reasons that no conservative likes him. The guy is full of crap or just too stupid to realize that you cannot be both a liberal democrat, a pro-war conservative and want to cut taxes all at the same time. Something has to go, and McCain's just a damned fool on economic concerns as Ron Paul showed the world in the MSNBC debate.
Don't like Ron Paul, fine. Mitt Romney has the education and background to run the economy, and he's pro-war. Mitt sucks, but McCain is the absolute worst, after Rudy.
Mitt is a pandering liar.
The problem with McCain's view on why he voted against the tax cuts is that this is not what he said before. He never mentioned tying reduced spending with the cuts till the election cycle. He actually used Democratic class warfare rhetoric.
“I had expressed hope that when the reconciliation bill was reported out of the Senate Finance Committee, the tax cuts outlined would provide more tax relief to working, middle-income Americans. However, I am disappointed that the Senate Finance Committee preferred instead to cut the top tax rate of 39.6% to 36%, thereby granting generous tax relief to the wealthiest individuals of our country at the expense of lower- and middle-income American taxpayers.”"
“I’m not giving tax cuts for the rich.”
So McCain is also a pandering liar that will change his tune to suit the voters. He says he has now learned that we need a fence first yet he has accepted open-border activist Juan Hernandez into his campaign who recently said "We must not only have a free flow of goods and services, but also start working for a free flow of people.”"
With McCain it is hard to tell he is a conservative with his voting for ESCR, against the Federal Marriage Amendment, Global warming carbon caps, against drilling in Anwar. Can we trust anybody that the New York Times endorses. That Bill Clinton said how good friend McCain and Hillary are. Can we really expect him to appoint judges he says he likes like Scalia and Roberts when they overturned parts of his own legislation? I just don't trust McCain considering all of the times he has screwed conservatives and attacked the religious right. There is good evidence that he approached John Kerry about being his V.P.
Though with Fred and Duncan Hunter gone there are major problems with all of the candidates left.
It will be either McCain or Romney at the General Election and while I can support either of them over the Democratic nominee I will also know that they both have deep flaws and will go into the voting booth with my eyes wide open as to my expectations.
I don't think you're giving McCain enough credit on the tax cuts issue. He's been pretty strong on controlling spending throughout his career. Check out his American Conservative Union (or whatever they're called) rating.
Yep, he's not perfect but you know where he stands. Romney stands everywhere. I can imagine McCain rallying the country to do something painful, but never Romney.
Lastly, I like the fact that he can work with the Democrats. I know some Republicans wish they would all either convert or go away, but they won't be doing that any time soon, so you've got to work with them.
KT, Even if McCain sticks to his guns and uses his Presidential bully-pulpit to push spending cuts, with the Dems in control of Congress, I see scant chance of any actual spending reduction.
When Republicans work with Democrats we get McCain-Feingold or No Child Left behind. The main problem with McCain is that he is more likely to attack a fellow Republican than a Democrat. Reagan was able to work with Democrats to get his tax cuts mostly through leadership and not pandering. McCain's first impulse is to cave as he did with the Gang of 14. Romney though I suspect has the same problems as evidenced by his term as Governor in a very liberal state. The most I can say about Mitt in that case is that he kept things from getting worse there and did do fairly well as far as reducing spending goes.
McCain is fairly good on controlling spending, my point is that he is spinning why he voted against the tax cut and now is spinning Romney's position on withdrawing from Iraq. I also think the carbon cap is a horrible idea that will provide a hidden tax as the EPA said would raise energy costs from $660 billion to $2.1 trillion over a 18 year period.
As for his ACU rating.
2000: 81
2001: 68
2002: 78
2003: 80
2004: 72
2005: 80
2006: 65
Like I said I would vote for him in the General election, but as Sen. Santorum said McCain never stood up to fight on any social issues.
As for Romney standing everywhere I don't think that is quite exact. It is obvious that he has flipped on positions, but there have been not sign of him going back on positions once made. Plus he has flipped in the right direction which of course could be pandering. The problem with Romney is that he is too much of a unknown as far as carrying out what he now believes and I have been rather surprised at the support he has gotten from so many conservative groups.
But it really comes down to who you can trust more between the two of them that is a prudential decision.
My problem is if McCain actually does what he says he will do than there are areas I won't be happy at all and my suspicion is that he will more likely give us a Suitor than a Roberts.
If Mitt actually does what he says he will do I am less worried. My suspicion is that McCain would take on the mantle of a George H. Bush or a Gerald Ford and that Romney would be similar to how George W. Bush has governed. No Reagan's in this group.
Ron Paul is the Reagan in this group.
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