Obama vs. McCain on Taxes: A Simple Video Explanation
| Fri Jun. 13, 2008 7:44 AM PDT
I don't say this often, but one of the major news networks did a really good job of digging into policy recently. Specifically, CNN was excellent when discussing the effects the Obama tax plan and the McCain tax plan would have on different income brackets. The numbers make things simple to understand:
This puts the lie to many McCain campaign claims. The most brazenly false ones are from McCain economic adviser and failed Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who claimed that Obama has not proposed "a single tax cut" and wants to "raise every tax in the book." "Everything he's proposed is a tax increase, not a tax cut," she told Fox News. That's self-evidently false, if you (1) know anything about Obama's economic plan, which centers around a $1,000 tax cut for working families, or (2) have watched the video above.
The point here is not to get into a "our tax cuts are bigger!" argument, because tax cuts don't substitute for sound economic policy. And "tax relief," which the Obama campaign likes to say it is offering everyday folks, is most commonly used as a right wing framing device that justifies tax cuts for people who don't need them. Obama's economic proposals include much more than tax cuts: he is also proposing a stimulus package, help for struggling homeowners, and greater and more effective oversight of the financial sector.
But people tend to focus more on taxes than on any of those things, so let's make sure everyone knows how Obama and McCain stack up. The differences are stark.
Update: More here for those who want to dig deeper.
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Comments
Yeah, and the ones bitching the
most are the ones that have the most to lose. The Rush Limbaughs. The Sean Hannitys. The rich Republicans that have talked us into this mess and want to talk us into continuing this mess by voting for John McCain. They want to make you believe YOU are the target. Believe me, when these pigs squeal this loud, they are the targets, not you. Keep that in mind, people!
The Obama campaign is putting together a team whose sole job is to respond to internet rumors, and has just launched their Web site, Fight the Smears. The Democratic nominee has been inaccurately characterized as a Muslim and a black supremacist, while his wife has been called unpatriotic.
Clearly, the response team has their work cut out them. Why not test the campaign's smear response chops by asking them about your worst Obamian fears? http://www.236.com/news/2008/06/11/the_obama_smear_response_team_1_7101.php
Big-bucks Obama should get his team working on the way their candidate's flip-flop on public financing is being "exploited" by people who resent the way he battered "bitter" voters in Pennsylvania with his aggressive Glitzkrieg.
In an ideal world, complete cooperation between different countries creates roads paved with gold, leading to a global utopia. But, historically, and in the real world, human nature and nationalism seem to return individual country's to a goal of self interest and national security. Rogue leaders and unexpected events, such as Putin and Georgia ... Iran, atomic bombs, terrorists and Israel ... Chavez's ambitions ... Al Quada ... Chinese expansion ... etc., always seem to upset the international apple cart of idealists. In addition, we should not take for granted our 200+ year experiment of freedom and capitalism, and be so willing to gamble it away for a socialistic notion which stifles the individual innovation and initiative which made this country great ... and a standard of living which makes everyone around the world want to live here! And, since many have decided to also make this a partisan political discourse, by assuring us that Obama, the messiah, has all the answers, allow me to respond to that as well. Obama has no experience, or credentials. When given the chance in the senate, Obama did nothing except to show up and vote present 160 times. Despite his flowery speeches, his track record reveals a focus on personal ambition, associations with anti-American racists and terrorists, massive flip flopping, questionable loyalty to political positions and long time friends, a desire for socialism, and forced redistribution of America's wealth. He casually promises everyone a chicken in every pot, even if it is the chicken that lays America's golden eggs. Economics 101 ... Every farmer knows that even if you get real hungry, you never eat the seed crop. One of the reasons McCain keeps going back to the issue of character is because although Obama makes great speeches, if his character and integrity are questionable, it doesn't matter how good his plans sound. Policies and promises from an ambitious politician who can't be trusted, are equivalent to building a utopian sky scrapper on a rotten foundation.
P.S. Today Obama talked about more jobs, something McCain has been insisting on since day one ... except Obama wants to raise taxes to the very people who provide jobs, while McCain wants to cut taxes to businesses as a way to promote jobs
