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Title - Read McCain's Lips

July 29, 2008 7:37 AM

My former next-door neighbor Ramesh Ponnuru of the National Review takes note of an apparent flip-flop by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on taxes.

In March 2007 McCain told Ponnuru the following:

Ponnuru: If you could get the Democrats to agree, or at least to come to the table on entitlements or on tax simplification, are those circumstances under which you’d be willing to accept a tax increase?

Sen. McCain: No; no.

PONNURU:  No circumstances?

Sen. McCain: No. None. None.

But on This Week with George Stephanopoulos Sunday McCain sounded a bit different,  saying of Social Security, "I am a supporter of sitting down together and putting everything on the table and coming up with an answer. So, there is nothing I would take off the table. There was nothing I would demand. I think that's the way that Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill did it. And that's what we have to do again...

"I have said and will say, I will say that everything has to be on the table, if we're going to reach a bipartisan agreement," McCain continued. "I've been in bipartisan negotiations before. I know how you reach a conclusion. We all have to sit down together with everything on the table."

Asked George: "So, that means payroll tax increases are on the table, as well?"

"There is nothing that's off the table," McCain responded. "I have my positions, and I'll articulate them. But nothing's off the table. I don't want tax increases. Of course I'd like to have young Americans have some of their money put into an account with their name on it. But that doesn't mean that anything is off the table."

- jpt

July 29, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (38)

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Correction: The bottom two income tax rates pre-2001 were 15% and 28%.

Posted by: James Danley | Jul 29, 2008 1:26:27 PM

It's not ageist [word missing] to call into question McCain's mental awareness.
-----
Or The CHANGEling's . . .

Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 29, 2008 12:33:23 PM

Hold onto your hats folks! This is going to be a wild ride! The latest polls: Rasmussen Tracking (7/26-7/28) -- Obama 47 & McCain 46. USA Today/Gallup (7/25-7/27) -- Obama 45 & McCAIN LEADS WITH 49.

Posted by: James Danley | Jul 29, 2008 12:30:00 PM

I would argue that it's a agood thing that he's finally considering raising taxes. Obviously it'sa major flip-flop, which has problems of its own. But I don't know where that campaign was getting off thinking that his economic policies would be practicing fiscal discipline.

Tax Policy Center, an independent think tank, estimated that a McCain administration would lead to an additional $3.4 TRILLION to the deficit ovver the next ten years, while an Obama administration would actually reduce the deficit by $700 billion over that span.

You decide what the economy needs.

Posted by: Indep. Matt | Jul 29, 2008 12:23:07 PM

I think the Mcain people should get in touch with "Reef Sandles" He should have a signture pair of Mcain flip flops LOL, I don't care who you people vote for, Just remember The Who, Here comes the new boss same as the old boss. He says he know how to win wars? Well jon when are you going to let bush in on it? I mean we are going on a decade in this War, How many more or Americans have to die before you let everyone on your little secret?

Posted by: RaferJanders | Jul 29, 2008 11:27:58 AM

Bill C., you wrote: "If you make less than $250,000/yr and you vote for Sen. McCain, you are voting against your own best interest."

Sen. Obama NOW says that he will raise taxes on those with incomes of at least $250,000. Sen. Obama also says that he will lower taxes on those with incomes of $150,000 or less.

But just a couple of weeks ago, Sen. Obama said that he would raise taxes on the top 5% of wage earners. AND he would CUT taxes for the other 95%. The problem is that in 2006 (the latest statistics) the cutoff for the top 5% was $153,542. (SOURCE: Summary of Federal Individual Income Tax Data, 2006, published by the Tax Foundation on July 18, 2008 -- compiled from the latest information from the Internal Revenue Service.)

SO WHICH IS IT???

Before you vote this November you should consider the following:

1) Sen. Obama and the Democrats intend to allow the 2001 & 2003 Bush tax cuts to expire. That will raise the bottom two income tax rates from 10% and 15% back to the pre-2001 rates of 15% and 25%. So when Sen. Obama and the Democrats get around to implementing their own tax cuts, will it in fact be a net tax cut? OR will you actually have a net tax hike?

2) With all of the new entitlements that Sen. Obama is advocating (not to mention any additional entitlements that the Democrats in Congress pass), you could raise the federal income tax rate to ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of income over $250,000, and it will NOT pay for all the new entitlements.

3) Will Sen. Obama VETO all tax hikes passed by a Democratically controlled Congress that EXCEED his current stated limits?

Posted by: James Danley | Jul 29, 2008 10:52:57 AM

LOL, is there REALLY anyone out there taking "McSame" seriously? I mean really?

JT

Posted by: John Woods | Jul 29, 2008 10:49:50 AM

Different pots of money. Budget items aren't interchangeable.

Still, would you rather they shoot at Americans and we shoot back?

When Rumsfield put the Iraqi military on the street without jobs he put a lot of trained gun-toting family men out of work. Iran gave them jobs. How'd that work out?

Posted by: len | Jul 29, 2008 10:40:38 AM

roxanne - Yes things are very well, right now the economy is equal to that it was under Clinton, and it is considered a slowdown interesting huh!!

McCain was wrong to go on a talk show with a lib sympathizer, but it shows that he will go anywhere, unlike Obama who is willing to talk to people that want to kill us but will not talk to Americans!! or injured Troops without the media employees!!!

Posted by: spock | Jul 29, 2008 10:11:33 AM

len wrote:
Or are you happier to have a Windfall Retirement Tax to pay for the well-being of the illegals and war on global poverty?
*************
Sure, it makes so much more sense to pay Iraqi terrorists $12 billion each month NOT to shoot at American soliders. You are right, it is a better investment to pay Halliburton, CACI, Blackwater, etc. no-bid contracts.

Posted by: Mayor McCheese | Jul 29, 2008 9:31:01 AM

All of you who think experience is so important should remember one thing...Bush was a former governor and look how well that's turned out!

Posted by: roxanne | Jul 29, 2008 9:25:51 AM

Could someone explain to me why Iraq war vets gave John McCain a D when it comes to troop support and Obama a B+ ?
Go ahead....I'll wait.

Posted by: roxanne | Jul 29, 2008 9:23:31 AM

Jamesduck,

It's not ageist to call into question McCain's mental awareness.

Posted by: Mayor McCheese | Jul 29, 2008 9:20:45 AM

As you libs slept, a major Shell oil pipeline was destroyed by terrorists in Nigeria. It won't likely be the last. The cost of oil is headed up again.
This is reason enough to votr for McCain and not Barack Hussein Obama.

Posted by: Larry Clifton
Don't you mean because the Oil industry has donated large amounts of money to McClown since he came out for more drilling? By the way, the cover of the NY Times yesterday had an article about the amount of money lobbyist have given to McCain, Obama and Clinton during this years races. Read it and weep!
Obama - $6,000 dollars
Clinton - $84,000
McCain - $181,000. The man is a joke!

Posted by: dale | Jul 29, 2008 9:20:28 AM

If he is flip flopping, look at the position and the evidence and ask if you want him to change his mind on this one.

Any one out there who are paying their parents social security want some when they retire? Or are you happier to have a Windfall Retirement Tax to pay for the well-being of the illegals and war on global poverty?

Any debate on economic policies comes down to whose ox is to be gored. Despite what the frictionless economy mavens said, there is no free economic lunch.

Posted by: len | Jul 29, 2008 9:16:42 AM

McCain's own son Andrew is caught up in a banking scandal. LOL! Like father, like son!

Posted by: Mayor McCheese | Jul 29, 2008 9:14:42 AM

If you Obama zombies what to be ageist then everyone else should be racist to make it even. Oh wait you all think everything is racist anyway.

THAT IS RACIST!

Posted by: JamesDuck | Jul 29, 2008 9:14:37 AM

How convenient for Obama that he wasn't in the Senate to vote on Iraq (because he's since said he doesn't know for sure how he would have voted). And how opportune for him that he went to an anti-war rally and told a bunch of anti-war protestors what they wanted to hear. Funny, he stopped the anti-war talk when he started running for U.S. Senate and has done nothing to try to end the war as a senator.

Obama has foisted the ultimate snowjob on the American people, but you can't blame him. A lot of people have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. No matter how many times it's proven that Obama is unqualified to be POTUS, they can point to a vote he never had to make a decision on and claim infallible superior judgment. Truth is, he probably would have either voted present or claimed to have hit the wrong button - that's how he handled the tough decisions in Illinois.

Posted by: marylou | Jul 29, 2008 9:10:00 AM

marylou wrote:
While nothing is absolute, overall Obama has had more flipflops while McCain has had more shifts.
**********

Ever notice how McCain supporters claim his flips are policy shifts, instead not being able to remember what he said?

McCain's mental accutiy will be called into question more and more in the coming days. Reporters have been noting lately how incoherent McCain's message has been, rambling from one subject to another without any connection or point. The media has been covering for McCain by NOT covering, but then he whined about not getting enough coverage. Be careful what you wish for!

Posted by: Mayor McCheese | Jul 29, 2008 9:09:38 AM

@ Mayor McCheese,

I love it when you post. You show America exactly what kind of people are Obama supporters. You are so intelligent, keep up the good work.

Mayor McCheese = Obama

Posted by: JamesDuck | Jul 29, 2008 9:09:12 AM

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