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Giuliani Touts Permanent Relief As Method To Boost Economy
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ShareJanuary 22, 2008 1:14 PM
ABC News' Jan Simmonds Reports: While the markets were tumbling in New York Tuesday morning, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani took an even-keeled approach to the nation's economic crisis.
A recent Giuliani television advertisement touts that the country as having an "economy in peril," but today the presidential candidate did not seem to have the same gloomy view.
"I think all you do is react to the facts. I don't think you put adjectives and qualifiers on it," said Giuliani, following a campaign stop at Toojay's Gourmet Deli in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl. "I think you react to the fact. I think it says the Fed has to deal with the monetary policy and the federal government has to deal with the fiscal policy."
Regarding monetary policy, Giuliani said the country needs a "very, very strong stimulus package," hinting that he would like to see one that went beyond what President George Bush has already laid out.
"I'd like to see permanent relief. I mean making permanent the Bush tax cuts, reducing the corporate tax 35 to 25% is what I recommended," he said, adding that the capital gains tax needed to be cut also.
"What we are trying to do is, it would seem to me, is to make America more competitive," Giuliani said. "I think you see when markets react like this that America exists now in a competitive global environment and therefore everything we do has to be viewed from that perspective."
Giuliani noted that one thing which has not been discussed which he thought would be helpful would be a "spending reduction program."
"They [the federal government] could announce cutbacks in the civilian agencies," he explained. "Each agency could be looking for ways to make 5 percent, 10 percent cutbacks…we used to do that in New York City, when there was a prospect of some kind of downturn."
Once the Republican national frontrunner, Giuliani is now in the fight of his political life in Florida. These maybe difficult times for his campaign, but the former New York Mayor has chosen to routinely not harp on his Republican opponents.
"I don't believe that Republicans should be attacking each other. I think we should be pointing out our policy decisions," Giuliani said when asked about his hesitancy to directly state differences between himself and his opponents.
Following his response, he noted one difference was that he supported Bush's tax cuts while "John McCain voted against them" and "Mitt Romney was equivocal on them."
Giuliani made that charge for the first time over the weekend - specifically calling out McCain and Romney on the issue - but has since departed from mentioning his opponents by name on most occasions.
His surrogates and campaign staff though have been more blunt in their criticisms, specifically of McCain.
Yesterday Giuliani's Florida State Chairman Bill McCollum, who is also the attorney general in Florida, called McCain "out of touch" for not supporting the National Catastrophe Fund.
When asked if he agreed with that assessment, Giuliani said, "No, I agree with the assessment that I gave. I am the one who supports it and I think people have a right to evaluate it that way."
Trying to pull Giuliani into a greater dialogue on McCain, another reporter asked if he thought the Arizona Senator's age was an issue. Again, Giuliani did not take the bait, saying, "I think John McCain is carrying on very good with his campaign. I don’t see that as an issue."
January 22, 2008 in Dodd, Chris | Permalink | User Comments (2)
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McCain married money, Huckabee preaches for money, Rudy needs money, but Romney actually makes money and helps others do the same.
Romney is the only candidate that has the experience, education, self-control and values necessary to do the job.
Posted by: Go Romney | Jan 22, 2008 2:21:40 PM
The #1 flip flopper and Mr. Double torture to the rescue. Sorry, we don't need another lying warmonger following in Bush's footsteps. Ron Paul is the better choice.
None of the candidates can match Ron Pauls conservative record, integrity and support for the constitution and his consistant track record with no flip flops. During his 20 years in
Congress Ron Paul has never taken a government-paid junket, has never voted himself a pay raise, and does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program. He has never voted for an unbalanced budget or to raise taxes, or to allow the govt. to spend our Social Security Fund money on other govt. expenses. He is a Statesman with integrity, who walks the
talk.
Paul, a veteran has received more donations from the troops then any other candidate. He served his country as a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force for 5 years. He voted against the war in Iraq, instead urged Congress to hunt down the terrorists responsible fo 9/11. Ron Paul will bring out troops home immediately to protect our national security and our borders here at home.
Ron Paul is a Christian with true Christian values. He is not like other Christians who are warmongers, who support illegal pre-emptive wars, torture, and the killing of hundreds of
thousand of innocent Iraqis. We owe nearly 10 trillion dollars, and continue to borrow money from China and others for this illegal war. We are virtually bankrupt.
Posted by: greg | Jan 22, 2008 10:59:13 PM
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