- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
Palin Invokes Socialism Charge Against Obama
Email
ShareOctober 20, 2008 8:09 AM
ABC News' Imtiyaz Delawala Reports: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continued the Republican ticket's attempt to tie Sen. Barack Obama to what it calls socialist economic policies, attacking in new language Obama's plans to offer tax credits to those paying no income taxes and saying that "now is no time to experiment with socialism."
At an airport rally in Roswell, N.M. on Sunday afternoon, the Republican vice presidential nominee once again invoked Joe Wurzelbacher, now widely known as "Joe the Plumber," pushing Wurzelbacher's contention that Obama's tax plan sounded like socialism – a point also invoked by Sen. John McCain on Sunday.
"Senator Obama said he wants to quote 'spread the wealth.' What that means is he wants government to take your money and dole it out however a politician sees fit," Palin said, drawing boos from the crowd of several thousand.
"But Joe the Plumber and Ed the Dairy Man, I believe that they think that it sounds more like socialism," Palin added, referring to both Wurzelbacher and a man holding a sign reading "Ed the Dairy Man" in the crowd. "Friends, now is no time to experiment with socialism. To me, our opponent plans sounds more like big government, which is the problem. Bigger government is not the solution."
Palin questioned Obama's plan to offer tax credits to Americans currently not paying income taxes, calling it "a government giveaway" that would raise taxes on other Americans.
"He claims that he'll cut income taxes for 95 percent of Americans, but the problem is, more than 40 percent of Americans pay no income taxes at all," Palin said. "Since he can't reduce taxes on those who pay zero, he wants the government to send them a check that's called a tax credit. And where is he gonna get the money for all those checks that he will cut? By raising taxes on America's hard-working families and our small businesses."
"Obama's plans to raise taxes on some in order to give checks out to others is not a tax cut, it is more government growth and it's another government giveaway," Palin added. "Whatever you call his tax plan and that redistribution of wealth, it will destroy jobs. It will hurt our economy. And it's about time that we all called Barack Obama on it."
After the Roswell event, Palin flew to Colorado Springs, Colo., where she will have a morning rally on Monday. At the Colorado Springs airport, Palin took questions on the tarmac from the local and traveling press corps, defending her charge that Obama's tax policies have socialist aspects.
"There are socialist principles to that, yes," Palin said of Obama's tax plans. "Taking more from a small business or small business owners or from a hard-working families and then redistributing that money according to a politician's priorities -- there are hints of socialism in there and that's why I don't fault or discredit Joe the Plumber for bringing that up, asking if that is socialism."
But Palin disagreed when asked whether she thinks the $700 billion government bailout plan and bank rescue efforts had socialist aspects.
"No, I do not," Palin said. "And I believe that there are those measures that had to be taken by Congress to shore up not only the housing market but the credit markets, also to make sure that that's not frozen, so that our small businesses have opportunities to borrow and that was the purpose, of course, of that part of the bailout and the shoring of the banks."
October 20, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (403)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
No the most disgusting thing about this election is how the liberals have tried to claim that McCain and Bush are the same person.
Posted by: Liberalism is socialism | Oct 20, 2008 8:59:59 AM
Once the first seed of Obama's socialism is planted in America, it will spread and take our what used to be a democracy. The Constitution will be meaningless.
KEEP EVIL, SOCIALISM AND OBAMA OUT OF AMERICA!
Millions died to preserve our democracy--a vote for Obama makes it all meaningless.
Posted by: henryhill | Oct 20, 2008 9:02:03 AM
Well the stories are getting desperate and sound like goosestepping rhetoric. Joe the Plumber still won't go away.
Mrs. Palin and John McCain should keep in mind that the most famous Plumber of all pals around with John McCain. This Plumber held campaign fund raisers for John McCain, is a close friend of the family and has McCain regularly on his radio show. This famous Plumber served time as a felon and is unrepentant for his role in the biggest presidential scandel and abuse of the executive office before Bush. G. Gorden Libby, the Plumber of Watergate and pal of McCain. Senator McCain just defended Libby on the Letterman show.
So funny to hear that John McCain really pals with all kinds of plumbers.
Posted by: Lucy2008 | Oct 20, 2008 9:02:13 AM
This is just ridiculous.
Posted by: Sandy | Oct 20, 2008 9:03:12 AM
Anybody check out the Yahoo news And how Freddie and Fannie lobbied the GOP With the help of RICK DAVIS Mccains camp manager ON HAVING NO REGULATION Rick Davis,Mccain and the Gop are responsible FOR THE HOUSING CRISIS because of no regulation time for the corrupt bums to go!
Posted by: Angie | Oct 20, 2008 9:04:30 AM
I think the McCain campaign should be ashamed to use the words of someone (Joe)who has not fulfilled his legal obligation of paying his own taxes first before he chooses to speak publicly about tax policy. As Colin Powell stated this weekend, the tremendous redistribution of wealth has already occurred under the last eight years of the Bush administration. When the wealthy gain by tax policy, that's just good policy. When the tax policy is reviewed for equity and fairness for the middle class, that is decried by the Republicans as "redistribution of wealth!" Most wealthy taxpayers privately admit they just don't want the gravy train to end.
Posted by: winter99 | Oct 20, 2008 9:05:30 AM
McCain's best pal Bush took a HUGE step toward socialism when he effectively nationalized the banking system. Explain that one, you neo-con whack-jobs
Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Oct 20, 2008 9:05:39 AM
To me, Obama = dictator. I don't want his big government looking over my shoulder and telling me what I should do for my familty.
He's a power-hungry, egotist looking out for himself.
Posted by: Meredithjj | Oct 20, 2008 9:06:20 AM
HAS John McCain called for a flat tax?
NOPE. I guess Sarah Palin would call him a socialist.
The difference between McCain's tax plan and Barack Obama's is that McCain thinks the top rate should be 36% and Barack Obama thinks that Americans who make more than $250,000 should pay just a little bit more, 39%.
The striking thing is that McCain is mostly concerned with those who make over $250,000.
Obama is mostly concerned with middle class Americans.
NOTE TO SARAH PALIN: John McCain redistributes wealth too.
Posted by: John McCain's conscience | Oct 20, 2008 9:06:24 AM
Obama is a socialist, no doubt about it.
He wants to spread the wealth around and have more welfare programs.
It is the real Obama folks, the media is protecting him.
Posted by: Greg h | Oct 20, 2008 9:08:34 AM
Obama = cool, calm, reasoned, deliberative, thoughtful, articulate
McCain = angry, impulsive, reactionary, confrontational
Who do you want to have access to the missile launch codes?
Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Oct 20, 2008 9:09:52 AM
"I don't want his big government looking over my shoulder"
Meredithjj,
Under Bush's orders, the NSA is reading your email right now. And everything you say here. You had better say only nice things about the Republicans. They ARE watching you (and all the rest of us too).
By the way, can you define the meaning of the word 'illegal', as in illegal wiretaps? Watch what you say!
Posted by: John McCain's conscience | Oct 20, 2008 9:11:41 AM
DO ANY OF YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT SOCIALISM MEANS? INCLUDING PALIN? SOCIALIST DEMOCRACY IS WHAT MADE THE SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES THE RICHEST WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS LOOKING LIKE PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND POVERTY NON EXISTANT OR NOT POVERTY SEEN BY CAPITALIST COUNTRIES. THINK OUT OF THE BOX, AND LEARN TO SHARE.
Posted by: RICHIE VRIES | Oct 20, 2008 9:12:31 AM
"spread the wealth around" was in reference to tax policy, people. TAX POLICY!!!!! I for one am sick to death of corporate fat-cats and big oil making obscene profits while the middle class struggles. Carly Fiorina, McCain advisor, got FIRED from HP and walked with $41 million! These kinds of creeps and corporations SHOULD BE TAXED more than the middle class. This is what Obama stands for, and what McCain opposes.
Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Oct 20, 2008 9:12:47 AM
William
I am so glad you call a liberal that has infiltrated the conservative party a "wackjob".
Posted by: Dissing his own | Oct 20, 2008 9:13:01 AM
SAD SAD SAD..... I'm an Independent former Republican that voted for John McCain in 2000. If they had let him be the person he is he would be doing a lot better. The NEO-CON machine is ruining his image.
They are preparing Sarah Palin for 2012.
As you see he has no control over his campaign. She is serving her own self image. HE PICKED THE VP.
Posted by: Twan | Oct 20, 2008 9:13:37 AM
Obama did say he wanted to spread the wealth.
That IS socialism.
Barack Hussein Obama, wrong on socialism, wrong for this nation.
Posted by: Liberals will follow him over cliff | Oct 20, 2008 8:22:04 AM
Posted by: RepubsareSLOW | Oct 20, 2008 9:14:37 AM
McCain is best buddies with conviced felon G. Gordon Liddy. Yet McCain tries to insinuate that Obama is a terrorist sympathizer because of what Wm. Ayers did when Obama was 8! GIVE ME A BREAK. McCain is sleazy.
Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Oct 20, 2008 9:15:42 AM
And the bailout that President Bush suggested is NATIONALIZING OUR BANKS... ITS CALLED SOCIALISM.. man you conservatives love egg on your face!
Posted by: RepubsareSLOW | Oct 20, 2008 9:16:21 AM
Mccain wants to TAX our Health Insurance we get through our Employers as if it were income, so I guess Mccain is going to Redistribute the Wealth to Insurance compaines with our tax dollars!
Posted by: Angie | Oct 20, 2008 9:16:58 AM
Post a comment
