Republican presidential candidate John McCain's signal that he may be open to a higher payroll tax for Social Security, despite previous vows not to raise taxes of any kind, is drawing sharp rebukes from conservatives. McCain's shift has come in stages, catching some Republicans by surprise. Speaking with reporters on his campaign bus on July 9, he cited a need to shore up Social Security. "I cannot tell you what I would do, except to put everything on the table," he said.
He went a step farther Sunday on ABC's "This Week," in response to a question about payroll tax increases.
"There is nothing that's off the table. I have my positions, and I'll articulate them. But nothing's off the table," McCain said. "I don't want tax increases. But that doesn't mean that anything is off the table."
That comment drew a strong response this week from the Club for Growth, a Washington anti-tax group. McCain's comments, the group said in a letter to the Arizona senator, are "shocking because you have been adamant in your opposition to raising taxes under any circumstances."
Indeed, McCain frequently has promised not to raise taxes.
At a July 7 town-hall meeting in Denver, he said voters faced a stark choice between him and Democrat Barack Obama.
"Sen. Obama will raise your taxes," McCain said. "I won't."
In a March 16 interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, McCain said he would cut taxes where possible, and not raise them.
"Do you mean none?" Hannity asked.
"None," McCain replied.
That should make it difficult for McSame to attack Obama on taxes as he has been doing, but we all know that Republicans suffer from reality deficit syndrome these days, so I wouldn't be surprised if he still attacks Obama for maybe doing what he may do himself.
As I've said here before, McCain is a train wreck.
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3 comments:
The reality deficit syndrome is endemic of Washington, D.C. and shows no preference to party affiliation. And to say(in case you do, csm) the Republicans have a worse case is faint praise.
Not only do I say that, Bawdy, I think a failure to recognize that is a serious error in judgment.
That said, I can understand an individual (such as yourself, I think) who is completely jaded by everyone and everything that has happened in Washington DC over the course of the last, oh, I don't know, 30 years or so, and therefore looks elsewhere. I disagree with that approach, but I can appreciate coming to that conclusion.
I don't think this is much of a surprise for anyone. I've always seen McCain as a centrist, hawkish Democrat in Republican garb. This is why he's having a difficult time shoring up the conservative vote. Issues like this one are one of the reasons why I (and many others) am having a difficult time deciding whether to vote for him.
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