Will McCain the Tax Cutter Finally Show Up?

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These suggestions are all ridiculous and if McCain throws them out there it will just reinforce his image as reckless idiot. Frankly I don't know what he does tonight. I just know that I'm a Republican, old style, and there's no way I can bring myself to vote for this loose cannon and his numbskull female assistant. She in particular is an insult to the intelligence.

John of CT 7:16PM October 07, 2008

Colin Kellogg for the win! Spot on, Sir.
Question is - WHY do McCain and his ilk hate their grandchildren so much that they want to bury them in debt before they're even born? And these are the same shameless churls that are always blathering about an "ownership society." Right.

JoeG of NJ 4:58PM October 07, 2008

Maybe it is time for "grown-ups" to look at the bigger picture instead of being so single-issue self-centered. Revenues DO have to increase to pay our bills. Unavoidable fact of life. I am happy to pay my taxes to keep the social contract going. I do not want to pay for idiotic adventures in the Middle East. At no time did GWB suggest that those blessed with economic fortune might want to help pay for this war of his.
If anyone running for president right now goes off half-cocked on reducing federal revenues at this point in our history, he is pandering. Obama did state that he will increase federal revenues by taxing the rich who have shirked their responsibilities since Reagan. Don't even start crying about "job-killing" taxes, the jobs have been killed all during GWB's irresponsible tax cuts. Let's all grow up, get our house in order, and elect a President who is actually smarter than us.

Colin Kellogg of NY 4:33PM October 07, 2008

When McCain talks about middle-class, does he mean like people making $5 million or less?

KC of TN 4:24PM October 07, 2008

both candidates are in a fix, because we're already running in the red. If McCain slashes taxes across the board ... what's he going to cut to cover the loss in revenue? There's not enough pork to cover it. CAGW reports 2008 pork spending was 17.2 billion ... that's only a month and half of what we spend on Iraq.

Jack of AZ 4:21PM October 07, 2008

John McCain cannot accomplish A. or B. without lying. No amount of fuzzy math, or fuzzy logic will show that the middle class will pay less in taxes under the current presented plans if John McCain wins the presidency, even if you REALLY want it to be true.
He equally cannot accomplish C because admitting that others came up with a better idea than he did is just not the John Sydney McCain III's way of doing things. It's his way or the highway folks, and that's the way a President McCain would treat the American people.
Lastly, John McCain will never further expouse on his tax plans because frankly, he does not feel the American people are smart enough, interested enough, or deserving enough to know. Senator McCain would prefer we all just close our eyes and punch the ticket for a 'War Hero' because he 'earned' the job in a prison camp. It is the priveledge, right, and duty of the American people to stand up and say we want a candidate who actually trusts us to make decisions based on the issues, not on fuzzy personal connections or make-up laden farm animals.
ENOUGH!

OCKerouac of CA 3:56PM October 07, 2008

In my view Ramesh's $5K child credit would be a big winner: simple to describe, directly applicable to a lot of people (who will see the potential benefit on inspection), and good policy that would be hard to criticize (without seeming terribly anti-family).
McC could even chalk it up to Gov Palin's influence on his campaign: she's got a large family (by average standards), and knows what would be good for same. Hopefully, she's making these arguments for real.
Your final para would be strong and welcome policy, too.
Options 1 and 2, which have their own merits, have the ring of financial jargon -- which may not be the most persuasive line of argument at present.

C.H.Z. of NJ 3:49PM October 07, 2008

Brilliant commentary there Ron. Anyway, I think the author is correct. McCain must hammer home the concept that Obama will not be able to cut taxes for 95% of the population while raising spending by 1 trillion dollars.
I like option 1 the best, It's simple to understand, and it can't be spun as anything other than a significant tax cut for the middle class. It needs to be combined with a statement of programs that McCain will cut to help pay from the cut, rather than a vague statement about how McCain will look at every program. Taxes are a major issue that will definitely sway voters.

EyeDoc of PA 3:45PM October 07, 2008

You mean like the "wealth" (employer-payed health care/overtime pay, job etc.) stolen from the middle-class and "redistributed" to the wealthy CEO class in America over the last eight years? Like that?
The gap between middle-class and rich hasn't been this large since the 1920's so tell us some more fairey tales about wealth redistribution, conman.

JoeG of NJ 3:42PM October 07, 2008