The biggest Reagan tax cut passed in 1981. John McCain was
elected to Congress in 1982. McCain did vote for the Tax Reform Act
of 1986. So did Dick Gephardt and Bill Bradley. He also voted for
Gramm-Rudman and against the tax hikes of 1990 and 1993. That said,
McCain's conservative record of the 1980s and the first half of the
'90s is no defense of his more recent record.
If McCain's tobacco deal had passed Congress in 1998, it would
have resulted in a net tax increase. (He, sounding like another
candidate, has referred to it as a fee increase.) McCain voted
against the (puny) Bush tax cuts, using the same logic as its
Democratic opponents. He voted against the the repeal of the death
tax. He voted for amendments that would prevent any reduction in
the top income tax rate until the enactment of a prescription drug
benefit. He was open to lifting the payroll tax cap. The last major
tax cut he voted for was a reduction in the capital gains tax over
a decade ago. And that's without even touching his regulatory
record, which shows a penchant for activist government as long as
it doesn't waste money.
I don't say this to read McCain out of the party. But I don't
see where any of the candidates currently leading in the
early-state polling can claim an overwhelming advantage on fiscal
conservatism. I'm certainly skeptical that any could meet James's
test. (Not just this James, but this one.)
topics:
John McCain, Conservatism
