By Philip Klein on 7.7.08 @ 10:38AM
John McCain's economic speech today contains some good stuff
about the budget, the strongest of which is this:
This Congress and this Administration have failed
to meet their responsibilities to manage the government. Government
has grown by 60 percent in the last eight years. That is simply
inexcusable. When I'm president, I will order a stem to stern
review of government, modernize how it does business and save
billions of dollars. I will veto every single bill with wasteful
spending. We aren't going to continue mortgaging this country's
future for things Americans don't want or need. My opponent has a
very different record on this issue. He has sought millions upon
millions of dollars in earmarks since his election to the Senate.
In 2007 alone, Senator Obama requested nearly $100 million for
earmark projects. I have never asked for a single earmark in my
entire career. He supported the $300 billion pork laden
agricultural subsidy bill. I opposed it. He voted for an energy
bill stuffed with give-aways to oil companies at a time of record
profits. I voted against it.
The plan also calls for reforming entitlements, but without
details, that is pretty much an empty promise. In the past, McCain
has said the way to at least "fix" Social Security was through a
bipartisan commission. However, any bipartisan proposal would
include payroll tax increases as a solution, meaning that McCain
would likely be forced to either do nothing or raise taxes,
something that his economic policy adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin
would
not rule out the last time I had a chance to ask him.
UPDATE: In a just completed McCain campaign conference call,
Holz-Eakin reiterated McCain's support for a bipartisan
solution.
topics:
Taxes, John McCain, Business, Entitlements, Earmarks, Social Security, NATO, Energy, Oil