It reminds me of the shift between the 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns. Bill Clinton opposed Republican tax cuts because they would “blow a hole in the deficit.” Al Gore opposed them because they would “blow a hole in the surplus.” Now, this isn’t necessarily inconsistent — you could, of course, just want to maximize federal revenues all the time. But it certainly suggests broad-based tax cuts are to be ruled out regardless of Washington’s overall fiscal situation.
