Ever since I saw that WashPost graphic of Obama's tax plans, I keep thinking if people just vote their economic self-interest, we win in a landslide. I don't know anything about the source, but interesting, and it has lots of links to other sources.
http://bourbonroom.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/08/31/does-john-mccain-have-a-tax-problem-answer-probably/August 31st, 2008 9:37 PM Eastern
Does John McCain Have a Tax Problem? Answer: Probably
by Major Garrett
BATTLE CREEK, Michigan — Based on the crowd reaction to recent attacks from Barack Obama and Joe Biden about John McCain’s tax policy, the Republican nominee may have something to worry about.
Obama and Biden drew huge crowds, I saw them myself, in Beaver, Pa. (8,000 people on Friday night), Dublin, Ohio (19,000 people on Saturday night) and here in Battle Creek (17,500 people) tonight.
The crowds roar with approval when Obama and Biden describe their plans for a middle class tax cut and boo loudly at statistics showing how McCain’s continuation of the Bush tax cuts favor the wealthy. Of course, these are partisan Obama crowds. But it would be unwise for anyone seriously backing McCain to dismiss their full-throated roars for Obama-Biden on an issue that historically has favored the GOP nominee.
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The point of these county portraits is two-fold. One, to show Obama and Biden are traveling to swing territory and drawing huge crowds and undeniable enthusiasm. Two, that the Obama tax message appears to be working in areas where the issue has been a plus for the GOP.
Add to this the mounting evidence that McCain’s TV commercials assailing Obama’s tax policy contain serious distortions, if not out-right lies.
On Aug. 8, FactCheck.org, published this report on a spate of new McCain TV spots on Obama and taxes.
Read it here: www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/more_tax_deceptions.html
That report followed one in July that raised similar concerns about the truthfulness of the McCain attacks on Obama. Read it here: www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_32000_question.html
And today The Washington Post published this blistering editorial that comes as close as any Beltway publication can to using the word “lie” to describe McCain’s criticism of Obama’s tax policies. Read it here:
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/30/AR2008083001681.html
The Post editorial specifically mentions a side-by-side analysis of McCain and Obama tax policies by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Here is the link to the center’s updated comparison posted on Aug. 28: www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411750
Both McCain and Obama would cuts taxes, but Obama’s tax cuts would be targeted to the middle class and partially offset by higher taxes on the wealthy (those earning more than $250,000).
But on the stump this weekend, when either Obama or Biden (they both hit the issue) said they would cut taxes for “95 percent of those who earn a pay check,” the crowds in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan shouted their approval.
The tax debate has just begun and McCain is losing credibility among the non-partisan bean counters and the larger media organizations that have done their own compare and contrast exercises.
With more than two months to go, the Obama camp will have plenty of time to script TV ads accusing McCain of distortions. For all these reasons, McCain may have more to worry about on the tax front than any Republican presidential candidate in a generation.