McCain's Blatant Flip Flop on the Bush Tax Cuts 5/13/2007

McCain Challenged by Russert on his Blatant Flip Flop on the Bush Tax Cuts

MR. RUSSERT: On tax cuts -- you were on this program back in '03, and I asked you this, "Do you believe the president, because of the war, should be asking Americans for more sacrifice, should not hold off any future tax cuts; we have a sense of the cost of the war in state and county?" "Yes, I do, I believe that until we find out the cost of this war and the reconstruction that we should hold off on tax cuts."

You came back the next year. I again asked you about opposing the Bush tax cuts, and this is what you said.

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ): (From videotape.) I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportionate amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit.

MR. RUSSERT: Disproportionate to the wealthiest Americans, and you wouldn't extend them because it would hurt the deficit. You voted to extend them.

SEN. McCAIN: I voted to extend them because they would have the effect of having a tax increase. I also had a proposal and also stated, time after time, that we needed to restrain spending. The tax cuts have increased revenues enormously. I mean, they've been very beneficial. The problem is that spending has lurched completely out of control. My proposal was to restrain spending. And now if you don't make those tax cuts permanent, businesses, families, farms all over America will have to experience what, for all intents and purposes, the impact on them would be a tax increase.

Would I have liked to have seen more tax cuts to middle-income Americans? Did I have a different proposal? Yes. But I support tax cuts, and I have never supported -- I do not support tax increases, and the effect of not making them permanent would have the effect of a tax increase.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• John
• McCain
• Bush
• Tax
• Cuts
• Flip
• Flop

[shaire99]

McCain's so damned senile he probably forgot what his stance was supposed to be.

[Garret00074]

It's a republican talking point. If they say it often enough, people believe them. That's why the deficit has run to 10 trillon dollars...because of all the revenue we received from the tax cuts. Obviously.

The republicans would tell you black is blue and blue is red...and their crowd would repeat it like a mantra.

Group brainwashing through right wing hate radio. Believe it...they're systematically brainwashing a segment of the American public.

[Maurice2u505]

With any luck, this is the end of the Neocon rule in the Republican party. Hopefully they can toss out the far right and marginalize them to the fringe, becoming more towards their roots. A civil, fiscally conservative, and constructive Republican party is more than welcome. The current divisive, intolerant, and ignorance-promoting Republican party is of no use to the long term success of the country. Maybe, just maybe, the populace as a whole is realizing that now.

[hokiericky]

he just said tax cuts have increased revenue tremendously. How can you have more revenue if you cut taxes?

[dragenzX]

Neocon Military Hall of Fame:

John McCain - Served honorably in U.S. Navy as a pilot and POW during the Vietnam War.

George Bush - Draft dodger. Daddy had connections to keep him out of combat. Sort ofserved in Texas Air National Guard, AWOL??

Dick Cheney - Draft dodger, with 5 draft deferments.Rush Limbaugh - Draft dodger. Claims he had cyst on his butt to disqualify him from service.Pat Buchanan - Never served.

Bill O'Reilly - Never served.Shawn Hannity - Never served.

[samirbensaheila]

Seems there's *A LOT* of transparent GOP "stance changing" these days. And these same scurrilous, duplicitous, pandering right-wing scumbuckets had the UNMITIGATED GALL to call John Kerry a "flip-flopper." What a bunch of despicable, contemptible, untrustworthy LIARS.

[WindHarps]

Fits right in. When one, in a certain sense, sells one's soul in order to (possibly) achieve an ultimate goal, that one must adhere to any scripts which they (those putting the goal within reach) put forth covering the past, present, and future. Further, a willingness to shadow all the ongoing Lies and Manipulations must continue, since the steep price of their reward is combined with ultimate threats.