3 Ways McCain Can Still Irk the Right
Clearly not every tax-cut enthusiast was thrilled by John McCain's speech yesterday to CPAC. "The wilderness years" was how one self-described "pro growth" conservative described the next presidential term to me, not differentiating between a McCain, Clinton, or Obama administration. Still, McCain surely did some good in bringing around his skeptics, given other post-speech conversations I had (though Sen. Tom Coburn's introduction of McCain may been a more persuasive sales job than anything McCain himself said). This part seemed go over particularly well:
Often elections in this country are fought within the margins of small differences. This one will not be. We are arguing about hugely consequential things. Whomever the Democrats nominate, they would govern this country in a way that will, in my opinion, take this country backward to the days when government felt empowered to take from us our freedom to decide for ourselves the course and quality of our lives; to substitute the muddled judgment of large and expanding federal bureaucracies for the common sense and values of the American people; to the timidity and wishful thinking of a time when we averted our eyes from terrible threats to our security that were so plainly gathering strength abroad.
But all those good words don't mean McCain can't still enrage his critics on the right. Here is how McCain could easily pull defeat from the jaws of victory:
1) Pick Mike Huckabee as his veep. McCain had barely left the room at the conservative conference when the free-market loving Club for Growth had blasted off an E-mail declaring that "an economic liberal like Mike Huckabee will be unacceptable to a majority of Republicans. Rather, Senator McCain will need to pick a vice-presidential candidate who embodies the Republican belief...in the power of free enterprise to advance prosperity for all Americans." South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, on the other hand, would be a popular pick, as would Coburn.
2) Fail to rule out a Social Security tax increase. McCain favors a blue-ribbon commission to come up with a fix to the ailing system, something along the lines of the Greenspan commission in 1983 that advocated higher payroll taxes and pushing back the retirement age to gain Social Security a bit more time before it went bust. Of course, there already are hundreds of reform plans floating around D.C. that he could pick from. The math is pretty easy: Reduce future benefit increases, raise payroll taxes, or both. (Faster economic growth would also certainly help, though it's not a complete solution.) The prospect of President McCain agreeing to a Social Security tax increase is a front-and-center fear of many free-marketeers.
3) Fail to rule out "green taxes": McCain favors a cap-and-trade system to deal with the carbon emissions that, many scientists theorize, cause global warming. But that is a tax of sorts, just like a regulation or tariff. (The Congressional Budget Office has said as much.) A much better way to go, say some conservatives like economist and former Romney economic adviser Greg Mankiw, would be a simple carbon tax offset by lower income or payroll taxes. It would change people's behavior without reducing the economic growth necessary to create the future technologies needed to combat supposed climate change as well as make America energy independent.
Tags: presidential election 2008 | Republicans | John McCain
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Reader Comments
McCain is not the answer...
This is one reason I don't want McCain in office. He will not introduce anything new for our economy. Raising payroll taxes? In the end that means less money for small business owners. That leads to lower wages or less benefits - and the cycle goes on.
Then comes the war monger in McCain. God bless him for his service but that doesn't give him the license to swing a big stick in the air to make sure all other countries know he is ready for them. Bush and McCain have both said in public forum that they will "protect out interest" in the Middle East. I am sure that does not "only" include our soldiers being there or long term of protecting the USA.
No, this war wouldn't be going on like it is if we were energy independent. That is the bottom line. We might help out the Iraqi's no doubt on that but we wouldn't be forking out trillions of dollars.
In all honesty, McCain make me sick to my stomach. No one really knows his plans/ideas for our country. Every debate he answered 80% of his questions with this cloud of how he served our country and he will pledge to protect us. That isn't good enough for me.
Alot of people throw blows at Huckabee but he has done a much better job at answering difficult questions and providing some details on a complex idea; fairtax. If I am going to vote for a Republican then Huckabee has my support.
The RNC and their man Mccain are like a delapidated house, to fix it, it must be torn down to the foundation and rebuilt. My parents survived the depression, so I'm sure I will survive 4 years under a democratic president. Another plus will be when the economy hits bottom there will be a democrat in the white house. It will help conservatives in 2012. Sometimes you must lose a battle to win a war. The conservative front needs rebuilt, the RNC is more concern about retaining their influence than doing what is right. I'm vote independent or if I have to, I'm vote democrat to keep Mccain out of the white house. I will not reward the RNC or Mccain with my vote.
McCAIN - COBURN 2008
Dr. Tom Coburn - distinguished US CONSERVATIVE SENATOR who is socially and fiscally conservative...the Lincoln of our TIME = BEST VP for McCAIN , mainly because he has the BEST HEALTHCARE plan for America at this time in history -his Senate Bill S1019-which is the only effective rebuttal of the Dem'S TAX AND SPEND GOVT.-run unaffordable Healthcare Plan - which will tank our Economy with 120 Billion in Democratic Tax increases to pay for their beuraucratic nightmares of Govt. run waste and abuse that will drive companies overseas with loss of precious American jobs if anyone votes for Failed 'hillarycare'...
McCain doesn't do it for me
Unfortunately, John McCain already irks me and I'm a republican. In addition his lack of concern for America's small business owners and the constant military card played, I don't trust his smirk. It doesn't come across as sincere. It comes across as "I know something you don't or yea, that's right, I know more than you do."
I can appreciate how he calls everyone his "friends" yet he does so in such a condescening manner. And while this sounds awful, it is true. I feel like he is wearing a very tight mask. His neck wrinkles with age and from the back he looks like he is the 72 year old that he is. Yes, his mother is 95 but how old was his father when he passed? That seems unfair. Age shouldn't matter, but I want someone who is healthy, energetic, driven, and spirited to lead this country. Look at what the stress of the presidency does to those who hold the position? McCain's hair is already white. Where does he go from here?
Finally, the biggest irk is that McCain doesn't know any other kind of life besides the military and the senate, and I can't say my life is any better for what he has done while in Washington. I look at Huckabee's record as Arkansas governor for 10 years and I say, "Now that guy got things done. He's worked it. He's proven he can make changes to better the lives of average people like me. For that reason, I say "Fight on and thank you for hanging in there. You've got my vote."
McCain Irks the Right
I agree that after the 'nightmare years' of the Bush administration the next ones will indeed be the 'wilderness years'. It's true that the economy may hit bottom whoever is in the White House. I just hope the American people never forget who put us there.
Horrible times coming regardless of who will be the new president
We worked very hard to make it and finally we are going to succeed.
We were irresponsible at the Federal, State, Local and individual level.
We overspent at all levels and thought that we better spend, spend now even if our future generations were going to be holding the bag.
At the Federal level they thought that printing fiat money would solve everything and it did until pay the piper day came.
And came it did, we are broke and still have an illusion of normality because our main enemy (China) is waiting for that opportune moment for the shot in the head.
And in a few months we will have a new president which will in effect unconditionally surrenders our sovereignty to the one world government during his four years while the people enjoy a hard earned depression.
May God have mercy on our country even if it does not deserves it.
McCAIN - COBURN 2008
Dr. Tom Coburn, is not only an outstanding and compassionate medical doctor , and profoundly ethical human being; he actually GREW AMERICAN JOBS at his Optical company - Coburn Optical from a few hundred to several thousand and his American workers make American made products and they now have Branch offices exporting 'little things -made in the USA called intra-ocular lenses which most people in later years need worldwide.Does he parade this achievement with WORDS - LIKE 'Yes we can'; no because he is modest and humbleand a trusted Deacon in his Baptist Church in our heartland. He embodies everything that was and is GOOD about America.Next time when you're at Lenscrafters look at American made Coburn Ophthalmic.Romney cut jobs and his Mass. Healthcare Plan was closer to Hillarycare, although it did streamlined operations in 'Taxachussetts' ; THE TRUE AMERICAN ECONOMIC FISCAL GIANT in this country = Dr. Thomas A. Coburn - distinguished US senator, Patriot and citizen legislator - who comes along every 200 years and we need to SEE that he really is our present day LINCOLN.
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Idiotic...
Mike Huckabee is anything but liberal. People need to open their eyes and vote with their brains, not just vote for who the "media" tells them to.
GO MIKE!
Feb 08, 2008 10:50:11 AM [permalink] [report comment]