Flippity-Floppity-Boo
Now here's a bit of good news: a major metropolitan daily (The Los Angeles Times) actually tracking the candidates's stances on issues, noting where they differ, and where and when they changed those stances. What is especially noteworthy is the clear-cut flip-flopping done by "Mr. Straight Talk," Sen. John McCain, on broad economic issues.
First, on the mortgage/foreclosure emergency:
McCain initially criticized Obama's plan as a "multibillion-dollar bailout for big banks and speculators."
"There is a tendency for liberals to seek big government programs that sock it to American taxpayers while failing to solve the very real problems we face," McCain said. Then he faced a barrage of criticism for downplaying a government role in responding to the crisis. Two weeks later, he changed his tone and proposed spending up to $10 billion for government-backed mortgages to "deserving" homeowners facing foreclosure. [Emphasis added]
Next, on the global warming crisis:
McCain has called for mandated emissions limits to curb global warming -- an example of his embracing government regulation and parting ways with most fellow Republicans.
But he opposes most government incentives and subsidies to help meet those emissions limits -- steps that are favored by Obama and many other officials. Obama, for example, would invest $150 billion in subsidies over 10 years to develop alternative fuels.
McCain, discussing environmental issues last month, told voters in Washington state, "I'm a little wary -- I have to give you straight talk -- about government subsidies. When the government jumps in and distorts the market, then there's unintended consequences as well as intended."
He seems to make an exception for subsidies for nuclear power. McCain opposed a global warming bill before the Senate this month because it did not include enough government aid for nuclear energy. [Emphasis added]
Finally, on taxes:
McCain's tax plan is a departure from his record in the Senate, where he voted against both the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. He said at the time that the cuts were too skewed to the wealthy and not accompanied by sufficient spending cuts.
Now he says the tax cuts should be extended because they have spurred economic growth. The change brought him in accord with the GOP's influential low-tax advocates. [Emphasis added]
All those turn-arounds must be making the Senator dizzy, and that's just on the economic issues. It's going to be really fascinating to see him on foreign policy issues, eh?
First, on the mortgage/foreclosure emergency:
McCain initially criticized Obama's plan as a "multibillion-dollar bailout for big banks and speculators."
"There is a tendency for liberals to seek big government programs that sock it to American taxpayers while failing to solve the very real problems we face," McCain said. Then he faced a barrage of criticism for downplaying a government role in responding to the crisis. Two weeks later, he changed his tone and proposed spending up to $10 billion for government-backed mortgages to "deserving" homeowners facing foreclosure. [Emphasis added]
Next, on the global warming crisis:
McCain has called for mandated emissions limits to curb global warming -- an example of his embracing government regulation and parting ways with most fellow Republicans.
But he opposes most government incentives and subsidies to help meet those emissions limits -- steps that are favored by Obama and many other officials. Obama, for example, would invest $150 billion in subsidies over 10 years to develop alternative fuels.
McCain, discussing environmental issues last month, told voters in Washington state, "I'm a little wary -- I have to give you straight talk -- about government subsidies. When the government jumps in and distorts the market, then there's unintended consequences as well as intended."
He seems to make an exception for subsidies for nuclear power. McCain opposed a global warming bill before the Senate this month because it did not include enough government aid for nuclear energy. [Emphasis added]
Finally, on taxes:
McCain's tax plan is a departure from his record in the Senate, where he voted against both the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. He said at the time that the cuts were too skewed to the wealthy and not accompanied by sufficient spending cuts.
Now he says the tax cuts should be extended because they have spurred economic growth. The change brought him in accord with the GOP's influential low-tax advocates. [Emphasis added]
All those turn-arounds must be making the Senator dizzy, and that's just on the economic issues. It's going to be really fascinating to see him on foreign policy issues, eh?
Labels: Economy, Election 2008
posted by Diane at 3:00 PM
1 Comments:
There is already an abundance of examples of His Maverickness being caught in contradictory stances, so much so that it will be hard to choose from them. In an Eschaton comment, I linked to a 1:32 You-Tube montage* of his contradictions on how tight he is with Dear Leader's policies.
*(originally posted by jedreport.com, found via The Poor Man)
As blogospheric folks who are generally well educated and try to keep ourselves well informed, I hope we don't fall into the old trap of thinking there are enough of us to win by ourselves, even with all the aforementioned evidence in hand. Although 2008 may be a bit easier by virtue of the current crew screwing things up so badly, there are lots of "low information voters" out there who always pose a risk. I use that LIV term not as an insult, but as an acknowledgment of how it is.
My own family, for example, are no dummies, but for the most part they don't engage extensively in current events. FOX news is frequently on the TV in the background while they work around the home - bitchin' graphics and camera work, don'tcha know, along with truthiness-packed affirmations of humankind's peccadilloes (sp?) and outrages (sometimes fact-based, sometimes not). Even if they don't soak it all in, the constant jackhammering of that corporate media propaganda is bound to cause a certain leakage of that crap into the heads of my loved ones, and others like them. Some of them vote, so it does matter. Also, even if willing to study and learn, people are often so busy just living that it's hard to follow current events carefully. Same as it ever was, I guess.
No quick solutions, AFAICT, although stopping the immediate damage is imperative. A broad-based improvement in the knowledge of our folk is the work of generations, and it seems to me it has to take place community-by-community, and even down to person-to-person level, when circumstances permit.
{Damn I'm unusually chatty - I should get back to lurking mode.}
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