Obama Pushing McCain’s “Confusion” on Social Security
Jul 31, 202017.3K Shares541.9K Views
Today the Obama campaign is circulating a Bloomberg article detailing Sen. John McCain’s many divergent arguments about funding Social Security:
“„contradictions reflect a central conundrum for the Arizona senator: He’s seeking to both placate conservatives. … and project himself as an independent ready to work with Democrats on many of these issues. … The tax-benefit dilemma has not only thrown McCain into rhetorical contortions, it’s also caused him to get testy when pressed to explain. During a campaign bus ride last week in Missouri, a reporter said his July 27 comment presumably meant McCain wasn’t ruling out raising taxes. "That’s presuming wrong,” McCain saidin cutting him off, according to The Washington Post. Still, he has a history of being open to new Social Security taxes.
“„In a "Meet the Press” interview in 2005, McCain unequivocally endorsed the idea of levying such taxes on high- income earners, saying he could support that "as part of a compromise.” Then, as he closed in on the Republican nomination between last December and February, he pledged at least four times to oppose all tax increases, including Social Security levies…. His shifting rhetoric has entangled even some surrogates. In a Bloomberg interview in July, adviser Carly Fiorinaruled out Social Security tax increases on "middle-and working-class” Americans, but said if a bipartisan coalition is "creative enough” to fashion levies on wealthier people, that may be acceptable.
As the article explains in greater depth, McCain has taken several contrary positions about funding the entitlement programs that dominate domestic spending. It also reports that McCain is "confused" and "testy" when pressed about his inconsistencies. These are key arguments that the Obama campaign has been pushing. And they rankle McCain’s advisers, who strenuously complain that when people call McCain "confused," they are playing the age card. But it could be worse.
"Confusion" is one of the more charitable glosses for McCain’s funding flip-flops. Critics might say he is being dishonest, or lying, or cravenly telling different voting blocs whatever he thinks they want to hear. Those attacks presume some bad faith, while "confusion" assumes that McCain keeps changing his position on a huge domestic issue because he genuinely has difficulty maintaining one position. Voters can decide which is true — and which is worse.
**McCain offers "some *
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
Latest Articles
Popular Articles