Senator McCain and tax cuts
Posted by Little Ms Purple at 4/25/2008 9:34 AM 
Categories: 2008 Election, Political strategies, All Posts
Categories: 2008 Election, Political strategies, All Posts
The WashPost does a good job today of highlighting McCain's flip flop on the Bush tax cuts from 2001 and 2003; at the time he opposed them and now he's for making them permanent. From a political strategy perspective, I will submit that with all of the grumblings that went on in the Republican party on the far right when he was anointed the presumptive nominee, McCain needed to sure up his lower taxes and small government creds by proposing making the Bush tax cuts permanent... the ones he opposed initially because he said that in the history of this country, we have never cuts taxes and waged a war at the same time.
I believe that this is the best political tactic that I've seen yet out of the McCain campaign. You see, he can crow all he wants about making the Bush tax cuts permanent to sure up his base and then, if he gets elected, the Democratic majorities in Congress are either going to be where they are now, Dems narrowly in control or Dems more solidly in control. No one thinks that given the lack of money and the number of seats they have to defend against the Dems that the Repubs are going to win back a majority... and in that case, extending the Bush tax cuts isn't going to happen. McCain will be able to push for them and stomp his feet that we need to extend them but the Congress won't follow suit and he'll have his get out of tax jail card firmly in hand by lambasting the Congress for not keeping the tax cuts permanent. It's a brilliant strategy but what will be more interesting is watching him explain away his position on taxes in a debate.
I believe that this is the best political tactic that I've seen yet out of the McCain campaign. You see, he can crow all he wants about making the Bush tax cuts permanent to sure up his base and then, if he gets elected, the Democratic majorities in Congress are either going to be where they are now, Dems narrowly in control or Dems more solidly in control. No one thinks that given the lack of money and the number of seats they have to defend against the Dems that the Repubs are going to win back a majority... and in that case, extending the Bush tax cuts isn't going to happen. McCain will be able to push for them and stomp his feet that we need to extend them but the Congress won't follow suit and he'll have his get out of tax jail card firmly in hand by lambasting the Congress for not keeping the tax cuts permanent. It's a brilliant strategy but what will be more interesting is watching him explain away his position on taxes in a debate.
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