Fiscal Mantra for McCain: Less Is More

NYT ^ | January 26, 2008 | DAVID LEONHARDT

[a77]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Senator John McCain said that, if elected, he would do what other presidents had tried but failed to do: cut government spending sharply enough to reduce the budget deficit while lowering taxes at the same time.

In an interview outlining his economic approach, Mr. McCain emphasized his experience working on economic matters in Congress and laid out an unorthodox version of conservatism. After initially opposing President Bush’s tax cuts, he has become a supporter of making them permanent and of pursuing additional tax reductions, saying they are the best way to encourage economic growth.

[txlurker]

Please tell me what McCain has done during all his years in the Senate to cut spending? Nothing...now he wants to do something. He says what he thinks will get him elected.

We need to get these career policitians out of office. Term limits would be the answer to that.

[LowCountryJoe]

Yeah, that was hard to listen to. Rattling off the names of people, twice, was kind of education system maps Africa such as the Iraq. Thing I noticed in the debate was that there were many questions that were not answered to satisfaction and that this is true of all debates and interviews where pointed questions are tossed out there.

[TexasCajun]

What is your official title at McCain Headquarters? Speaking of that, I’ll take a Café Americano, two sugars, half & half with a cheese danish.

McGopher !! ... "Now go to FR and talk to dem freaking Conservatives for me."

[LadyNavyVet]

He didn’t answer, yet he’s posted on another thread. Looks like avoiding the question to me. Things that make you go hmmmm...

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

I am certainly not going to do be doing this with a protectionist FReeper who has very little understanding about how economies work and who has an unhealthy disdain for economic liberty and capitalism in general.

Protectionist?

Just what is a "protectionist" ???

Someone who thinks we should watch our borders during a war and stop being a welfare plantation for foreign nationals?

Someone who thinks that our children should not be subject to molestation, gangs, drug smugglers and drive-by shootings?

Someone who thinks we should not allow people to rip off little old ladies with bank fraud?

Someone who thinks that our politicians should be accountable for their sweetheart deals with foreign powers?

Someone who thinks we should not fund a military build up for a hostile, totalitarian state by trading with them?

You can put on a mask of liberty and capitalism, but I refuse to do business with dictatorships and criminals who have no interest other than their own quest for power.

[xjcsa]

McCain economic advisors are NOT keynesians! Read the list here:

McCain has zero understanding of supply-side economics, so when he gets an economic question his response is a list of people he talks to. Looks like you're following the playbook.

Answer this: if McCain's such a supply-sider, why does he talk about needing to "pay" for the Bush tax cuts with spending cuts? He's still - even now - basing his reasoning for voting against those tax cuts on non-supply-side theory, failing to acknowledge that the tax cuts were responsible for an *increase* in revenues.

He may pay lip service to supply side economics, and he may be able to name a lot of supply side economists, but he's no supply-sider.

[bmwcyle]

[a77]

I hold a Ph.D. degree in Economics, my friend. So, you have nothing to teach me about s-s economics. Btw, GWB is not an economist but during his service he has shown to be a valuable “administrator”, thanks to good advisers. I believe in value added organization.

[xjcsa]

I hold a Ph.D. degree in Economics, my friend. So, you have nothing to teach me about s-s economics.

Jeez, you even *sound* like McCain. Just as pompous and condescending. I can just hear him now: "F*** You. I know more about economics than anyone in the room."

Anyway I wasn't addressing *your* understanding of economics (although there are plenty of idiots with Ph.D.s in economics); I was addressing McCain's understanding. I'm supposed to vote for the idiot McCain because one of his newbie trolls on FR has a degree? I don't think so.

Btw, GWB is not an economist but during his service he has shown to be a valuable “administrator”, thanks to good advisers. I believe in value added organization.

Why don't you come clean and tell us that you're on the payroll of the McCain campaign? Everything you say is straight from the campaign's talking points. I'm not going to vote for a guy whose favorite hobby over his entire career has been picking fights with conservatives.

[citizen]

Yeah, less of him, more of Hillary.