This morning, John McCain hit yet ANOTHER new low (every time you think he's hit rock bottom, he fools you), one that you rarely see outside the confines of the far-right-wingnut blogs. That's right, this morning John McCain essentially called Barack Obama a socalist:
Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Saturday accused Democratic rival Barack Obama of favoring a socialistic economic approach by supporting tax cuts and tax credits McCain says would merely shuffle wealth rather than creating it."At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives," McCain said in a radio address. "They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Sen. Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it's just another government giveaway."
Of course, the fact that a progressive tax system has been in place here in America for the past century - instituted in part by McCain's #1 hero, Teddy Roosevelt - doesn't seem to phase McCain. The fact that this tax system survived Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, George W. Bush, etc. doesn't phase him. Nor does the fact that, over his many years in Congress, McCain has voted for uncounted bills containing taxes that are not "flat," and therefor "spread the wealth" in a manner that he now calls - desperately, in his campaign's dying days - "Socialist."
Look, I could go on and on about how this language is beneath John McCain, now it's idiotic, crazy, etc. But my guess is that 90%+ of people who read this blog already know that. The question is, who does NOT know that? Basically, that would be Jobn McCain's "base," aka the far far FAR right wing. Sometimes you'll see them commenting here at RK, calling Democrats "socialists," "communists," etc. We usually troll rate them or ban them after a short period of putting up with their tinfoil hat insanity. Just as they would do, and rightfully so, if we went over to their blogs and started calling all Republicans "fascists" or "Nazis" or whatever.
Anyway, here's a suggestion for John McCain: after you lose on November 4th, start a right-wing blog! I mean, god knows the world doesn't have enough of 'em. Also, I'm sure Michelle Malkin, Matt Drudge, or the boys at "Little Green Footballs" would be happy to give you some helpful blogging tips! My own suggestion is that you ask Sarah Palin to join your blog, maybe invite her husband, "Joe the Plumber," and some Alaskan Independence Party folks on board as "guest bloggers" and turn it into a full-fledged group blog. Yeah, that would be a hoot! :)
My opponent's been talking a lot about taxes in his campaign. But here's the truth Missouri - we are both offering tax cuts. The difference is who we're cutting taxes for.It comes down to values - in America, do we simply value wealth, or do we value the work that creates it? For eight years, we've seen what happens when we put the extremely wealthy and well-connected ahead of working people. Now, John McCain thinks that the way to rebuild this economy is to double down on George Bush's policy of giving more and more tax breaks to those at the very top in the false hope that it will all trickle down. I think it's time to rebuild the middle class in this country, and that is the choice in this election.
Senator McCain wants to give the average Fortune 500 CEO a $700,000 tax cut but absolutely nothing at all to over 100 million Americans. I want to cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95 percent of all workers. And under my plan, if you make less than $250,000 a year - which includes 98 percent of small business owners - you won't see your taxes increase one single dime. Not your payroll taxes, not your income taxes, not your capital gains taxes - nothing. It' time to give the middle class a break, and that's what I'll do as President of the United States.
Lately, Senator McCain has been attacking my middle class tax cut. He actually said it goes to, "those who don't pay taxes," even though it only goes to working people who are already getting taxed on their paycheck. That's right, Missouri - John McCain is so out of touch with the struggles you are facing that he must be the first politician in history to call a tax cut for working people "welfare."
The only "welfare" in this campaign is John McCain's plan to give another $200 billion in tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations in America - including $4 billion in tax breaks to big oil companies that ran up record profits under George Bush. That's who John McCain is fighting for. But we can't afford four more years like the last eight. George Bush and John McCain are out of ideas, they are out of touch, and if you stand with me in 17 days they will be out of time.
We need new priorities in Washington. I think it's time to give a tax cut to the teachers and janitors who work in our schools; to the cops and firefighters who keep us safe; to the waitresses working double shifts, the nurses in the ER, and the plumbers fighting for their American Dream. These workers are the backbone of our country. They are the ones that Washington has forgotten. They're the ones I'll fight for. And while Senator McCain ignores the payroll taxes you pay to score a few political points, I'll put a tax cut into the pockets of working people so you can pay the bills, put away some savings, and pass on a brighter future to your children.
Here is the definition of socialism from dictionary.com:
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
There are no such things as natural or 'right' ways of flows of wealth and capital. Governments and governmental policies, the rule of law, and financial institutions are required to enable and encourage capital and wealth creation.
What we obviously DO have in this country, however, is an insidious corporate socialism in which huge, inefficent institutions are allowed to become so large that they must no fail -- losses and risks are socialized, profits are privatized. This type of corporate socialism and fusion of core governmental functions with privatized industries has much more in common with fascism than any progressive taxation plan ever would.
The Republican party is an intellectually bankrupt enterprise, left with nothing but slogans and jingoism. This country is going down the drain because of their policies, and they are too cowardly to own their failures.
Wonder why this campaign approach is not working anymore?
Obama's response is pitch perfect, in my opinion. It explains things carefully, shows respect for his listeners, treats us as adults but minces no nuances. The tired, threadbare, and over-used employment of "socialism" to describe the slightest opposition to the ingrained class warfare engendered by Friedman economics Free Market capitalism has run out of steam, now that the whole world has seen how stubborn adherence to its dogma has turned out: simply put, it's a disaster that threatens to sink the whole world economy.
Obama does have to continue to pound this dogma into the dust of history, because Republicans have been so successful in imposing it on us all, including on leading economists and the national Democrats of recent history. He will also, I believe, need to show at least a few hints of an improved model of capitalism and of government policy as a replacement for the dominance of Friedman Market theories... even if it is only a modified (dare I say nuanced?) model of capitalism which is regulated and/or restrained across borders inasmuch as the current meltdown has proved that the flows of international capital cannot be adequately regulated by geographically limited nation states. I have heard that Sarkozy, current head of the European Union, is thinking along the same lines. This gives me hope Sarkozy and Obama can work together to produce a reorganisation of world financial institutions in a beneficial way for the common good. Just in the nick of time.