John McCain, alleged champion of the poor

April 28, 2008

Once in a while, American politics will get so detached from reality, one wonders if news articles are part of an elaborate practical joke, meant to drive the reality-based community batty.

Take, for example, John McCain’s assertion yesterday that he cares more about the needs of poor people than Barack Obama.

The GOP nominee-in-waiting rapped his Democratic rival for opposing his idea to suspend the tax on fuel during the summer, a proposal that McCain believes will particularly help low-income people who usually have older cars that guzzle more gas.

“I noticed again today that Sen. Obama repeated his opposition to giving low-income Americans a tax break, a little bit of relief so they can travel a little further and a little longer, and maybe have a little bit of money left over to enjoy some other things in their lives,” McCain said. “Obviously Sen. Obama does not understand that this would be a nice thing for Americans, and the special interests should not be dictating this policy.”

I have to assume that McCain is now taking advice directly from Karl Rove, because his attacks are the opposite of reality. Indeed, just 10 days ago, John McCain admitted, on national television, that his idea for a “gas-tax holiday” wouldn’t really make any difference, but the policy “might” give Americans “a little psychological boost.”

Now, if you dare to recognize that the policy is an awful idea, you are necessarily insensitive to the poor.

Indeed, consider the context here. John McCain is one of the wealthiest members of Congress. He gets a break on flying his wife’s jet, proposes billions of dollars in tax cuts to the very wealthy, and even voted last year for the abolishment of a federal minimum wage standard.

And yet, he feels entirely comfortable lecturing the former inner-city community organizer on what low-income families really need.

In the next breath, McCain added:

The Arizona senator deflected questions about his record on the Bush administration’s tax cuts — he initially opposed them but now supports extending them — by again criticizing Obama.

“Sen. Obama wants to raise the capital gains tax, which would have a direct effect on 100 million Americans,” McCain said. “That means he has no understanding of the economy and that he is totally insensitive to the hopes and dreams and ambitions of 100 million Americans who will be affected by his almost doubling of the capital gains tax.”

Yes, the Republicans’ Robin Hood wants to make sure capital gains tax rates stay right where they are — because he’s concerned about the plight of the poor.

Digby, who called this the return of “up-is-downism,” added, “I don’t think I need to explain everything that’s wrong with that, do you? The idea of McCain claiming that anyone, much less Barack Obama, doesn’t understand the economy because ‘100 million Americans’ would be affected by the raising of the capital gains tax is mind boggling. Good God, that man has chutzpah.”

He does, indeed. I get the distinct impression that McCain is running on a platform premised on the idea that Americans are idiots, and can be easily fooled by nonsense. Voters not only should reject this, they should be insulted by it.

Correction:
100 million Americans = Americans worth 100 million (ironically like his poor destitute wife and her private jet.)

The only time the Bush Repubs care about poor people is when they want to throw them in jail or send them off to war.

  • You know Bushism has worked so well for poor folks. So it is only obvious that McCain would want to help the poor with some McBushism.

    Bill Clinton summed this up best in 2000 by describing Bushism, aka compassionate conservatism, as “You Hurt and I Care, but I’m not gonna do anything about it.”

  • I know a very conservative Republican who thinks the “gas tax holiday” is stupid policy and pandering to the extreme. He was very surprised when I told him who was advocating it. I recommend explaining the idea, asking what the person thinks of it, and then telling them who the dumbass is who supports it.

  • Recall Obama’s brilliant answer to Gibson’s false premise question:

    GIBSON: “But history shows that when you drop the capital gains tax, the revenues go up.” (That’s a lie, you fricking idiot – Ohioan)

    OBAMA: “Well, that might happen or it might not. It depends on what’s happening on Wall Street and how business is going. I think the biggest problem that we’ve got on Wall Street right now is the fact that we’ve got a housing crisis that this president has not been attentive to and that it took John McCain three tries before he got it right. And if we can stabilize that market and we can get credit flowing again, then I think we’ll see stocks do well, and once again I think we can generate the revenue that we need to run this government and hopefully to pay down some of this debt. “

  • McCain said. “That means he has no understanding of the economy

    Absolutely classic Roveism: go after your opponent by prjecting your own weaknesses on him (or her).

    This is not at all different from a drunken AWOL national guardsman attacking the military service of a decorated combat veteran.

    I get the distinct impression that McCain is running on a platform premised on the idea that Americans are idiots, and can be easily fooled by nonsense.

    And given that Americans wholeheartedly bought the attacks of the AWOL drunk on the decorated vet, why wouldn’t McCain run on that assumption? All evidence to date is that the assumption is correct.

  • Someone said “Is it me or does Obama sound more conservative than McCain at this point?”

    Well it used to be that fiscal responsibility was considered a conservative value, but that was before the Vacuum-Up Economics looters took over the movement and, thanks to Scalia and friends, control of our government.

  • Unfortunately, while McCain mightby an idiot on economics, the vast majority of Americans are so economically illiterate that they could indeed believe him.

    And it works – that town in Kentucky he visited, the one where LBJ announced the War on Poverty 44 years ago, has the following democraphics: 46% of all adults do not have a high school diploma, there is 35% unemployment, and the median income is $22,000 per year. And the townspeople were quoted as being offended by Obama’s statements about people like them, and they thought McCain deserved a lot of credit for coming to visit and had “good ideas.” Did I mention the place has been reliably Republican for over a century?

    Never ever doubt the ability ot Americans to vote against their real interests in defense of their “values.”

  • It is quite apparent that McCain has publically crossed the line to join the legions of Crazy Old Coots.

  • I get the distinct impression that McCain is running on a platform premised on the idea that Americans are idiots, and can be easily fooled by nonsense.

    Smart guy.

  • John Sidney McCain
    Was a friend to the poor,
    He trav’led with a gun in ev’ry hand.
    All along this countryside,
    He opened a many a door,
    But he was never known
    To be an honest man.

    ‘Twas down in Cheney County,
    A time they talk about,
    With his lady by his side
    He took a stand.
    And soon the situation there
    Was all but straightened out,
    For he was always known
    To lend a helping hand.

  • I get the distinct impression that McCain is running on a platform premised on the idea that Americans are idiots, and can be easily fooled by nonsense.

    Close.

    McCain knows from experience the most of the “journalists” in the corporate-controlled media are idiots. They can’t tell Keynesian economics from the Keystone state, so they can easily be fooled by buzzwords that they don’t understand.

    After all, they still believe he’s a “maverick”, don’t they?

  • Mark Pencil (7)Absolutely classic Roveism: go after your opponent by projecting your own weaknesses on him (or her).

    Good point, and a mantra that should be repeated frequently!

    I noticed again today that Sen. Obama repeated his opposition to giving low-income Americans a tax break

    Are gas stations going to use some kind of income means test?

  • I get the distinct impression that McCain is running on a platform premised on the idea that Americans are idiots, and can be easily fooled by nonsense. Voters not only should reject this, they should be insulted by it.

    He is. He may not be doing it consciously (since I’m not sure how much he thinks anymore about things), but he’s doing it nonetheless. He is literally there saying the opposite of reality, making things up as he goes along, and when it comes down to it lying to us.

    And THIS is the media’s darling that people want to be president?

    At this rate, I could miss W.

  • Actually Dale, the McCain story reminds me of another little tale, from those noted political analysts, Monty Python:

    steal from the poor, gives to the rich, stupid b. . . 🙂

  • …and now it seems that Hillary Clinton thinks the gas tax “holiday” would be a good idea as well. “My opponent, Senator Obama, opposes giving consumers a break,” Clinton said, campaigning in North Carolina. “I understand the American people need some relief.”

  • here’s the part of the quote i don’t understand : “the special interests should not be dictating this policy.”
    is mccain saying that the oil companies DON’T want to see the gas tax reduced?
    i would think they’d be in favor of something that encouraged people to buy more gas.
    if he isn’t talking about the oil industy, the WHO is he talking about?

  • “special interests should not be dictating this policy.”

    I wondered the samet hing, dj spellchecka. What special interests? Apart from the “maintain highways” lobby and the “don’t screw up the federal budget” advocates, I’m not sure what “special interests” would have Obama’s ear on this issue.

    Good catch on the Rove-a-dope, Mark Pencil.

  • is mccain saying that the oil companies DON’T want to see the gas tax reduced?
    i would think they’d be in favor of something that encouraged people to buy more gas.

    Not only buy more gas, but after they initially drop the price by 18.5 cents on Memorial Day…I’m absolutely certain that they’ll manage to make those 18.5 cents up within a month, with every mention of a rising oil price bumping up the price another 4-6 cents. Come Labor Day they can add the 18.5 cent tax back on to their new and improved with 18.5 cents extra profit per gallon price.

    And the money from that tax which is to go to roads and bridges…won’t be there, which is another way of saying that there will be fewer construction jobs.

    It’s the perfect Republican move, really, it cuts taxes for infrastructure that we desperately need and gives an extra boost in profits to oil companies. What’s not to love?

  • Well, of course McSame’s concerned about the plight of the poor. He’s going to making all of the middle class much more poor. Everything he’s proposed is going to make the ultra-rich richer and everybody else much more poor.

    Luckly, he can toss out a little bread like he’s proposing with the gax tax, and the MSM is providing a circus.

  • We definitely need to do everything we can to up the consumption of gas cause that will give big oil more reason to raise the price (snark snark)

  • I get the distinct impression that McCain is running on a platform premised on the idea that Americans are idiots, and can be easily fooled by nonsense.

    You were around for the last Presidential campaign, yes?

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