LAT: McCain Says Obama Wants Socialism
From the Los Angeles Times branch of the Obama campaign:
McCain says Obama wants socialism
By Bob Drogin and Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
October 19, 2008CONCORD, N.C. — John McCain sharpened his attack on presidential rival Barack Obama’s economic proposals Saturday, accusing the Democrat of seeking to turn the United States into a socialist country and convert the IRS into a giant “welfare agency” that would dole out cash at Washington’s discretion…
In recent days, McCain has seized on a comment that Obama made in defending his tax policies to Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, an Ohio man now better known as Joe the Plumber. Obama, who was canvassing Wurzelbacher’s neighborhood last weekend, told him, among other things: “When you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
McCain, delivering a national radio address before setting out for stops Saturday in North Carolina and Virginia, said Obama’s approach sounded “a lot like socialism.”
“At least in Europe, the socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives,” the Republican nominee said. “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.”
Obama has said that his plan would cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, including Wurzelbacher. McCain has said 40% of Americans don’t pay income taxes, either because they are elderly or don’t make enough money.
“In other words, Barack Obama’s tax plan would convert the IRS into a giant welfare agency, redistributing massive amounts of wealth at the direction of politicians in Washington,” McCain said in his radio remarks…
This article goes on to portray McCain as an out of touch cranky old man, while Mr. Obama is the darling of multitudinous crowds.
Even though everything McCain states is obviously true. Just as every Obama claim is blatantly false, such as this one:
Obama has said that his plan would cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, including Wurzelbacher.
Why has no one in the media “fact checked” this endlessly repeated lie?
At least McCain is finally taking it on:
McCain has said 40% of Americans don’t pay income taxes, either because they are elderly or don’t make enough money.
“In other words, Barack Obama’s tax plan would convert the IRS into a giant welfare agency, redistributing massive amounts of wealth at the direction of politicians in Washington,” McCain said in his radio remarks.
That is an undeniable fact.
Mr. Obama is going to redistribute money from people who actually work and give it to those who don’t in the form of the Orwellian “earned income tax credit.” Which, of course, is not earned at all.
Indeed, all of Mr. Obama’s policies comport perfectly with the policies of the Democratic Socialists of the US, the Communist Party of America, and ACORN — who have all whole-heartedly endorsed Mr. Obama.
(Along with the Los Angeles Times.)
But we dasn’t call him a “socialist.”
7 Responses to “LAT: McCain Says Obama Wants Socialism”
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Well just got off the phone with my once upon a time conservative but now lunatic liberal with an even more lefty wife and told him that I hoped that when he and his beloved write their income tax checks next year they can smile to themselves that they’re “helping those behind them”.
I still think Obama is technically more of a fascist than a socialist, but the socialist charge is easier for people to understand.
Its a little late to start calling the Messiah a socialist, where were you John 6 months ago on this issue? Couldn’t your handlers connect the dots between Ayres, Wright, ACORN et al = Socialism?!
Bunch of idiots must be republicans!
Is it just me or does it seem like McCain and everyone in his camp have given up? I read today that McCain said “don’t feel sorry for me” if he loses, since he has lived a good life and enjoyed his work in public life. Seems like we’re the only ones still rooting for McCain to actually win.
@Latinos, no, it’s not you, I am thinking the same thing.
My Gawd McCain finally gets it! I have been saying this for months and two weeks before the election he understands. It took a plumber to wake his sorry ass up!
Finally McCain takes of the gloves! There is something morally wrong with taking money from those who work and giving it to those who do not. It is the essence of the capitalist state that people can freely own the products of their labor. The twentieth century political philosopher Robert Nozick goes so far as to equate progressive taxation with slavery. He justifies this by saying that taxation “amounts to a kind of forced labor, for the state so structures the tax system that any time you labor at all, a certain amount of your labor time - the amount that produces the wealth taken away from you forcibly via taxation - is time you involuntarily work, in effect, for the state.”
Now, it would be ridiculous for me to propose that Federal taxation should be completely flat with everyone paying the same amount. For example, as The Plank suggests “Charging everybody the same tax rate might sound simple. But it would actually impose a much harsher burden on the poor, since they end up spending much–if not all–of their incomes on the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, and shelter.” But, let us take a step back and look at how extreme Obama’s proposal really is. Under his plan, three out of every five voters will pay nearly nothing in taxes while the taxes will steeply rise for the other 40% of Americans. John McCain is absolutely right it saying that this sounds like socialism. How can only 40% of the country bear the full burden of Federal taxation? While, I will not resort to Nozick’s extreme, I will say that this surely does not ensure that Americans will be able to own the products of their labor. Let’s flatten the tax and (re)introduce the basic foundation of capitalism.