[big campaign] Media Monitoring Report - Sunday 08/03/08

podesta-emails 6,145 words email

P22 P17 V11 P20 V12

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*Main Topics: *"Celeb" Ad, Social Security Tax Cuts, Race Card, Surge, Energy *Summary of Shift:* Surrogates took to the airwaves and McCain's vacillation on Social Security payroll taxes receives intense scrutiny as the controversy over whether or not the race card is in play rolls onward. Pundits are still examining the whys and wherefores of the anthrax suspect's suicide in between bouts of pre-Olympic fervor. *Highlights:* 1. "Celeb" Ad a. CNN: Success of McCain attack ads considered b. ABC: Tom Ridge discuesses the message of "Celeb" ad 2. McCain surrogates a. Kerry and Lieberman debate the issues of the race i. NBC: Lieberman puts forward arguments on Social Security taxes, drilling and the surge, Kerry shuts them down ii. NBC: Lieberman: "Celeb" ad "cute", in no way demeaning iii. NBC: Lieberman: "John McCain does not have a bigoted bone in his body" b. CBS: Fiorina outlines McCain's economic plan defends his position on Social Security taxes c. CNN: Pfotenhauer defends McCain economic and tax policy including tax cuts for Exxon Mobile 3. CNN: Kurtz and panel discuss McCain's muddled no new taxes message *Highlights, no Clips:* 4. NBC – CHUCK TODD: The good news for the McCain campaign is they may have found the right strategy . . . of how to defeat Obama . . . hit him as an elitist, hit him as soft . . . on his readiness to be president. But the problem is, McCain isn't the contrast. McCain is Junior Obama or Senior Obama, depending on how you want to match him up. 5. NBC - MATTHEWS: He says he'll work with anyone, but will anyone work with him? *Clips:* *Highlight #1* *Success of McCain Attack Ads Considered* (CNN 08/03/08 09:30am) REBECCA ROBERTS: … I think that if the goal of the McCain campaign was to get all of us to talk about it, they've seceded. If the goal was to get people to change their vote, I'm not so sure. You're criticizing someone for being popular? Is that the strategy? Really? And you know there has been a lot of reading between the lines about the choice of Brittany and Paris and young blond women and all of that. I'm not sure it was that well thought through. I think they were just trying to take Senator Obama's strength that he was very popular, draws huge crowds and try and turn it into a weakness. I think the jury is out and rather or not they succeeded on doing that. *Tom Ridge Discusses the Message of "Celeb" Ad* (ABC 08/03/08 10:20am) TOM RIDGE: … I think the message, uh, there were two messages embodied I believe in that commercial. The first one I think frankly probably a not so subtle recognition that Senator Obama is very telegenic he is very popular, he has paparazzi swarming all over him, where he goes he gets a big crowd. But the broader message is its not about drawing a crowd it is about dealing with issues and if you move back into that ad it talks very much about critical issue to this country its future and that's energy. He doesn't want to drill, he will tax electricity, he doesn't want nuclear. So at the end of the day the message in that is that you can be a very charismatic figure GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Well as a matter of fact Factcheck.org has looked at that claim that he will tax electricity and they say it is simply not true. That Senator Obama has a very similar cap and trade proposal to Senator McCain and if you are going to charge that Senator Obama is taxing electricity you would have to level that same exact charge against Senator McCain. RIDGE: Well, I think George, that the commercial elevates the whole question of energy policy in a way that some people like and some people don't like… The point of this ad is energy policy is serious is a serious deficiency in this country vis-à-vis an energy policy. We have been waiting 20 or 30 years to get one. John McCain has suggested that we have an all above approach. Lets talk Nuclear, lets talk drilling, lets talk Bio-Fuels, its not lets talk bio-fuels in a way that is smart and doesn't disrupt the agriculture community. Lets get it all on the table. And Obama, Senator Obama excuse me. Has said no nuclear, no STEPHANOPOULOS: Seems open to drilling right now RIDGE: Well no he said that in the morning and later on in the afternoon he clarified his position and said I am opposed to drilling. He is opposed to drilling. STEPHANOPOULOS: But he said he would accept it as part of a comprehensive package. […] RIDGE: … end of the day I think members of both parties are moving closer and closer to Senator McCain's position… That ad was about energy and lets get serious, lets recognize who he is, very charismatic, gives great speeches but it is substance time. 90 days left to go, lets talk issues. *Highlight #2* *Lieberman Puts Forward Arguments on Social Security Taxes, Drilling and the Surge, Kerry Shuts them Down* (NBC 08/03/08 10:55am) TOM BROKAW: . . . Senator McCain has been very adamant about not raising taxes. That prompted this headline in The Wall Street Journal . . . he says, "Is John McCain Stupid? Is John McCain losing it? He said on national television that to solve Social Security, "everything's on the table," which of course means raising payroll taxes. On July 7th, he said 'Sen. Obama will raise your taxes. I won't.' This isn't a flip-flop. It's a sex-change operation." JOE LIEBERMAN: First, let me say John remains all male. There is no question about that. Secondly, he's a smart, curious, intellectually alert as possible. That's why he loves the town hall meetings, that's why he keeps challenging Barack Obama to come and do a town hall meeting with him . . . BROKAW: If everything is on the table for social security reform that does include raising of payroll taxes, does it not? JOHN KERRY: Absolutely. LIEBERMAN: . . . two main reasons I'm for John McCain. One is he's ready to be commander in chief and to deal with our problems at home and abroad. Secondly, we got a big problem here in Washington that we have to solve before we get to solve social security, jobs, gas crisis, and environment, everything else. It's partisanship. And John McCain . . . has a record, he is a restless reformer . . . What I'm saying we need to fix social security so it's there for the next generation. BROKAW: And that may include an increase in payroll taxes. LIEBERMAN: John McCain said very clearly he doesn't want to raise any taxes but he also said, because he's a great negotiator, I want to sit down with everybody the way Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill did in the 1980s and we're going to solve this, like we're going to make progress on health care and the energy crisis and climate change by breaking through the partisan gridlock. He's going to demand we start to act not like Democrats or Republicans but like Americans, that's what the people want us to do. BROKAW: . . . This past week President Bush talked about the possibility of drawing down troops and he's going to shorten the tours . . . Senator Kerry, why is it so hard for Democrats to say the surge worked? [ . . . ] KERRY: . . . the reason the gas discussion so fraudulent is that the oil companies have 68 million acres currently, leases, available to them now. 40 million of them offshore and they are not drilling there. 95% of the Alaska oil shelf is open for drilling today . . . [ . . . ] KERRY: . . . On the surge, Joe and John McCain have both alleged that the surge created the Anbar Awakening. It did not. The Anbar Awakening began in 2005 and 2006, one of the local leaders in the tribe in Anbar province . . . put together 32 sheikhs . . . they organized the Anbar Salvation Council. They then went out and took on al Qaeda and our military personnel adjusted with that at the time, the fact is that the Ramadi Construction Conference took place and the administration didn't get a troop in there until after they made the political decision to become involved with the Americans. The surge added to that. If you add American troops to the equation, American troops can always provide some additional security. [ . . . ] LIEBERMAN: . . . the sheikhs don't want our troops to come home on a fixed timetable. They want us to stay . . . KERRY: The Prime Minister of Iraq believes we should set a timetable. The President, Mr. Talibani wants us to set a timetable. I heard countless numbers of Iraqis say we'd be better off with a timetable. In fact, I met with the governor of Anbar province and all of the sheiks who said they are comfortable with a timetable providing that obviously it is one that works in the context. LIEBERMAN: . . . Maliki and Obama are not on the same page on this. [ . . . ] KERRY: . . . John McCain was wrong about Iraq. He was wrong about why we ought to go there, he bought into a whole liberation theology about the Middle East with Paul Wolfowitz and others . . . He was wrong about oil paying for the war, wrong about being greeted as liberation heroes, he's been wrong about Afghanistan not being a center of activity against us. He said no one threatens us in Afghanistan. LIEBERMAN: John McCain was right about the surge and he had the guts to go up against President Bush, Secretary Rumsfeld and public opinion . . . because he didn't want America to lose . . . Senator Obama took the opposite position. Wasn't concerned about losing in Iraq . . . [ . . . ] BROKAW: Can we show you a Joe Lieberman website he may not be welcoming. There is a website out there in which they say get rid of Joe, Lieberman must go, more than 50,000 signatures have been signed so far. You think you're going to be comfortable next year in the Democratic Caucus as a self-described Independent Democrat? LIEBERMAN: Look. I crossed party lines to support John McCain because this is not an ordinary time in our history . . . And I just felt more than following the party line; I had to go with the guy I thought would best serve this country, that's John McCain. BROKAW: Are you going to speak at the Republican Convention? LIEBERMAN: . . . Am I going to speak at the convention? . . . that decision hasn't been made. If Senator McCain feels I can help his candidacy which I think is so important to elect him our next president, I will do it. But I assure you this Tom. I'm not going to go to the convention, the Republican Convention and spend my time attacking Barack Obama. I'm going to go there really talking about why I support John McCain . . . Frankly, I'm going to go to a partisan convention and tell them if I go, why it's so important that we start to act like Americans and not as partisan mudslingers. BROKAW: Sounds like you're going to go. LIEBERMAN: We'll see. KERRY: Sounds like that to me, too. *Lieberman: "Celeb" Ad "Cute", In No Way Demeaning *(NBC 08/03/08 10:35am) TOM BROKAW: . . . This is a discussion of issues, also of tone because the tone is an important part of a presidential campaign and this campaign is running at full throttle already . . . Senator Lieberman, let me share with you . . . Senator McCain had to say earlier about the tone of the campaign. JOHN MCCAIN: This will be a respectful campaign. Americans want a respectful campaign. They're tired of the attacks, tired of impugning people's character and integrity. They want a respectful campaign and I'm of the firm belief that they'll get it and they can get it if the American people demand it and reject a lot of this negative stuff that goes on. BROKAW: And just this past week you said to the Palm Beach Post, "there is a problem in Washington that problem is partisanship, people going to Washington acting like children having a mud fight." You think running a campaign ad in which you feature Britney spears and Paris Hilton with Barack Obama is respectful? JOE LIEBERMAN: I do. First off, you know, we all ought to relax a bit. It's a bit of humor, a way to draw people into the ad. Incidentally, the McCain campaign has another ad in which they seem to be comparing Obama to Moses so in my book that's about as good a comparison as you could ask for. I should say in The Book it's about as good a comparison as you should ask for. But look, there is a serious point to that ad. And it gets right to it which is, is not with standing his celebrity status Barack Obama ready to lead? And my answer is no, that Barack Obama is a gifted, eloquent young man who can -- and I hope will give great leadership to America in the years ahead but the question is who's ready to be president on January 20th, 2009 with the economy in a crisis, and facing dangerous enemies abroad, it's clearly John McCain. We only have two choices, John McCain, Barack Obama. BROKAW: . . . by including Britney spears and Paris Hilton, two lightweights known primarily as just targets of paparazzi around the world, with senator Obama. Isn't that demeaning? LIEBERMAN: No . . . First, I think it's cute. A lot of – BROKAW: What does he have to do with Paris Hilton or Britney spears? LIEBERMAN: The point is particularly after the trip to Europe, essentially holding a political rally of 200,000 in . . . Berlin. Bigger crowd than he's gotten in . . . America and he's gotten some big crowds. This ad raises the question, we're not deciding who's our favorite celebrity, who we are fans of. We're doing something very serious at a time when our economy is hurting a lot of people . . . and we still are in a war against the Islamist terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. Look beyond the celebrity status is what this ad is saying. This is a good young man. Is he ready to lead or as ready as John McCain, no. In fact, the ad goes to a specific point which is senator Obama is against offshore drilling for oil . . . and to try to stop the painful increase in gas prices and home heating oil prices. John McCain is for both of those, John McCain is for alternative energy, for nuclear power, for off shore drilling . . . What Barack Obama did over the weekend about off shore drilling is a tease . . . BROKAW: . . . This is what senator Obama had to say in response to the ad that included Britney spears and Paris Hilton. OBAMA: . . . The only strategy they've got in this election is to try to scare you about me . . . he doesn't look like all the presidents on the dollar bills . . . BROKAW: And right away the manager from McCain campaign said that's the introduction of the race card as he described it, Rick Davis. "Barack Obama has played the race card, he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong." Senator Kerry, by using the language that he did saying I don't look like the president on a dollar bill or a $5 bill wasn't he in effect saying they are picking on me because I'm black. JOHN KERRY: No. What he was saying they're trying to scare you, trying to scare the American people. And believe me, I'm an expert how they do that. They are engaged in character assassination. Even John McCain's partner in a number of initiatives in the Senator Russ Feingold said yesterday they decided they can't win on the issues so now they are going to try to destroy his character . . . John McCain himself you quoted him, John McCain said I want to have a campaign not of insults but of ideas. I mean, Joe, what's the idea? What is the idea? Let me say, what is the idea? [ . . . ] KERRY: It doesn't mention not ready to lead, doesn't mention off shore drilling. It tries to insinuate his celebrity is somehow all he has. I'm going to get to the other. But this is you know, this is a complete contradiction in John McCain. John McCain said he wants a campaign of ideas, not insults. John McCain who said the American people want a campaign that's respectful. Even you, Joe, ten years ago, you went to the floor of the United States Senate and you said that our public life is coarsening . . . That's an ad that plays to the worst instincts in America, which is to diminish someone's character. And then Karl Rove turns around and Karl Rove brings up a statement saying Obama is like the guy at the country club with the beautiful date and a martini and a cigarette in his hand . . . LIEBERMAN: Karl Rove doesn't work for the McCain campaign. KERRY: They just hired Karl Rove's top protégé to produce these ads. Believe me, they talked to Karl Rove. BROKAW: When senator Obama responded he didn't talk just about his character, he also talked about his appearance. That's what prompted the McCain campaign . . . KERRY: What he was talking about is campaign to scare about the person and that's what they do, they try to scare about the person. They try to attack the character. They can't win on health care, they can't win on the economy . . . [Joe] said the question is is he ready to lead . . . What people are electing is a president who has the judgment to do what's right for America. Barack Obama was right about Iraq. Now George Bush, Prime Minister Maliki think we ought to set a deadline. Afghanistan. John McCain has been the slowest person to come to the question of Afghanistan and adding troops. He was right about Pakistan, that we ought to have the ability to go in and take out a terrorist and John McCain criticized him for taking that position. He's been right about North Korea and Iran and the notion that we ought to negotiate. Now the Bush administration is negotiating. The Bush administration has moved toward Barack Obama, not John McCain. And John McCain's judgment has been wrong, and it's dangerous for America. *Lieberman: "John McCain Does Not Have a Bigoted Bone in His Body"* (NBC 08/03/08 10:45am) TOM BROKAW: . . . this is former general Wesley Clark talking about John McCain. He said, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." He described him as untested and untried . . . JOHN KERRY: I don't agree with was Clark's comment. I think it was entirely inappropriate. I have nothing but enormous respect for John McCain's service . . . BROKAW: Unless I missed it, senator Obama has not specifically rebuked Wesley Clark. KERRY: . . . I thought Obama had at the time. Here's what's important. Let's not get lost in this. John McCain said this ought to be about big ideas. Medicare is about to implode. You know, John McCain has a health care plan that every expert has said does nothing for the people who have no health care. JOE LIEBERMAN: Not true. KERRY: It does nothing for the people that have no health care. Doesn't have a plan that's comprehensive to provide health care to all Americans. He's against the energy plan for tax credits for people in order to help them with the energy crisis. Why? He came out against this plan of the people in congress on energy because he wants to protect Exxon. BROKAW: Let's talk about energy for a moment if we can because there have been several bills. A bipartisan coalition of ten senators wants to expand offshore drilling and they want to end a tax credit on oil companies. Senator Obama in the past has often said that he opposed offshore drilling . . . here's what senator Obama had to say over the weekend. "My interest is in making sure that we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices. If in order to get that passed we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought out, drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage I don't want to be so ridged that we can't get something done." [ . . . ] KERRY: . . . Barack Obama doesn't want to drill offshore, doesn't believe it's the thing to do . . . He doesn't want to do that. But if that's what gets us to the energy independence . . . Here's the bottom line. Guess what. John McCain out of hand just rejected that proposal, telling The Wall Street Journal that it would result in raising taxes on the oil companies, on Exxon. Exxon Mobil made $12 billion last quarter alone. No American corporation has ever made that much money in history, and john McCain wants to protect it. BROKAW: . . . He didn't want a rollback of the taxes. Those taxes were originally designed to create jobs. Exxon Mobil did make $11.68 billion. LIEBERMAN: . . . The question is offshore drilling. We've got a crisis here. We're not only sending more than $700 billion a year to the Middle East and other places that don't like us much every time we go to the pump . . . John McCain sees the crisis and watch the reaction of McCain and Obama here. It will tell you what kind of president they might be. It tells you why McCain's experience gives him judgment and strength of decision that we need. John McCain says, we need alternative energy, yes, we're moving toward a low hydrocarbon future but John McCain says we need to drill offshore. That's American oil, we need to bring it into the market to help lower gas prices and make us energy independent. Barrack Obama says this weekend maybe . . . [ . . . ] KERRY: It is an absolutely fraudulent offering to America. Drilling -- let me tell you why. We only have three percent of the world oil reserves. 65% of the oil comes from the Mideast . . . LIEBERMAN: . . . In the short-term, drill for American oil where we can find it and get it safely. That's offshore . . . John McCain presented the boldest alternative energy . . . proposals that are around today. The racial question here. I speak personally. In the first place, the McCain campaign is to use Barack Obama's words raising the question risky guy but it has nothing to do with his name or his skin color. It has to do with his lack of experience and bad judgment. His unreadiness to be president. When you use the expression that senator Obama did three times this week, you're making a personal insult to john McCain. I know john McCain, I've been with him for 20 years, private and public. This man does not have a bigoted bone in his body. His wife and he adopted a baby from Bangladesh who they love. It's just wrong for senator Obama to have done that. It was right for the campaign to call him on . . . * Fiorina Outlines McCain's Economic Plan Defends His Position on Social Security Taxes *(CBS 08/03/08 10:40am) BOB SCHIEFFER: . . . You heard what Mr. Ruben just said . . . that is that this economic situation could actually get worse. What is your take on the where things are right now and where we go from here? CARLY FIORINA: Well, I certainly agree with him that the situation could get worse. And there are a couple of things that will make it worse. One is to raise taxes, which is what Senator Obama proposes to do. Another is to massively increase government spending, which is what senor Obama would propose to do over a trillion and a half in increased government spending. The third is to become isolationist and protectionist which senator Obama would . . . do. Conversely, Senator McCain has proposed a series of tax cuts including but not limited to giving every family with a dependent a doubling of the exemption for dependents . . . he's proposed to leave the capital gains tax right where it is as opposed to doubling is, which is what Barack Obama would do. That impacts 100 million Americans. He has proposed a comprehensive energy plan to wean us from our dependence on foreign oil. And as well he has proposed a plan to help keep Americans in their homes as we see the credit crisis continuing to get worse and finally, he is focused on accelerating job creation in this country and that means helping small businesses form and grow, because all businesses is the engine of growth in this economy. SCHIEFFER: Let me just, that all sounds great and there's some good programs in there. But you know, last week the government announced that we have a $480 billion deficit. How do you do all of that? Surely this has to stop somewhere. FIORINA: Well, first of all the deficit is a huge problem. And senator McCain has consistently said that he will make sure that we balance the budget by 2013. How is that possible? Well, couple of things. First, you have to get the economy growing again . . . That's why, by the way a comprehensive proposal for weaning ourselves off of foreign oil is so important. And by the way, Senator Obama has consistently opposed offshore drilling and yet it's clear that offshore drilling is an important part of comprehensive energy proposal . . . Secondly, we have to get government spending under control. John McCain has never asked for an earmark. He has promised he would veto every bill . . . SCHIEFFER: Let me ask you about that because John McCain, the whole core of his campaign is the other guy is going to raise your taxes and I won't . . . John McCain seemed to back off a bit of that and said, well, when it comes to payroll taxes, saving Social Security that's just basically a negotiating point . . . JOHN MCCAIN: I will say that everything has to be on the table if we're going to reach a bipartisan agreement. I've been in bipartisan negotiations before. I know how you reach a conclusion. We all have to sit down together with everything on the table. GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOUS: That means payroll tax increase are on the table as well. MCCAIN: There's nothing that's off the table. I have my positions. I'll articulate them. Nothing is off the table. SCHIEFFER: How do you say, I'm not going to raise your taxes then say, but nothing is off the table. FIORINA: First of all, Senator McCain, with his vast experience in bipartisan discussions understands that you don't begin a negotiation with an ultimatum . . . John McCain has been very explicit in saying he does not support an increase in payroll taxes . . . His record is very clear on that. And he has a number of economists who support his assertion that we can solve the Social Security and Medicare crisis but particularly social security without raising payroll taxes . . . But again you don't start a negotiation with an ultimatum. You start a negotiation with an open mind. SCHIEFFER: But if that's what you're going to do, then how can you say, I promise you I won't raise your taxes? I mean, just seems like – FIORINA: I think he's making – SCHIEFFER: Two totally different things. FIORINA: He's making his position very clear which is payroll tax increases are not the solution. He has been consistent in that position for the last many, many months, even as his opponent has proposed increases in payroll taxes. And in this regard he is supported by a number of noted economists, whether those are people from Marty Feldstein at Harvard or John Taylor at Stanford a whole lot of experts agree with him . . . SCHIEFFER: All right. What programs would he cut specifically? FIORINA: Well, one of the things that John McCain has said for many months now is that he would immediately institute a freeze in increases in discretionary spending for one year . . . I also know that when federal spending has increased 60% in the last seven years, there is a lot of fat, and a lot of opportunity to cut spending without cutting effective programs that make a difference to the American taxpayer. *Pfotenhauer Defends McCain Economic and Tax Policy Including tax Cuts for Exxon Mobile* (CNN 08/03/08 11:00am) NANCY PHOTENHAUER: I think it is rather amusing because Senator Obama has been dragged kicking and screaming into this situation and the only reason he is where he is right now. He claims he has not changed his position by the way on drilling. That is his words. WOLF BLITZER: He says he is ready to support it if its part of this comprehensive package. And the questions to you is Senator McCain ready to support this compromise . PHOTENHAUER: Senator McCain is open to compromise packages but the bottom line here and I think what the American people need to focus on is the fact that Senator Obama is only in this position now because it became patently obvious over the last weeks particularly not when Nancy Pelosi turned off the lights in the House of Representatives and Republican members refused to leave she had an insurrection in her own party because Pelosi and Reid at Obama's behest were refusing to move forward on drilling. So he, he is, he is now trying to get credit for being all of the above energy plan. […] PHOTENHAUER: He is referring to the corporate rate reduction BLITZER: Which Exxon Mobile would benefit from PHOTENHAUER: Which Jason Forman, His top economic advisor supported up until he went to the campaign. We have the second worse corporate tax rate in the world. We are tied for last place with Japan. We have one tenth of one percent better. We got a 35 percent rate we are competing against countries like Ireland that have less then half that rate. And let me just circle this back to energy policy and taxes. Senator Obama is advocating at this time a windfall profits tax. It is economic masochism. The last time it was tried in this country it reduced domestic production and it increased prices for consumers at the pump. So it increases our reliance on foreign oil and it increases prices. It is absolutely a terrible energy policy at this time. BLITZER: But with Exxon Mobile having record profits of 15 billion dollars over the last quarter, the last three months alone. Does Exxon Mobile need another Billion dollar tax break? PHOTENHAUER: You don't do tax policy based on one company. You do tax policy based on what will spur economic growth and what will create jobs. And that is precisely the plan that Senator McCain has put together. Which is why 21 out of 29 economist surveyed said it would be better for the economy and even the tax policy center characterized the two plans, Senator McCain's as job producing and economic growth producing and Senator Obama's as progressive meaning he is re-slicing the pie. He is not growing the pie he is not creating jobs. […] PHOTENHAUER: The tax policy center does not take into consideration spending side. Therefore any deficit production, prediction, they made is inherently flawed. And I'm talking all capitol letters flawed… the other thing about tax policy the tax policy center acts as if massive increases in taxes do not effect investment, they act as if massive tax cuts do not effect investments. Well guess what. Tax cuts spur investment tax increases depress it. BLITZER: But Senator Obama says should these companies that ship jobs overseas continue to get tax breaks from the American public. PHOTENHAUER: He, I don't even know what he is talking about. He is talking in such broad terms. The bottom line is we right now penalize companies for locating in this country… By the way tax policy center it's a liberal think tank. It is the equivalent; the equivalent on the right would be the heritage foundation. Just keep that in mind. It is run by Clinton administration people. Jason Forman worked for them. Up into about a month ago. So just keep that in mind when we cite them as if they are the oracle. Because they are not. *Highlight #3* *Kurtz and Panel Discuss McCain's Muddled No New Taxes Message* (CNN 08/03/08 10:15am) HOWARD KURTZ: It seems like a straightforward question for journalist. Where does John McCain stand on raising taxes? He has ruled it out throughout his campaign. But last week he had this to say during a discussion of social security with ABC's George Stephanopoulos. [Clip of McCain's "This Week" Interview 7/27/08} KURTZ: But then McCain's old spokesman seemed to contradict the boss. [Video clip of FNC interview with Tucker Bounds] TUCKER BOUNDS: … there is no imaginable circumstance where John McCain would raise payroll taxes it is absolutely out of the question. KURTZ: The media take is that McCain changed his position, fair or unfair? ROGER SIMON: Well when you say nothing you can get accused of saying anything. The fact is McCain has said he is not going to raise taxes and then he goes on the same show and say's everything is on the table . The only two real solutions for Social Security are raising taxes or cutting benefits. So you know this double speak, this non-speak is really one of the reasons people hate politics… […] A.B. STODDARD: He is doing a straddle. He is on the fence and when he goes to the new side it will be a flip flop. What he is trying to do is say two things at the same time. He is trying to say, oh I will never raise taxes, everyone knows I have opposed all tax increases, he always says, but everything will be on the table in these discussions he said it eight times in four questions… he is trying to say both things at the same time […] SIMON: Our most finally tuned meter is the hypocrisy meter… McCain's case he had the opportunity it is not just going back to what he said, it is going back and then forward and then back and you don't know what he said by the end of the day which is exactly what they want to do. -- Evan Whitbeck Tracker/Media Analyst Progressive Accountability Office [email protected] 202-609-7677 (w) 360-480-0786 (c) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. To post to this group, send to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] E-mail [email protected] with questions or concerns This is a list of individuals. 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