OPINION: McCain Sells Soul For Votes

By Broadside Opinion Editor Arthur Gailes
Photo courtesy of Flickr's 'soggydan'

It’s election time again, and we all know what that means: it’s time to listen to republicans promising to cut taxes and increase spending.

In the midst of the heated democratic nomination, it’s very easy to overlook the simple mistakes of the Sen. John McCain campaign. So he gets away with the empty rhetorical promises of his economic plan while his opponents are too distracted with one another to criticize him for it.

On the surface, his plan sounds excellent. Cut taxes across the board, which will stimulate the economy. Help the homeowners who are in fear of foreclosure on government-backed loans. Finish the job in Iraq and keep America safe. Cut excess government spending and redistribute it for private interests. Make as many empty promises as you can to soothe your many interest groups and worry about solving them after you win the election.

McCain’s faulty logic, false promises and sheer arrogance are an insult to the voters. This man, running for president, acknowledged that he “still [needs] to be educated” on the economy. From that perspective, it’s no wonder he proposes to decrease taxes and increase spending. That philosophy only took us from a $236 billion surplus in Bill Clinton’s last year as president to a record deficit in 2004.

“We can look back at the past and argue about whether we should have gone to war or not, whether we should have invaded or not, and that's a good academic argument.”

Excuse me? McCain, R-Ariz., is running as the experienced candidate in this election, and tells us that the worst decision in America’s past — a decision he signed off on — is an academic exercise? On what, exactly, are we supposed to judge McCain’s ability to run? Four thousand American soldiers are dead, to go along with around 100,000 Iraqi civilians since the war started. The debate about Iraq is anything but academic; it is, and should be, a huge factor in deciding who is capable of running this country.

"There is a tendency for liberals to seek big government programs that sock it to American taxpayers while failing to solve the very real problems we face."

The war in Iraq — which McCain supports to this day — Maybe he can remind us. The $12 billion per month spent in Iraq while looking for the terrorist organization and its leader sounds a lot like socking the American taxpayer while failing to solve the problems we face.