In a television ad that began airing Thursday, the McCain presidential
campaign warned that Americans can expect "painful income taxes" if Barack
Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, wins the White House. In Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, Sen. McCain pounced on comments by Sen. Obama's running mate,
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, on a morning news show that paying higher taxes is
"patriotic."
I assume this is a fallback position - hit him with the punch you know can work while you try to figure out how to regain your offense.
"Raising taxes in a tough economy isn't patriotic," Sen. McCain scoffed. "It's
not a badge of honor. It's just plain dumb."
The gambit by Sen. McCain comes amid a relentless cycle of turmoil in the nation's credit and housing markets, which has in recent days moved the campaign focus to the economy, an area where polls consistently show voters favoring Democrats.
This isn't just cliche. While Barack's tax proposals talk about going after people making over $250,000 a year, we know they won't leave it there.
But Republicans have reason to hope a sharpened focus on taxes specifically
will help Sen. McCain. That is because Sen. Obama is trying to do what no
national politician has done since Ronald Reagan transformed the tax debate in
1980: win on a platform that includes significant tax increases.
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