Today's quote: - "There is not a truth existing which I fear, or would wish unknown to the whole world." - THOMAS JEFFERSON, Letter to Henry Lee, 1826.
Comment: - That quote might equally be made by Barack Obama, but certainly not by John McCain. Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) first health care plan released in 2007 was supposed to be financed by exposing health benefits to income and payroll taxes. But analysts argued that doing so would result in a massive tax increase on the middle class, so the campaign flip-flopped earlier this month and said that McCain would finance the plan by making major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid. Independent analysts estimated that the reductions "could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs." Last week, Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) presidential campaign released a television ad criticizing McCain for his proposal to pay for his health care plan with "major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid." The ad's assertion of potential benefit cuts was based on an analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), which found that in order for McCain to close his $1.3 trillion budget gap, he would have to "cut Medicare by 13 percent over 10 years" as well as slash "Medicaid spending by 13 percent over 10 years." CAPAF calculated that neither McCain's Medicare and Medicaid spending would keep pace with medical inflation growth and enrollment increases, so his proposal would require "cuts in benefits, eligibility, or both."CAPAF's analysis was based on the McCain campaign's repeated assertions that its health care plan is budget neutral. During the vice presidential debate, for instance, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) explained McCain's health care plan as being "budget neutral. That doesn't cost the government anything. ... But a $5,000 health care credit through our income tax that's budget neutral." The McCain campaign, which estimated that his health care tax credits will cost $3.6 trillion over the decade, initially said it would pay for the plan by taxing workers' health benefits, which are largely tax-free today. But, as CAPAF has previously argued, this would result in either a tax increase of $1,100 on the average family or a $1.3 trillion budget shortfall. Earlier this month, Holtz-Eakin told the Wall Street Journal that McCain would rely on "major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid" to fill the budget gap. Examining the consequences of McCain's newfound funding mechanism, CAPAF calculated that McCain's reduction does not keep up with medical inflation and enrollment rates and would require McCain to cut benefits, eligibility or both. Additionally, the McCain campaign has overstated the potential for pain-free Medicare and Medicaid "savings" that are not really "cuts." For instance, in July, McCain opposed cutting subsidies to insurers through Medicare Advantage, but now his campaign is wildly overstating the savings that such cuts would provide. The McCain campaign the cuts would save $1 trillion over 10 years, which is more than six times the actual projected savings of $149 billion
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal this month, Holtz-Eakin claimed that "the campaign has always planned to fund the tax credits, in part, with savings from Medicare and Medicaid." Though Holtz-Eakin's revelation was new, it was not out of line with past statements from the McCain campaign. After its health care plan was released, the McCain campaign said that it planned to "reduce the growth in Medicare spending." McCain advisers reiterated the goal this past weekend, saying that the senator would force Congress to "control the growth" of Medicare spending. In fact, throughout his career, he has regularly supported slashing Medicare benefits and limiting eligibility. He has voted to cut, restrict or underfund Medicare at least 28 times while voting to restrict access to Medicare at least two times. In 1997, McCain voted in favor of raising the eligibility age for receiving Medicare from 65 to 67 with the change being phased in between 2003 and 2027. McCain has also voted against Medicare's future by opposing efforts to extend its solvency at least nine times.
John McCain has allowed his campaign to slip the normal bounds of political propriety. The situation has gotten so intense that we in the media have slipped our normal rules as well. Usually when a candidate tells something less than the truth, we mince words. We use euphemisms like mendacity and inaccuracy ... or, as the Associated Press put it, "McCain's claims skirt facts." But increasing numbers of otherwise sober observers, even such august institutions as the New York Times editorial board, are calling John McCain a liar. Almost every politician stretches the truth. McCain's lies have ranged from the annoying to the sleazy, and the problem is in both degree and kind. His campaign has been a ceaseless assault on his opponent's character and policies, featuring a consistent—and witting—disdain for the truth. Even after 38 million Americans heard Obama say in his speech at the Democratic National Convention that he was open to offshore oil-drilling and building new nuclear-power plants, McCain flatly said in his acceptance speech that Obama opposed both. Normal political practice would be for McCain to say, "Obama says he's 'open to' offshore drilling, but he's always opposed it. How can we believe him?" This persistence in repeating demonstrably false charges is something new in presidential politics.
Worse than the lies have been the smears. McCain ran a television ad claiming that Obama favored "comprehensive" sex education for kindergartners. (Obama favored a bill that would have warned kindergartners about sexual predators and improper touching.) The accusation that Obama was referring to Sarah Palin when he said McCain's effort to remarket his economic policies was putting "lipstick on a pig" was another clearly misleading attack — an obnoxious attempt to divert attention from Palin's lack of fitness for the job and the recklessness with which McCain chose her. McCain's assault on the "élite media" for spreading rumors about Palin's personal life — actually, the culprits were a few bloggers and the tabloid press — was more of the same. And that gets us close to the real problem here. The McCain camp has decided that its candidate can't win honorably, on the issues, so it has resorted to transparent and phony diversions. McCain's campaign has been a series of snide and demeaning ads accompanied by the daily gush of lies that have now been widely documented and exposed. The strategy is an obvious attempt to camouflage the current unpopularity of his Republican brand, the insubstantiality of his vice-presidential choice, and his agreement on most issues — especially economic matters — with an exceedingly unpopular President. McCain's latest charges, echoed by his puppet Palin, is that Obama is a "Socialist." If after all these years, 26, in the U.S. Congress McCain still does not know what "Socialism" is, he certainly is not deserving of the presidency. And if Obama positions for the Middle Class of ?America constitutes "Socialism", then McCain support of the corporate control of government a form of pure "Fascism.". Of course neither is accurate except as it relates as to whose interests the candidates represent. McCain has raised serious questions about whether he has the character to lead the nation. He has defaced his beloved military code of honor. He has run a dirty campaign. But this is not the first time he has defaced "his beloved military code." He did it when he voted against veterans; benefits; he did it when he supported an illegal and unconstitutional war in Iraq; he did it when he represented the special interests against the interests of the ?American people.
On October 19, 2008, Sen. John McCain held a telephone town hall meeting, in which “thousands” of Nevadans — according to the McCain campaign — called to listen in. Among some of the hostile, pointed, and critical questions came one from a veteran, who challenged McCain on his voting record regarding funding for the Veterans Administration and veterans’ priorities:
Q: I know you voted for lesser increases, and sometimes they were so much less, and our VA desperately needs the money. Can you tell me why you would vote for less money for the VA when there’s a war going on? McCain: Well of course I have not and I’m afraid I’ve been endorsed by the VFW in every election that I’ve been in. I have been — received the honors, the highest honor and awards from all our veterans organizations for my consistent support of them. I don’t know what you’re looking at, but the DAV, the VFW, the American Legion, all of them have given me their highest awards for my consistent support of them.
Q: I know you voted for lesser increases, and sometimes they were so much less, and our VA desperately needs the money. Can you tell me why you would vote for less money for the VA when there’s a war going on?
McCain: Well of course I have not and I’m afraid I’ve been endorsed by the VFW in every election that I’ve been in. I have been — received the honors, the highest honor and awards from all our veterans organizations for my consistent support of them. I don’t know what you’re looking at, but the DAV, the VFW, the American Legion, all of them have given me their highest awards for my consistent support of them.
McCain is either willfully lying or he is delusional about his record — and the meaning of “highest awards.” In fact, McCain has recently stood on the opposite side of all three of the groups he mentioned:
Disabled American Veterans (DAV): In a list of 36 “key votes,” shows McCain “Voted Against Us” 16 times. (Obama “Voted With Us” 17 times, and against only once.)Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW): Endorsed Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-VA) GI Bill that McCain vigorously opposed; called McCain’s alternative GI Bill “very partisan” and said they “didn’t have much input” in its crafting. American Legion: Endorsed Webb’s GI Bill and criticized McCain’s concern about how it would affect retention, saying the bill “would encourage young men and women to join the military.”
Disabled American Veterans (DAV): In a list of 36 “key votes,” shows McCain “Voted Against Us” 16 times. (Obama “Voted With Us” 17 times, and against only once.)
American Legion: Endorsed Webb’s GI Bill and criticized McCain’s concern about how it would affect retention, saying the bill “would encourage young men and women to join the military.”
Last week, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave McCain a grade of D for his record of voting against veterans. (Obama got a B.) The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) have noted that in its “Key Votes,” McCain “Voted Against Us” 15 times and “Voted For Us” only 8. (Obama voted for VVA 12 times, and against only once.)
Earlier this month, Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX), a leading veterans advocate, excoriated McCain in an interview with ThinkProgress: “If you look at John McCain’s record on veterans issues, it’s a failed one.” It’s a sentiment IAVA executive director Paul Rieckhoff agrees with. Noting McCain’s dismal voting record on VA funding, Rieckhoff told ThinkProgress, “If he says the VA’s not working, it’s in part because he hasn’t funded it properly.”
McCain's record on this issue is full of lies and distortions based the GOPs disingenuous philosophy of 'laissez faire' --deregulation and weakened consumer protections. McCain calls his proposed theft of Social Security --'reform' and wrote an article in which he praised banking deregulation and promised the same for the health insurance industry. Is McCain senile or just out of touch. Is he even aware that the people of the US are now 'bailing out' the Wall Street fat cats? Never mind, the GOP wants you to just keep on doing whatever makes you sick! (At age 72, I wonder, is McCain receiving his monthly Social Security checks?) There is a simple cure to the problems of Social Security - revert to its original purpose, to allow the elderly to live out their lives outside of the County poor house. Social Security should be means tested. Millionaires like McCain, Bush, Clinton, Perot have not need for it, and should not be receiving it. It was not meant to be an annuity, it was meant to be an insurance policy, like fire insurance or liability insurance. There must be a need before entitlement.
Send McCain a message, in fact, bombard his headquarters. Tell him in all caps:
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH SOCIAL SECURITY BUT THE GREEDY BASTARDS ON WALL STREET AND IN WASHINGTON!
STOP LYING ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY!
STOP TRYING TO MANUFACTURE A CRISIS!
STOP DEMAGOGUING THIS ISSUE!
KEEP YOUR MITTS OFF SOCIAL SECURITY!
We have had eight years of lying by the Bush administration, and McCain has issued about as many lies and distortions of the truth in his short time as Republican candidate for the presidency. Keep the liars out of office. They dishonor the country.
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