McCain has called for a bipartisan effort to fix Social Security and infuriated some conservatives by saying that everything, including increasing payroll taxes, could be on the table. He said today that “you know I’m opposed to tax increases” when Isaacson asked him about it. “I think I can convince people on the other side of the table that we do not need tax increases.”
When Isaacson said the proposal would have to be on the table to be negotiated off the table, McCain drew a smattering of laughter when he said “I have to be against tax increases, as you know.”
McCain is stuck in the “rhetorical trap” of conservative anti-tax fundamentalism, which, as Matthew Yglesias explains, is denial of policy reality based on having “spent the past 30 years trying to convince people that any hint of tax increase for any purpose is the purest evil.”
Obama's Faith Pushed To The Front In New Ad A young, politically progressive religious organizations is out with a highly personalized television ad propping up Barack Obama on issue of faith and values.
The Matthew 25 Network will air their spot, "Families," on national cable during Saturday's values forum between the presidential candidates. The ad, which will appear on CNN and possibly MSNBC, plays up Obama's marriage, his Christianity and his intrinsic understanding of family issues.
"As a pastor I knew you could learn a lot about a man's character based on how he treats his family. Barrack is a strong man of Christian faith who has been married to his wife Michelle for 16 years. And he is the proud father of two beautiful daughters. He understands the pressure families are under and what it takes to help families thrive. Throughout his entire career Sen. Obama has stood by families, including his own. And as president he'll stand by yours."
This is the organization's first television spot this cycle (they've done radio and print ads as well) and the choice of forum seems highly appropriate. On Saturday, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/13/evangelical.call/index.html";>will appear together at Pastor Rick Warren's 20,000-member mega-church for a discussion on values and social issues.
Traditionally, religion is a dicey topic for Democratic candidates. But the dynamics of the current election seem wholly out of step with political history. According to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/13/poll-obama-leads-among-ch_n_118619.html";>a recent survey of religious voters, Obama is leading McCain in every Christian denomination, save evangelicals. This comes despite concerns that the controversial musings of his own pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, would rub some religious voters the wrong way.
Mara Vanderslice, the organizing force behind Matthew 25, painted her organization's efforts as part of a broader, evolving shift in the intersection of faith and politics.
"We are raising a new Christian witness in politics to counter the right-wing Christian voices that have dominated the discussion this past decade," said Vanderslice, who served as a religious outreach director for John Kerry in the 2004 campaign.
"It is really about a compassion gap," she added when asked about the current play between the two presidential candidates. "[The GOP] has talked about compassionate conservatives in the past, and we just feel like McCain has been the compassion-less conservative."
On the campaign trail, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) often touts his work fighting corruption, highlighting the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation he led into the Jack Abramoff scandal. In May, he bragged:
I led the Abramoff investigation. I saved the American people — excuse me, not only American people, but native Americans, millions — hundreds of millions — millions and millions of dollars.
In particular, the committee put out a 357-page report on its findings. Mentioned on at least 38 pages is former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed, who assisted Abramoff in overbilling Indian tribal clients out of millions of dollars.
Yet on Monday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will be attending a fundraiser in Atlanta, which Reed is helping to organize. Reed “touted himself as a member of McCain’s ‘Victory 2008 Team’ in an e-mail that solicited donations on McCain’s behalf.” McCain has refused calls by ethics watchdog organizations to denounce Reed and cancel the fundraiser.
In a Democratic National Committee conference call today, House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) questioned why McCain would want to associate himself with someone who was “tied up in a gambling scandal.” He noted, however, that McCain has never been particularly tough on Reed — he never even called him to testify before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee during its investigation:
I give John McCain credit for having exposed Jack Abramoff, when he held hearings in the Senate Committee on Native Americans. But he never called Ralph Reed. And our committee did a further investigation of the Abramoff contacts with the White House, and we found Ralph Reed an active participant in trying to influence the White House for Abramoff’s clients.
Listen here:
In reality, McCain’s report on the Abramoff scandal was also far weaker than it should have been; it steered clear of any connections between Abramoff and McCain’s conservative Senate colleagues, even though many of them were complicit in the lobbyist’s schemes. Additionally, during McCain’s investigation, Abramoff[base ']Äôs old firm — Greenberg Traurig — hired McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann “for advice on handling the Senate investigation.” Scheunemann also advised McCain during the 2000 election.
Last month, after incurring the 
On the campaign trail, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) often touts his work fighting corruption, highlighting the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation he led into the Jack Abramoff scandal. In May, he 
