John McCain Revealed: McCain & Bush Is There Really A Difference

McCAIN & BUSH: IS THERE REALLY A DIFFERENCE?

Sen. John McCain has long promoted the idea that he is a “straight-talking maverick” who challenges his party and stands up to his president. However, despite the media misrepresentation, McCain has not strayed too far from President George Bush’s line, especially on issues important to working families. McCain is not running for a term of his own; he is running on an extension of the agenda laid out by
Bush in his first two terms: tax cuts for the rich, privatizing Social Security and outsourcing jobs.

McCAIN VOTES WITH BUSH

McCain Voted with the Bush Administration 89 Percent of the Time.

Since President Bush took office, McCain has supported Bush’s positions 89 percent of the time. McCain’s support of Bush’s policies reached as high as 95 percent in 2007. [Congressional Quarterly Voting Study, 110th Congress]

SHARES BUSH’S ROSY VIEW OF THE ECONOMY

Bush: Economy Is Inherently Strong. “I believe we can find common ground to get something done that’s big enough, effective enough so that an economy that is inherently strong gets a boost to make sure that this uncertainty doesn’t translate into more economic woes for our workers and small business people,” Bush said in the Cabinet Room. [Associated Press, 1/23/08]

McCain: Underpinnings of Economy are Strong. “I still believe our fundamental underpinnings of our economy are strong, but it’s obvious that we are facing challenges which will require actions such as the Federal Reserve took today.” [“Lou Dobbs Tonight,” CNN, 1/22/08]

* McCain Says Economy Is Strong (Video)

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/23/mccain-economy-strong/

WANTS TO MAKE BUSH’S TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY PERMANENT

Bush: Make Tax Cuts Permanent. During his weekly radio address, Bush said, “To keep our economy growing, we need to ensure that you keep more of what you earn, and Congress needs to make the tax cuts permanent.” [Presidential Weekly Radio Address, 1/7/06]

McCain: Make Bush Tax Cuts Permanent. “I think it’s very important that we make the Bush tax cuts permanent. I voted to make them permanent twice already.… And if we don’t make the tax cuts permanent, then they will experience what amounts to a tax increase.” [Republican Presidential Debate, MSNBC, 1/24/08]

* McCain Voted for Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest Americans at the Expense of Working Families. McCain voted for a $60 billion tax cut bill benefiting families with incomes $100,000 or higher. The tax cuts would follow equally drastic cuts in spending on programs vital to working families. [S. 2020, Vote #26, 11/18/05]
* McCain Waffled on Tax Cuts. (Video)


McCAIN WANTS TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY

Bush: Fix Social Security Through Private Accounts. “As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers, and the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts.” [President Bush’s State of the Union Address, 1/28/08]

McCain: Only Solution to Fix Social Security Is Private Accounts. “There is only one solution if Social Security commitments are to be honored without breaking the backs of the next generation: bold reform— genuine reform—that allows workers to invest some of their Social Security savings, privately, in higher-yielding accounts.” [Cato Institute]

* McCain Voted for Bush’s Social Security Privatization Plan. In 2006, McCain voted for the Social Security Reserve Fund. The GOP proposal would shift Social Security’s annual surpluses into a reserve account that will be converted into risky private accounts. [SCR 83, Vote# 68, 3/16/06]

McCAIN SUPPORTS BUSH ON PRIVATIZING AND OUTSOURCING JOBS

Bush: Outsourcing Makes Sense. In 2004, the president’s economic report to Congress said, “When a good or service is produced more cheaply abroad, it makes more sense to import it than to make or provide it domestically.” [InformationWeek.com, accessed 2/26/08]

McCain: Global Economy Results in Outsourcing. “I’m not going to bring back a lot of these jobs. I can’t because with a global economy they’re headed the other way,” McCain said. [Technology Daily, 12/4/07]

* McCain Supported Bush Administration’s Plan to Privatize and Outsource Federal Jobs. McCain voted to support Bush’s efforts to privatize federal jobs. The Bush administration has led a major effort to outsource and privatize hundreds of thousands of federal jobs, including those of 350 workers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. [H.R. 5631, Vote# 234, 9/6/06]

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