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McCain Camp Response to Obama’s Durham, NC Eventvia The Page
Please see our campaign’s response to Senator Obama’s events today in Durham, North Carolina where he argued for his electability in the general election versus John McCain:

“The problem with his electability argument is that Barack Obama has pledged to raise taxes on working families, oppose relief to record-high gas prices, and to move American health care into frustrating government bureaucracies. Those are Obama’s pledged positions, and they aren’t popular in North Carolina, Indiana or most anywhere else in America.” —Tucker Bounds, spokesman John McCain 2008

Obama Is A High Tax Candidate, Having Proposed More New Tax Increases:

Obama Has Called For Higher Income Taxes, Social Security Taxes, Investment Taxes, And Corporate Taxes, As Well As “Massive New Domestic Spending.” “Obama’s transformation, if you go by his campaign so far, would mean higher income taxes, higher Social Security taxes, higher investment taxes, higher corporate taxes, massive new domestic spending, and a healthcare plan that perhaps could be the next step to a full-scale, single-payer system. Is that what most Americans want, someone who will fulfill a Democratic policy wish list?” (James Pethokoukis, “Barack Hussein Reagan? Ronald Wilson Obama?” U.S. News & World Report’s “Capital Commerce” Blog, www.usnews.com , 2/12/0

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Obama Has Also Called For A Tax On Coal And Natural Gas. Obama: “What we ought to tax is dirty energy, like coal and, to a lesser extent, natural gas.” (“Q&A With Sen. Barack Obama,” San Antonio Express-News, 2/19/0

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Obama Claims He Would Provide Tax Relief For The Middle Class, But Voted For The Democrats’ Budget Which Would Raise Tax Rates For Americans Earning As Little As $31,850:

Obama Voted In Favor Of The Democrats’ FY 2009 Budget. “Adoption of the concurrent resolution that would set broad spending and revenue targets over the next five years. The resolution would allow up to $1 trillion in discretionary spending for 2009.” (S. Con. Res. 70, CQ Vote #85, Adopted 51-44: R 2-43; D 47-1; I 2-0, 3/14/08, Obama Voted Yea)

The Democrats’ Budget Would Raise Taxes On Individuals Earning As Little As $31,850. “Under both Democratic plans, tax rates would increase by 3 percentage points for each of the 25 percent, 28 percent and 33 percent brackets. At present, the 25 percent bracket begins at $31,850 for individuals and $63,700 for married couples. The 35 percent bracket on incomes over $349,700 would jump to 39.6 percent.” (Andrew Taylor, “Presidential Hopefuls To Vote On Budget,” The Associated Press, 3/13/0

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Obama Opposes Gas Tax Relief Now, But Not In 2000 When Gas Was Cheaper:

Obama Voted To Suspend The State Sales Tax On Gasoline. (S.B. 1310: Senate Third Floor Reading, Passed, 50-0-6, 3/8/00, Obama Voted Yea)

The State Of Illinois Suspended Its Five Percent Sales Tax On Gasoline. “After a whirlwind legislative session, Gov. Ryan signed legislation Thursday that suspends the state’s 5 percent sales tax on gasoline. If that is passed on to consumers, fuel prices would drop by about a dime per gallon.” (Dave McKinney and Fran Spielman, “Ryan Signs Suspension Of Gas Tax,” Chicago Sun-Times, 6/30/00)
Obama Said He Supported The Gas Tax Suspension Due To The “Huge Hike” In Gas Prices. Obama: “I originally voted for the suspension because I thought that it was extraordinary circumstances, given the huge hike in prices, but I don’t think that we have the evidence yet to make this a permanent three-hundred- or four-hundred-million-dollar hole in the General Revenue Fund.” (Sen. Barack Obama, State Of Illinois 91st General Assembly Regular Session Senate Transcript, 11/15/00, www.ilga.gov , pp. 51-52)

His Gas Tax Vote In The State Senate Actually Helped Consumers:

In 2000, Gas Prices Suddenly Dropped Between 8 And 10 Cents A Gallon Overnight When The Tax Suspension Went Into Effect. “When the tax suspension went into effect July 1, the change in price was obvious, as prices suddenly dropped between 8 and 10 cents a gallon overnight.” (Karen Mellen and Ray Long, “As Gasoline Prices Drop, Tax Debate Continues,” Chicago Tribune, 7/20/00)

AAA Attributed Part Of The Decline In Gas Prices To Illinois’ Temporary Suspension Of Its Gas Tax. “The price of gasoline in Illinois dropped 40 cents since its peak this summer, according to the latest survey Wednesday, a record decrease for one month. … The AAA credited both states [Illinois and Indiana] for temporarily suspending their five percent sales tax on gasoline, and on an increased supply of cleaner-burning reformulated gas.” (Robert McCoppin, “State Gas Prices Set Record One-Month Decline,” Chicago Daily Herald, 7/19/00)

AAA Chicago Motor Club’s Steve Nolan: “The Temporary Repeal Of The State Gas Tax Has Helped [With Gas Price Drop]…” (Robert Manor, “Illinois Finds Dramatic Relief At Gas Pump,” Chicago Tribune, 8/17/00)

The Decline In Gas Prices Was “Aided By The Suspension July 1 [2000] Of The State’s 5 Percent Sales Tax On Gasoline.” “State legislators had called for the hearings as pump prices soared well above $2 a gallon. The recent decline–aided by the suspension July 1 of the state’s 5 percent sales tax on gasoline–took some of the political expediency out of the hearings.” (Courtney Challos, “Legislators Now Irked Over Falling Gas Prices,” Chicago Tribune, 7/13/00)

Get the rest at The Page!