FACTCHECK.ORG

More Tax Deceptions

McCain misrepresents Obama's tax proposals again. And again, and again.

By Brooks Jackson | factcheck.org
Aug 9, 2008 | Updated: 12:35  p.m. ET Aug 9, 2008

« Return to Article

Discuss

Member Comments

  • Posted By: thehappyamerican @ 08/28/2009 12:07:40 AM

    None of this matters. Obama isn't losing the moderate Republican votes. Obama is losing the independent votes. This accounts for his falling approval in the polls. Only moderate Republicans listen to McCain. Sort of.
    American independents are listening to Obama and not liking what they are hearing, or experiencing things in their lives they didn't know they were voting to get when they voted for "change!"
    And now to get momentum the DNC plans to rename Obama Care to Obama Health Kennedy Care, or other cheezey little ploy.Good luck!
    And still--don't blame Republicans if it don't pass. Democrats in congress can still pass it if they want to, alone! Tthe Republicans are just sooo ANTI IRISH!

  • Posted By: aneducatedtaxpayer @ 08/20/2008 6:36:16 AM

    aneducatedtaxpayer: I agree. The obfuscation of his tax hike only shows how disillusioned Middle America (middle-class) has become. They think Obama is their messiah; to do their will: Tax the rich and give it all back to us. Only it won't go back to us, but giving freely to the free-loading welfare illegal immigrants and everyone else who mooches off our hard-earned money.

    He's nothing but a wolf in sheep???s clothing; and if elected, we will all suffer in the aftermath. He is not for the middle-class; he thinks the middle-class is rich (and taxable). He is only for extremely impoverished and the latte supping liberal elitists. Him and Michelle do not even like America... how can you vote for an American hater?

    I guess, the people on this site must not like America as well -- or they have become extremely far-sighted (if not blinded) by the liberal media: the latte suckers.

    • Posted By: tallahassee lassy @ 11/03/2008 12:58:09 PM

      If you're so "educated" you'd think youve have learned not to judge based on stereotypes. Obama supporter = latte sucker..? Really?
      If you take a look around, you will see people from every walk of life supporting this man and not because they think he is their messiah. You should do a "factcheck" and quit pulling information out of your ass. Obama hates america...really? Where did you come up with that? I'd love to know.
      Maybe you should learn to open your mind a bit and not believe everything you hear on FOX news.
      Who's really blind here?

  • Posted By: careerdaytrader @ 08/11/2008 3:06:33 PM

    The top 5% pay over 50% of the taxes and the top 10% pay roughtly 2/3. I agree with many on here in one respect, we need a FAIR tax system in this country.

    I for one am one of the top 10% and am tired of paying for YOUR fair share. You are all lazy, ignorant criminals who are unhappy with your pathetic lives and want more free hand outs from the intelligent, hard working rich and upper middle class. Voting for Obama and him trying to buy your vote makes you total losers, too ignorant and too lazy to make anything out of yourselves.

    The fact is he is going to raise taxes - Income taxes, social security taxes, energy taxes, capital gains taxes. In the roughtly 300 days he's been a Senator he has voted FOR 90 taxes already. This is going to kill 3 to 5 million + jobs in this country during his term. I just hope its the people who supported him who lose their jobs first.

    • Posted By: AskPlus @ 08/11/2008 4:01:19 PM

      But you're a day trader, right? Doesn't that mean that you take fair share without remorse or conscious? Isn't that a lazy job? Didn't CNN call you guys the ultimate crooks and sinners? Isn't that kind of mean of you to say? And who cares if your in the top 10%, you don't blog like it. No one with common sense would believe someone as callous as you makes anything. The rich normally shut up because if you're a day trader, you find a way around things. You live on securities and short-term price volatility. The majority of you guys are poor and stressed out, right?

      • Posted By: careerdaytrader @ 08/11/2008 4:07:30 PM

        I trade but main source of income is small business which has grown very rapidly. I'm so sick and tired of you people FEELING ENTITLED to free health insurance, free retirement benefits, free this and that.

        Not only is that bad but the fact that so many of you idiots think the rich aren't paying their fair share when in reality its the exact opposite. We not only pay our fair share but we're paying YOURS too.

        What about corporate tax breaks. Total lies. go to finance dot yahoo dot com and type in XOM that's Exxon's stock symbol. Go to income statement and look at last quarter.

        They paid 9 BILLION 302 MILLION in taxes! The stupidity of the average Obama voter would be FUNNY if it didn't mean my taxes ($107,000 last year and likely $150k to $160k this year) are going to go up dramatically not to mention his policies will reduce investment and jobs by the magnitude of 3 to 5 million jobs. I know I will revolt this total unfair thievery by NOT hiring one other person during Obama's term.

        • Posted By: Drdike @ 08/11/2008 8:46:04 PM

          Do you call yourself hardworking what? Making a career swindling senior citizens of their hard earned retirement accounts, is not hardwork. That's fraud and criminal act. Someone like you should be locked up in jail for calling yourself hardworking.

          • Posted By: careerdaytrader @ 08/11/2008 10:08:29 PM

            Hi Moron #2,

            I work 50 to 70 hours a week developing and selling computer software. We have over 2,000 customers in over 45 countries. Total Morons ABOUND in this room. Leave America, its lazy good for nothing welfare people like you who bring America down!

            • Posted By: catspaw @ 08/12/2008 12:28:14 PM

              People like you make me sick to my stomach. We, who are medically dependent, just want to be able to have the medical care and prescriptions we need, w/o it taking our whole paycheck so we can live a normal life.

              • Posted By: careerdaytrader @ 08/12/2008 8:38:40 PM

                I feel for you but WHY do you feel I or others should PAY your bills? If I'm hungry and have no money can I go in and steal food? No! I'd go to jail. Yet Obama is trying to legally steal from me and a few million other high income individuals. Pure BS and you should feel ashamed. If you vote for this THIEF you are a thief and scum bag too. Many companies have health insurance. If you messed around in high school or didn't go to college its a decision you are now paying for.

                • Posted By: summer4077 @ 08/13/2008 8:40:30 AM

                  I have several friends who went to prestigious colleges and can't find jobs. But, oh yes, it must be because they are lazy. Not because the economy is crummy and everyone is fighting over the few good jobs out there. YOU should feel ashamed of your entitled, arrogant attitude. You have obviously never known true hardship. I know you find it hard to believe, but thousands out there are in dire situations through no fault of their own, other than bad luck. What about the hundreds of employees that were screwed over by corporations like Enron--is that their fault?
                  Many companies have health insurance and many do not. HEALTH should never be governed by BUSINESS. It makes absolutely no sense, and is a reason why America is among the bottom of developed countries in the area of health care.

                  • Posted By: frustrated realist @ 10/13/2008 5:14:18 PM

                    ANSWER THE QUESTION DIRECTLY, you bleeding heart liberals!!! Why is your rhetoric always "but it isn't their fault that (insert excuse here) happened, taxpayers need to support them!" IF YOU...YOU specifically, through donations or volunteering, want to support someone else, GO FOR IT. If you want to help others, I congratulate you. DO IT! Do it NOW, don't wait for the government to do it for you! I've donated both TIME (by volunteering) and MONEY to organizations that help others less fortunate than me. It was MY CHOICE. It is NOT your right to tell me that ANYONE ELSE deserves MY MONEY more than MY FAMILY DOES!!!!

              • Posted By: AskPlus @ 08/12/2008 6:50:11 PM

                He is why the other countries that he wants us to move to hate Americans. Seems to me he may be the one on welfare. He's assumes other are less fortunate than him because we don't agree with him. He was missed while toddling. And I thought Mr. Obama got the intelligent vote?

                • Posted By: darkt22002 @ 09/02/2008 8:28:26 PM

                  to those that say tht the poor and midle class need to stop living off the MC and UC as a soldier for this great country my wife and i had a daughter who was at a year old diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy. And with all this I still serve my country proudly even knowing that my first year in i made 850.00 dollars a month while having a hundred of that pulled for my share of the MGIB. i have taxes pulled from my LES (Leav and earning statement) and I also pay for insurance that does not cover some of my daughters needs, so i guess as a soldier i should let my daughter die so that i can get off welfare (cause i have to pay for trips to specilists and for the part that Tri-Care doesnt cover) which as most ppl dont know a good percentage of soldiers and thier families are on. as far as the election is concerned they are all the same amount of crooks and liars, it just depends on when they get caught with thier hands in the cookie jar. Oh yea and to those that are griping why dont you run for office or acctualy join the military and then i will say you have a right to complain if thing arent goingthe wy you think they should. Arm chair poloticans are just like armchair generals they make thier mind up without all of the real facs and blaim somebody else if things do go wrong. I guess thats what all of us ppl dying and fighintg for the last two and half centuries were fighting for.

    • Posted By: summer4077 @ 08/13/2008 8:42:30 AM

      Oh give me a break. The rich have been coasting in this country for years. You're just scared that someone will FINALLY hold them accountable, and stop letting them stomp on the middle class (which is rapidly disappearing). Poor you, you poor little rich kid. Please.

  • Posted By: gwynnec @ 10/01/2008 4:41:25 PM

    This "blue eyed man" should really be embarrassed by his ignorance and by the fact that he has yet to put a coherent thought together. Even my wealthy, physician ex-husband (a lifetime Republican) will not vote for dishonest McCain and his fighteningly unqualified VP pick. He is supporting Obama.

  • Posted By: waiting4change @ 08/28/2008 1:10:17 PM

    THE TRUTH ABOUT MC CAIN:

    A lot of people are familiar with S&L crook Charles Keating's illegal contributions to John McCain in the 1980s. What most don't know, however, was that Keating was implicated in the BCCI takeover of a number of S&Ls, including his own. With me, so far?
    Carl Lindner, an Ohio billionaire with CIA and underworld connections who owned Chiquita Bananas, was Charles Keating's original partner, banker, and mentor. Lindner got Keating wrapped up with schemes involving the usual cast of BCCI characters, shady Saudi bankers, the Bush family, and Iran-Contra money laundering. Keating was always a sort of pass-through guy, without any real money of his own. But, a lot of money flowed through Keating to McCain and his wife, Cindy, in an Arizona real estate scam. Lindner who was recently convicted of financing Right-wing death squads in Colombia, is still giving big, dirty campaign checks to McCain. Now, that's a story that the American people need to hear.
    The public should get a view into the background of Lindner, Keating and McCain, which essentially boils down to big Mafia money that has flowed into the GOP and various extreme Rightist groups around the world since Meyer Lansky made a deal with the Republicans in the mid-1940s. John McCain got onto the mob pad because he was willing to do business, and Cindy's father was a long-time wise guy in the Bronfman-Marley liquor racket. In exchange for their legalized gambling and liquor concessions, Top Bosses Lansky and Giancana straightened up the mob's image in the southwest, in exchange the GOP (along with elements of the CIA) got a piece of the action.

  • Posted By: Blue-Eyed-Man @ 08/26/2008 6:42:13 PM

    So, anybody who is NOT for Obama is a "Racist"!? That sounds very much like the continued rhetoric of Rev. Wright, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, etc. I do believe Obama will raise taxes, not just for middle class Americans, but for EVERYBODY!! Who will pay for this universal health care? How much will it cost to pay for all the illegal aliens, and indigents, in this country to NOW have paid healthcare, so we can stand in line now ... just get your number and wait!! This guy is scary!! He's already stated emphatically that he wants to downsize our military and dismantle our missile defense systems. Way to go Mohammar Quadafi!! You succeeded in getting YOUR MAN in there and running for President of the United States. Soon Obama will be visiting you ... and you can talk over your future plans for America.

  • Posted By: Blue-Eyed-Man @ 08/26/2008 6:35:59 PM

    So, anybody who is NOT for Obama is a "Racist". Typical Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, reaction.

    GOD HELP US, if this slick talking lawyer who has ZERO EXPERIENCE, who wishes to dismantle our Missile Defense System, give Illegal Aliens paid health care, and YES, raise taxes on EVERYBODY (heard of the gas tax for one!?). It just goes on and on and on ... Congratulations Mohammar Quadafi --- you go your man here, running for President!!

  • Posted By: loriw @ 08/23/2008 3:02:19 AM

    I would like to see FactCheck try to explain how Obama can support the withholding of medical care for an infant born alive following an abortion. I cannot support a candidate like Sen. Obama that opposes the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. From now forward, I will be supporting Sen. McCain for POTUS. My full statement is posted under the article Decoding Neck-and-Neck.

  • Posted By: Dragonnurse1 @ 08/22/2008 8:18:05 PM

    I have 2 comments. 1: Obama has next to nothing in leadership. He does however have a lot of experience in being a slick con man and changing his position each time the wind blows. He tries to be all things to all people and if voted into the White House - God help us all. 2: to HarleyisHere - Just what war did you fight in and what jets did you fly? I would rather fly with a Vietnam Vet at the controls of either a fixed wing or a helicopter than the "younger pilots". My father flew in WWII and was shot down twic\e, are you going to tell me he sucked as a pilot? Anyone who flew Mig Alley knew each time they went up they were likely to get shot down but they flew anyway - would you?

  • Posted By: Dragonnurse1 @ 08/22/2008 8:10:24 PM

    I have two comments. 1: Obama has next to nothing in the way of experience in politics except how to con people into believing that he is the end all and be all to everyone. He cannot take one position and stay there. He changes with the wind. 2: to Harleyishere - just what war did you fight in and do you know how to fly a jet? I would rather fly with any Vietnam Vet, in jets or helicoptors, than any of the "newer pilots". My father flew in WWII and he was shot down twice, are you going to tell me he sucked as a pilot? According to his men and the airforce he did a great job!!!

  • Posted By: aneducatedtaxpayer @ 08/19/2008 11:23:41 PM

    Today while watching the news and seeing one of Obama's many advisors, the fact came up in the conversation being watched that the tax increase would be on the top 2 brackets, $150,000 and higher. Now that number is quite different from $250,000. They were also not very clear on on the tax rebate being offered. If by providing a tax rebate to all persons under the figure of $150,000 regardless of the amount you have paid. I have two issues with this: 1.) The figure has already come down $100,000 in the last month and I would bet dollars for doughnuts that it will come down more. 2.) Why should someone who hasn't paid taxes and actually got a refund for the year be allowed to recieve a rebate on taxes never paid!
    I thought he signified change? Did he mean change back to the 90's?

  • Posted By: aneducatedtaxpayer @ 08/19/2008 10:39:14 PM

    Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 08/19/2008 2:32:49 PM
    Obviously Harley, you have not been watching / reading a wide variety of sources to form an opinion and this is only doing an injustice to both you and the rest of the American public. If you did you would have known that Hannity and The Fox News Channel did not fictitiously make up the fact that Obama supporter, William "Bill" Ayers was a member of what would be considered a terrorist organization: The Weathered Underground. They were responsible for bombings in the 70's. There is no conspiracy involved. As an independent voter who watches Fox News regularly, along with CNN, MSNBC, ABC, etc. I do find that the only channel that provides to me both sides of an argument happens to be The Fox Channel. Obviously you are listening only the rhetoric being spewed by certain campaign managers and candidates themselves.

  • Posted By: NotAnObamacan @ 08/19/2008 7:29:47 AM

    BTW - I forgot this is NewsWeek's site -- All Libby Left-leaning articles! fatcheck.org has a multitude of other articles; curious as to why Newsweek only prints/selects material that puts Republicans in a bad light and/or Democrats in a good light. Hmm... I wonder why? Try reading Politco.com or even foxnews.com -- a least they are a little more fair and balanced than the mainstream media. And we all know what the mainstream media's agenda is: Get Obama elected!

    • Posted By: TruthForward @ 08/19/2008 7:42:28 PM

      Republicans are the ones who lie so much. They offer nothing else (except lies) it seems.

  • Posted By: NotAnObamacan @ 08/19/2008 7:19:53 AM

    The only Tax Deception here is Obama's: He'll say he is only going to tax families making 250k or more. But, if he gets in office, he'll do what he tried to do before. And that is, tax the middle-class... people who are earning only 42k / year. He tried it before; he'll do it again.

  • Posted By: pastor123 @ 08/09/2008 1:20:04 PM

    It figures, Edwards is just like all politicians. All of them have secrets. I just saw that McCain possibley might have a old DUI You can see Video at http://www.mccanes.com? Wonder what skeletons Obama has? If Obama picks boone Pickens as his running Mate. I might Just Vote for him. I read Obama was going to adopt some of the Pickens Wind Plan. You can read it at http://www.boonepicken.com I still dont know who I will vote for, I probably would of voted for either Huckabee or Hillary. It would be nice if the GOP would nominate a different candidate. Ive voted Republican my whole life. But probably not this time. Alot of republicans are very unhappy about McCain being the Nominee http://www.hotpres.com

    • Posted By: NotAnObamacan @ 08/19/2008 7:13:05 AM

      The lesser of the two evils: John McCain. Obama will do/say anything to get elected... He is also the 'Unknown'. Read the book "The Obama Nation". He's a Trojan Horse; the Manchurian Candidate. I just don't trust him!

  • Posted By: pearsoncrz @ 08/15/2008 1:29:00 PM

    Some say the tariff suspension process isn't how Washington should operate.

    "We all saw 'Schoolhouse Rock' and learned how Washington is supposed to work," Taxpayers for Common Sense president Steve Ellis told the Blotter on ABCNews.com. "There's no 'Schoolhouse Rock' episode on tariff suspensions."Away from the bright lights and high-minded rhetoric of the campaign trail, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has quietly worked with corporate lobbyists to help pass breaks worth $12 million.

    In his speeches, Obama has lambasted lobbyists and moneyed interests who "have turned our government into a game only they can afford to play."

    "It's an entire culture in Washington -- some of it legal, some of it not," the Democratic hopeful told a New York crowd in June, rallying support for his ethics reform agenda.

    But last year, at the request of a hired representative for an Australian-owned chemical corporation Nufarm, Obama introduced nine separate bills exempting the company from import fees on a range of chemical ingredients it uses in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides. Nufarm's U.S. subsidiary is based in Illinois.

    Nufarm wasn't the only beneficiary of Obama's efforts to reduce customs fees and duties. In early May of 2006, two Washington lobbyists registered to work on behalf of Astellas Pharma, a Japanese-owned drug company which also has offices in Illinois.

    The lobbyists' task? "Introduce legislation to temporarily suspend customs duties for the importation of a pharmaceutical ingredient," they wrote on their lobbying forms. Less than three weeks later, the men had earned their $20,000 fee, thanks to Obama. On May 26, he introduced S. 3155, a bill specifically exempting Astellas' key ingredient from tariff payments. The bill cost the federal government more than $1 million in lost revenue, according to government estimates.

    Together, Obama's obscure measures -- known as tariff suspensions -- steered more than $12 million away from federal coffers, according to government estimates.

  • Posted By: TruthForward @ 08/18/2008 8:54:57 PM

    McCain turns out to be such a liar.

    And all that talk of celebrity.. Obama in popular, not a celebrity. Celebrity like bad publicity. Politicians do not like bad publicity. There's the difference.

  • Posted By: rgkntulsa @ 08/17/2008 1:24:17 PM

    THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX ON TAXES.
    SOCIAL SECURITY. How about raising the ceiling and lowering the tax rate? This would achieve several things. Could be structured to increase overall revenues. Would eliminate the huge tax reduction for higher incomes above $102,000. Would give tax break to lower income taxpayers. Would lower taxes on businesses (they have to match employee deductions) and stimulate the economy.
    And here's another idea! I know a lot of shop keepers and independent contractors that make a very small profit each year. Their taxes with state, federal and social security can approach 50% of their income. The taxes are crushing. Hence, the "tax gap." ( underreported income of these micro businesses.) Why not allow this group the option of being exempt from self employment tax on the amount their net income increases over the previous year. This would give them a breather from the tax and maybe they could pay off some of their debt or invest in growing their businesses.
    I'M SURE THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT IDEAS LIKE THESE OUT THERE IF WE CAN GET PAST OUR POLITICAL BICKERING AND LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS.

  • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 08/10/2008 7:19:55 PM

    While camping and attending a bluegrass music festival, I took a tour of Comanche Peak Power Plant,the last nuclear power plant built in the United States. The plant is unobtrusive and is at perfect harmony with its environment. It is located near Glen Rose Texas a beautiful area that has bluegrass band festivals in the summer. It is a wonderful scenic country area and home to Dinosaur World and a state park. There are dinosaur tracks from 100 million years ago that some say are heading in the direction of New York City. The Brazos river flows through and the place is an environmental heaven. There is old green Sinclair Oil Company dinasour statue that stands at the park. Ironically most of the stations and assets of Sinclair Oil Company was bought by Arco Oil Company and Arco was bought out later by foreign owned British Petroleum during the second administration of Bill Clinton. The point of this comment is that nuclear power plants can even be located next to wonderful wildlife and park areas and make good unobtrusive neighbors. Nuclear power is a friend of the environment and does not emit green house gases

    • Posted By: brianiwakiri @ 08/10/2008 9:45:31 PM

      I don't disagree with your comment the problem is that I worked in a town in Washington state that housed the by-product of nuclear power plants. There are continual problems regarding security and storage of nuclear waste. The plant themselves are not a problem and I rather believe the cooling towers serve as a monumental testament to American ingenuity. However, on the hills you now see wind turbines that generate energy without this dangerous and potentially disastrous side-effect. What objection do you have to developing this form of energy?

      • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 08/17/2008 10:47:59 AM

        Why is there such an ingrained irrational paranoia about nuclear energy and waste disposal among some Americans. Importantly also why is somehow okay for millions of Navy sailors to have served for nearly forty years aboard nuclear power American aircraft carriers and nuclear powered submarines and air force personnel to handle nuclear bombs but some Americans will not consider even remotely assume any risks involved with nuclear power. It is okay for our servicemen to be exposed to alleged risks but not Democrats who oppose nuclear power. This paranoia is particular evident with the Democratic people acceptance of risks that are associated with other aspects of modern American living. Forty thousand people die every year in the United States in auto accidents but there is no outcry to ban all automobiles in the United
        States. Bridges have collapsed recently in Minnesota and tunnels ceilings have fallen but there is no consensus on eliminating bridges. There have been airplane crashes that have also involved injuries on the ground but there is no outcry to ban air travel. There have been repeated rail and ship accidents but no outcry to ban railroads or ship travel. The irrational fear involving nuclear power and waste disposal has no justification. American people undergo multiple medical and dental xrays and CT scans yearly and have no fear. TSA airport screeners and medical staff work daily around xray equipment, fluoroscopes, and CT machines and do not experience adverse health consequences as a result of their work exposure. There were no documented adverse health events associated with the Three Mile Island release of minor radiation in the 1970???s and no payments for health losses were ever made involving lawsuits related to that accident. The containment vessel held at Three Mile Island. In light of most Americans acceptance of risks associated with automobiles, trains, planes, and ships, the fear on the part of some Americans of nuclear power can not be viewed as rational. John McCain's proposals to build 45 new nuclear power plants along with his other energy proposals on conservation and renewable energy will help America achieve relative energy independence in the near term and long term.

    • Posted By: Drdike @ 08/10/2008 9:36:45 PM

      I absolutely agree with your point. In fact the kitchen sink tactics is actually GOP trade mark, the innovation of Karl Rove, high school graduate who originated it from Nixon administration playbook

  • Posted By: va vet @ 08/15/2008 8:19:29 PM

    I have always been a McCain fan. Afew years ago I stated he was the most trusted man in politics. This election just shows how low someone will go to be elected. McCain has now sold is sole to the big money like most others in our gov. We need more good for american politicians like Jim Webb. Please dpn"t take my word for it just check his record and the facts. Why can't our politians be held to the same standards as the avg american if we lie we can be taken to court. The should be to. But then we would not have anyone (but Webb) in congress

Reply

Report Abuse

Enter comments if any for reporting abuse