On economy, McCain says "believe"

That is awful easy for a man, married to a woman, who is worth many, many millions of dollars. Come on out and do some honest work, Senator McCain, and find out how long you would be voicing that nonsense, believe !! I bet you would be racing home in your private jet, to avoid any more believing!!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

It's official: John McCain, the candidate of endless deficits.

A vote for McCain is a vote to mortgage your children's future.

5 months ago he said it was a good economy. Who woke him up?

In the news the Obama Campaign Newsletter won't print, 300 economists endorsed McCain's economic plans. But Jill Zuckman can't deign to mention this.

Even the NY Times reported this today. But not the Swamp. See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/us/politics/07memo.html?ex=1373169600&en=1fbf44314089341b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Yeah, like he knows anything about what common americans are going through right now.

His wife puts hundreds of thousands a month on her credit cards. His children charge tens of thousands on their cards, paid for by their parents. They have no idea what's really going on in America. They don't have to fear for their families future. They don't have to worry about the safety of their job, they don't have to worry about making ends meet. They don't have an employer jacking up their healthcare premiums 20%.

It's easy for him to tell us to "believe". He doesn't have to live it.

McCain believes in the tooth fairy, too!

This from a man who's family put well over ten times the median US annual household income on their credit cards in one month.

"Believe". Yeah, that puts food on the table.

McCain doesn't have any numbers. None. Not vague numbers of fuzzy math. He just says he's going to do it. Any other candidate would get laughed off the stage with that kind of nonsense or more likely reporters just wouldn't agree to give them a write up. But this is all over the place.

Just because I stop charging on my credit card doesn't mean I'm suddenly making income to pay off the debt I've run up, does it?"

So the next time McCain admits that he knows nothing about economics you better believe him.
-

Bruce, He could only get 300 economists to endorse his plan. What a pitiful number. No wonder it is not in the article. I also don't see a word of his plan in your link. The only thing he mentions is the reduction of the Ronald Reagan gas tax increase. Sounds like happy talk to me. How is he going to pay for these tax reductions? Pander pander pander.

Did you hear the part about how he will balance the budget at the end of his first term on the savings we will get from "victory" in Iraq and Afghanistan? You see, by not spending money there, we can lower our national deficit! It's magic! All we have to do is clap harder!

McCain is going to bring back the old "W.I.N." buttons from the seventies, lets "whip inflation now". Gas is 4.25 a gallon, I can't afford decent health care or College for my kids and this rich goof thinks I need a pep talk.

Marxist liberal crazy rules;

Gas is expensive so tax oil corporations.

The economy is slowing to a crawl, and employers aren't hiring so increase the tax rates on the people that do the hiring.

Its not what you say, it is how you sayit..Rhetoric and presentation always trump common sense.

Just close your eyes and keep chanting "change", and "yes we can"... that should do it.

Is he suggesting we use "hope". A notion that Jeff and his cohorts mock on a daily basis at the Swamp. This is rich. I'll tip my hat to McCain when he says something that doesn't offend me. This does not offend me. Hope is not a perjorative. Hope is inspirational.

"... He could only get 300 economists to endorse his plan. .."
Posted by: pd | July 7, 2008 2:46 PM

And how many economists support the Obama " tax your way to growth" economy?

Did 300 economists voice approval of his entire plan? Not hardly. Maybe he can put the deficit on Cindy's credit cards?
Eric Hussein Miami

Like the economy now? Then McCain is your main man~

Oh ok wheww, I thought there was a problem, Oh there is and this little guy is going to say us with his talk. Wow is that was easy to fix, Little less talk little guy and how about some work, coming from a guy that can't even open his Email, I feel better already. YIKES!

Corporatist conservative crazy rules:

Oil companies make massive profits, so give them subsidies.
The economy is slowing to a crawl, and employers aren't hiring, so cut support for the unemployed.
There is a credit crunch, so drive deficit spending up to record levels and make the credit crunch worse.

Just close your eyes and chant "believe" and "stay the course" that should do it.

heartburn,
George HW Bush raised taxes and if I only listen to you I would have to assume that the economy tanked, yet when I look at the facts, it spurred the largest and longest sustained period of growth in American history. Does it hurt being wrong?

McCain's campaign must be being run by those guys who make late night infomercials or something. This fine nugget from McCain sounds like one of those crazy 3:00 am advertisements:

"Order in the next 2 minutes and you'll receive this and this and this and this free! That's a $120 value, yours for just $19.99 plus shipping and processing."

The savings"? What is the occupation of Iraq: a coupon?

It's just grand. "One day we'll eventually stop the war, and then we'll magically no longer be in debt as a result. But until then, we need to gut our major social programs to pay for continuing the war."

What does McCain's desire to gut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid say to average Americans?

McCain: "Americans don't matter, only war....100 years of it and bomb bomb Iran too".
-

C'mon people, just follow McCain's example of how he became a millionaire. It all started when he bought an apple for 25 cents, polished it up and sold if for 50 cents. He then took the 50 cents and bought two apples, polished them up and sold them for $1.00. He continued along like this until one day he met a rich beer heiress and then he married her and her millions. You can do it too!

What does Steve Forbes know about finance and the economy? I love how the most important part of articles are always at the end. Is this taught in journalism class? I don't know how to do brain surgery, but I'm smart enough to admin it and let someone who is an expert in it do it instead.

The reason gas is so expensive is due to increased demand, speculation and the fact that we have to buy so much of it from OPEC. McCain is simply saying that we as Americans have to make a difference. We shouldn't depend on the government. In fact, the government is getting in the way; restricting us from getting oil from our own great nation's reserves. If you want more government control, (such as government healthcare) and less freedom, then vote Obama. It is truly sad that so many people rely on the government to take care of them.

Also, the best thing a wealthy person could possibly do right now is spend their money. I don't know much, but why is he being criticized for spending money, which would help the economy?

300 economists is not enough? How many economists are there that have reviewed, and are qualified to endorse or dispute his plan? How many economists have endorsed Obama's economic plan?

Perhaps it is not government policy at all that spurs the economy, but rather Americans themselves. But I have the crazy notion that layoffs can be good and strengthen companies. I think we need more layoffs in government agencies and perhaps in the press.

jo,

"George HW Bush raised taxes" ... "it spurred the largest and longest sustained period of growth in American history."

Raising taxes spurred the largest and longest sustained period of growth in American history? On that basis we should just tax the crap out of everyone.

Maybe raising taxes is just a part of what he did, and the American people and businesses prevailed regardless of higher taxes.

It was my belief that the Chicago Tribune was a newspaper and that because it is media favors freedom of speech. If so, then why wasn't my post posted?
I will try this again. The current economic troubles this country faces are the direct result of Democratic actions over the past several decades. Democrats are against nuclear power plants. They are against energy, period, whether it is oil, coal, nukes, whatever. The are against more refineries. They are against high-paying jobs these industries provide. They are against manufacturing, and the high-paying jobs there too. They are against folks going into the trades, which is weird because union jobs often come from the trades. They have ruined our education system. They want more taxes to create more government jobs, but they are against the creation of free market jobs. They are against free trade, such as the agreement with Colombia. While the economy has faltered, U.S. exports are doing well and the Democrats are aiming to damage that sector too.
In other words, Democrats are bad for America, bad for people.

Republican Bush borrowed $3 trillion and pumping it into the economy, causing the fake appearance of growth. We can all FEEL rich if we run up debt, but we all know we are poor when we have to pay it off. The "low regulation" mantra of the Republicans is what allowed financial markets to create the mortgage money spike that made us all FEEL rich, but that is now being pulled back out of the economy.

The Republican lead Treasury let this happen, now the FED is holding interest rates low to help the banks (private companies remember) trade their way out of trouble, while the dollar falls through the floor and the resulting inflation robs "we the people" of our wages.

Its about time the FED stopped manipulating interest rates to drive us from crisis to crisis and just worked to control inflation.

Green Trees...I've got a bridge to nowhere for sale.

Bruce et al - try reading this: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/What_the_economists_didnt_sign.html about what those '300 economists' actually agreed to.

Hey Bruce,

What you didn't mention is that while 300 economists support McCain, most of them are conservative economists. Read that Times article a little bit more carefully the next time.

How many of those 300 have won Nobel Peace prizes?

Go find out who Joseph Stiglitz or Edmund Phelps is supporting.

McCain's objection to the tax hikes that Obama suggests is prompted by the fact that these tax hikes would be levied against the most wealthy members of our society, not the average American who is struggling. He and his wife and their wealthy buddies would have to pay more taxes - that 's his concern. "Obama’s plan will provide $80-85 billion in tax relief to America’s workers, seniors, and
homeowners. Unlike President Bush, whose fiscally irresponsible tax cuts that traded the budget
surpluses of the 1990s to record deficits today, Obama has a plan to pay for his tax reform plan. In
addition to closing the corporate loopholes and cracking down on international tax havens, he will pay
for middle class tax relief by increasing the highest bracket for capital gains and dividends and closing the carried interest loophole."*

McCain is looking out for McCain, not the average American.

*http://obama.3cdn.net/b7be3b7cd08e587dca_v852mv8ja.pdf

Dear Sen. John McCain,

Doing the same thing and "believing" you will get a different result is madness. I don't believe in your koolaid and I won't drink it.

With all due respect for Senator McCain's service to our country, I don't "believe" he has what it takes to turn our economy around. His policy is the Bush policy with minor adjustments. No part of the republican agenda appeals to me and most ordinary people I've had this discussion with.

McCain must be wearing some ruby slippers and clicking his heels really hard.

"I wanna go home to a surplus, I wanna go home to a surplus..."

"To make matters worse, gas is over $4 a gallon and the price of oil has almost doubled in the last year," he said. "The cost of everything from energy to food is rising." (McCain)
***********************************

Is there no end to McCain's hypocrisy. He voted NO on Bill HR 6 REDUCTION ON DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL ,a nd he voted NO on the ENERGY POLICY ACT of 2005 which would give incentives to explore energy sources other than fossil fuels.
Just check his voting record and you will clearly see where McCain's loyalties lie - certainly not to the aveage American, but to the oil/industrial/military complex. He isn't going to raise taxes; it will be for this select group.

The truth is not in words, but in actions. By the way Obama voted YES for both of the above bills.

raising taxes is fine is you have a competent government. that's how infrastructure, education, research and development get done. we're the only country with a black-and-white all or nothing attitude. taxes were higher under clinton. because of the way he governed engendered an environment where we had economic growth, paid as we went, and the dollar rose.

under the much vaunted republican plan of spending for two wars and giving tax cuts for the rich, the dollar has dropped an unprecedented 30% in 7 years, almost a trillion in debt, with most of the tax cuts going to the rich who invest it overseas to obtain higher returns. taxes is how a country can invest in itself and its people. or it can be diverted into no-bid contracts for a few select companies, bombs and guns that destroy adding no economic value, and bleed itself into a big red hole of debt like we are today.

bottom line, the numbers never add up with republican's trickle down dogma. that is why the dollar's turned into monopoly money overseas and we are the most indebted country in the world overall and per capita. dogma is just that - assumptions unsupported by evidence and numbers. wake up to the real world.

Mr. Green Trees, sir, can you tell me exactly WHAT our economy is exporting at such great levels, please? Except our jobs....

Some idiot, JoshM wrote:
"What does Steve Forbes know about finance and the economy?"

I'd say probably not as much as Warren Buffet... who's an Obama supporter.

"The reason gas is so expensive is due to increased demand, speculation and the fact that we have to buy so much of it from OPEC."

You conveniently left out an important cause. Namely, the value of the dollar is down drastically and falling fast. One of the main reasons for that is because the country is running on a record deficit. McCain wants to continue giving tax cuts to the rich in hopes that those famous "trickle-down" economics will suddenly work for once. As always though, the rich will do what they can to keep that money from "trickling down" and the middle class will continue to disappear further killing our economy.

"McCain is simply saying that we as Americans have to make a difference. We shouldn't depend on the government. In fact, the government is getting in the way; restricting us from getting oil from our own great nation's reserves."

Really? Are you planning to go out there with a big straw and get that oil? The government isn't keeping "us" from getting oil, they're (correctly) restricting the oil industry (who had record profits last year by the way... yeah, those taxes must be killing them) from destroying our environment in order to make another quick buck. I'm willing to bet that the Florida tourist industry doesn't see those restrictions as ruining their freedom.

What I don't think people get is that the upper class provides jobs to those that the Dimocrats seem to support. When you steal from the rich to give to the poor, there are no more rich left to give jobs to the poor. Then you're left with the Soviet Union where the only people not standing in bread lines are the politicians.
Did you hear the one about the boy who came up to Hillary during her campaign? (She used it to illustrate her point and completely missed the meaning.) A boy came up to her and said that while the recent increase in minimum wage had helped his mom get more per hour, her employer had cut her hours, and now she was making the same amount again. Could Sen. Clinton please help his mom? Her plan was to tax the employer more!

I like when people post about nuclear energy, it makes me laugh. I'm a physicist, and do you know what you are taught right at the start of atomic physics? If you made enough nuclear power plants to fuel the good ole USA's energy needs, the world’s nuclear fuel supply would be exhausted in a handful of decades. Not to mention it would take an unbelievable effort to scour the globe for all that nuclear fuel. Now throw China, India, and Europe into the mix all looking to expand their nuclear production as well. And as an added bonus, remember that spent nuclear fuel will be radioactive for thousands of years, and we have no good way to get rid of it. Anyone else see a bad idea?
-----------------------
Physics isn't magic my friends. There is a reason we advocate for other options, and explore new possibilities...

"When you raise taxes in a bad economy you eliminate jobs" - I think McCAin knows more about the economy than the Harvard grad - Barrack "54% Tax Rate" Obama.