Report finds that White House used ‘taxpayer-funded trips to help elect Republican candidates.’ A draft House Oversight Committee report finds that the White House “used the political affairs office to orchestrate an aggressive strategy to use taxpayer-funded trips to help elect Republican candidates for public office.” Under the direction of Sara Taylor, the political affairs office identified struggling GOP candidates and arranged for cabinet members to make appearances on their behalf:
From January 1, 2006, until the mid-term elections on November 7, 2006, cabinet secretaries and other senior officials traveled to over 300 events recommended by the political affairs office. All of these events were held with Republican candidates, and in most cases, the travel costs were paid for with federal funds. … In some instances, the White House specifically requested that travel be billed to the taxpayers to save Republican campaigns money.
During the course of their investigation, the Oversight Committee found Taylor to be “evasive” and “misleading.”
Speaking at a rally today in Dover, NH, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) praised the area’s beauty and natural resources. She also claimed New Hampshire is “kind of this microcosm here in the state of the rest of the entire U.S.” In the past, she has said her home state of Alaska “is like a microcosm of America.” Watch it: Apparently, Palin thinks the entire United States is wealthy and white. Census information for Alaska and New Hampshire show that their populations are hardly representative of the rest of the country:
United States
New Hampshire
Alaska
Median Income (’04)
$44,334
$53,377
$52,141
Poverty Rate (’04)
12.7%
6.6%
10%
Non-Hispanic Whites (’06)
66.4%
93.8%
66.4%
Blacks (’06)
12.8%
1.1%
3.7%
Hispanic/Latino Origin (’06)
14.8%
2.3%
5.6%
It’s no surprise that Palin boasts a particularly poor record on diversity. She snubbed Alaska’s small African-American community — becoming the first governor to refuse to recognize the annual Juneteenth celebration — and named a white person to a game board post held by an Alaskan Native for more than 25 years. .
On Saturday night, the McCain campaign told Politico.com that it was planning to unveil "new economic plans" that included temporary tax cuts on capital gains. Politico incorrectly noted that this proposal, which benefits the wealthy, would be "aimed directly at the middle class." Brad DeLong spotted the problems with McCain’s proposals, saying that “the middle class doesn’t collect capital gains, or dividends, in any material amount. Indeed, that’s what makes you middle class–that even though you have a fair or a good income you work for it.” McCain has already made it abundantly clear that he plans to craft his economic proposals around aiding the wealthy, corporations, and bankers who made bad loans. In that light, these new proposals would actually fit in rather well. On Sunday morning, Sen. Lindsey Graham said McCain was planning "a very comprehensive approach to jump-start the economy, by allowing capital to be formed easier in America by lowering taxes." But by Sunday night, the McCain campaign - in a sign of "internal confusion" -- was telling the New York Times that they "would not have any more proposals this week." On Monday, Barack Obama announced "a new economic rescue plan Monday geared toward middle-class voters." McCain didn't announce anything, which "caused some head scratching."And now, on Tuesday, McCain is unveiling his new proposals, going back to the well of tax cuts for the rich. McCain will announce plans to "cut the capital gains tax on stock profits in half, from 15 percent now on stocks held a year or longer to 7.5 percent -- a $10 billion proposal." The Wonk Room's James Kvaal noted the impact of cutting capital gains:
Households earning less than $50,000 a year collected a mere 2.5 percent of capital gains in 2005, according to the Tax Policy Center. Families earning more than $1 million a year collected 59 percent of capital gains. Moreover, most middle-class families with capital gains hold their investments in retirement accounts shielded against capital gains taxes.
Last night, Rachel Maddow sparred with former Bush speechwriter/National Review contributor David Frum, after Frum thought he'd cleverly ambush Maddow with the accusation that she was contributing to the low tone of the political discourse.
MADDOW: You have publicly stated some reservations about John McCain and criticisms about the way his campaign is run, even though you have also said that you will vote for him. One quote I wanted to ask you about. You said, "Those who press this Ayers line of attack are whipping Republicans and conservatives into a fury that's going to be very hard to calm after November." What do you mean by that, in that word, "fury." FRUM: Well, I think that you were talking through much of the show about the matter of tone in our politics. And yet, we are seeing, I think, an intensification of the ugliness of tone that has been a feature of American politics for the past eight years. I mean, this show, unfortunately, is an example of that problem.
Basically, Frum objected to Maddow's injection of humor and sarcasm into her show as an example of how political culture was circling the drain. Maddow, obviously, had some disagreement with this contention, suggesting that her use of comic effect was not in any way equivalent to say...calling for someone's head on the campaign trail.
Of course, Frum seems to have a problem with political comedy in general. Back in July, he took to his "Diary" to caterwaul over the way Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert treat the conversation:
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert obviously see themselves as something more than ordinary funny men. Recall Stewart's memorable scolding of Crossfire for hurting America; remember Stephen Colbert's preachy appearance at the White House correspondents dinner. They think something is very wrong with cable news, and so they satirize that wrong. In making their point, they themselves violate every kind of journalistic ethical rule. They say, "It's OK for us - we're fake news." That's a convenient excuse. But it's not really an adequate one.
Yes! It's almost as if The Daily Show and the Colbert Report have an established, intrinsic comedic conventions that are a thing apart from the two men's appearances in all other fora! And because they don't adhere to those conventions ALL THE TIME, like on Crossfire, or at the Duane Reade, they are violating some journalistic ethics.
Frum went on to say:
A few days ago, Colbert scoffed at my friend David Brooks for referring to the "salad bar" at Applebee's - when Applebee's doesn't feature salad bars. An error - how ridiculous! But conscious fabrication? I guess that's OK, so long as it's done in the sacred name of comedy.
ALSO:
Also on the show, Maddow had this to say about Sarah Palin's contention that she has been exonerated by the Troopergate scandal: "Day is night, up is down. This isn't one of those differences of opinion things, a question of interpretation. The report says she broke ethics laws, and she says the report doesn't say that. She is lying. This is a person who is running for office who's been confronted with an uncomfortable and inconvenient fact, and her response to that is to look into the camera and lie to you. Enthusiastically and repeatedly. I know I'm not supposed to use that particular L-word...but sometimes the most important thing you need to know about a politician is the frequency and enthusiasm and skill with which they lie to you."
The state of the McCain campaign is drawing fire from its own ostensible allies. At the head of the line of Republicans looking to be the first to flick dirt on McCain's grave is Bill Kristol, who says in today's New York Times, that if "the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed." Since that's coming from a guy who, through his own bad advice, has contributed mightily to the grave McCain is measuring, it makes sense that he be given the first shovel of dirt.
But didn't Kristol get the message? Today, the key line of John McCain's rebooted stump speech is directed at his rival, Barack Obama, and it goes a little something like, "We have him right where we want him." That was the plan, all along, you see! Be down double digits in the polls, possessed of the necessity of campaigning in West Virginia, and in need of tempering your supporters' passions because they have suddenly veered wildly in the direction of psychosis. I love it when a plan comes together, even if that plan is only indicative of the fact that McCain's moved to the "denial" stage of grief. Brace yourself, because anger and depression are still to come!
Amid this turmoil, McCain's attempts to relaunch his campaign have encountered a new obstacle: his fellow Republicans, who, like Kristol, are prepping themselves for an old-fashioned circular firing squad. Over the weekend, the New York Times noted that party leaders "were worried Mr. McCain was heading for defeat unless he brought stability to his presidential candidacy and settled on a clear message" for his campaign. And in today's edition of The Hill, a chorus of disapproval weighs in on McCain's muffed punt of the Paulson bailout package.
Naturally, McCain's responded through Nancy Pfotenhauer, who's accused Kristol of "buying into the Obama campaign's party line." These sentiments were similarly voiced by the ubiquitous Tucker Bounds later in the day:
So what's the new party line from John McCain? In the first place, McCain is now saying, "What America needs in this hour is a fighter." Doesn't that mess up Sarah Palin's constant contention that McCain being "the only man in the race who has ever really fought for you" was something that she had to say because McCain was too modest to admit it? More to the point, doesn't this mess up the Sarah Palin Stump Speech Drinking Game? Ever since she dropped the "I sold it on eBay" line I've been practically teetotaling! But the crux of McCain's case seems to be this line: I come from a long line of McCains who believed that to love America is to fight for her.
So there you have it! Vote for McCain! He's the McCainiest!
