McCain To Propose An "Economic Surge" For America

John McCain has famously admitted to a "lack of knowledge" about economics. So when he talks about the economy later today in Ohio, it appears he will deploy the language of a policy area he does feel confident on: the surge in Iraq.

According to remarks prepared for delivery and sent out to reporters Wednesday morning, McCain will call for an "economic Surge to keep jobs here at home and create new ones."

Is the campaign in danger of relying too much on the power of Surge branding? Or has America's economic landscape actually become a battlefield?

The full excerpts sent by McCain's campaign follow below:

"It's time to get America's economy moving again. Companies like Merillat and families across Ohio face challenges in their business and around the kitchen table. Our energy prices are too high. We are losing jobs. Our housing market is in decline. The cost of everything is going up, and in the face of this, Washington is on vacation.

"Now is the time for action. We need an "all of the above" plan to address our energy crisis with alternative energy, drilling and nuclear power. We need to crack down on those who have abused our credit market and caused this housing decline. And we need to take action to support American businesses so that we stop jobs from going overseas and create more jobs here at home.

"America has the second highest business tax rate in the entire world. It is any wonder that jobs are moving overseas when we are taxing them out of the country? Unfortunately Senator Obama's plans would raise taxes on businesses even more. He has promised tax increases on income, tax increases on investment, tax increases on small businesses. This is exactly the wrong strategy. Raising taxes in a bad economy is about the worst thing you could do because it will kill even more jobs when what we need are policies that create jobs.

"What we need today is an Economic Surge to keep jobs here at home and create new ones. We need to reduce the tax burden on businesses that choose to make their home in the U.S. We need to open new markets to U.S. products. We need to reduce the cost of healthcare. And we need to end the out of control spending in Washington that is putting our debt on the backs of our children.

"Now is the time for action, and when I am President, we are going to get it done."

Comments

[kanaschwiiz]

They kept repeating the phrase "the surge is working" again and again until the phrase "the surge is working" worked.
Now we'll hear "Economic Surge" again and again. This half-truth catchy slogan, like a half-brick, will fly nicely.

[EgbertSouse]

Republicans need a truth and honesty surge,

and a fair elections surge,

and a pay their fair share of taxes surge,

and most of all a "practice what you preach" morals surge.

[rajoro]

Mooph, absolutely true! The same old politics and policies, McCain is the same as Bush! The fact is McCain's handlers are the same people who write the tax loopholes that make the USA fourth from the bottom in tax revenue percentage from corporations.

Another lie from the McCain team!!!

[mooph]

Hmm ... second highest tax rate?

"Although the United States has the second highest statutory corporate tax, the background paper reports that U.S. corporate income tax revenue (federal and state) as a percentage of GDP paradoxically is much lower than the OECD average — 2.2 percent in the United States versus an OECD average of 3.4 percent — over the 2000-2005 period. In short, the OECD data present a conundrum — the United States has the second highest combined statutory corporate tax rate among OECD countries, yet is tied with Hungary in raising the fourth lowest amount of combined corporate income tax revenue relative to GDP in 2004."

http://www.taxhistory.org/www/features.nsf/Articles/FE9DCA58402875D7852573680064DA50?OpenDocument

[ssengele]

Good link, mooph! I've heard the "high corporate taxes" argument before, and was curious just how substantive the claim was. Clearly not so much.

[zippywpinhead]

just another repub lie. Toss it on the dung heap with the rest of them...

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

This is the problem with the man everything is a war to him, which is far from the truth.

[BillKen]

This guy is full of bull. He had nearly thirty years to do something constructive for the people of this nation
and he passed on the opportunity. I've noticed when he talks about helping someone it's always business that comes first, then somewhere down the line he mentions the American people, what's wrong with that picture? This man is thinking about himself all the time but thinks only about the American people in passing. He's a corporate hooker, who only cares about his next trick, screw the American people. I have caught him in so many lies and fabrications that I doubt if he could recognize the truth if
it was standing on the tip of his nose. I wouldn't let this guy watch my back or share my foxhole.
Semper Fi

[stateretiree]

Doesn't his wife stand to inherit a business? Which would explain why he wants to cut taxes on businesses, it increases his family income.

[magen]

Yes, Johnny Mac, there IS gonna be an "economic surge".

But it's gonna be from an Obama Administration.

And it's gonna benefit the average American, not the wealthiest Americans.

[zippywpinhead]

alternative energy? Is that why McDrilleverywhere voted against every bill that tried to promote them? And you've got to love the logic that it is taxes driving jobs overseas- it makes no sense whatsoever. Jobs migrate because labor is cheaper- if the corporation itself stays here they continue to pay the same taxes they have been paying. Besides, corporations have more favorable tax rates now than they did in the 90's, yet we had far better growth and a far healthier economy then than we do now. It's not a surge Mcsellout, it's just more trickle down, supply side voodoo economics that have been largely responsible for wrecking our economy in the first place...

[Ides]

John McCain was overheard giving a speech on energy, healthcare, infrastructure, and diplomacy, "The Surge will Surge again Surging Surge-like from a Surge of American Surge reserves and finally Surging the Surge of America's failing Surge."

After a brief introspective moment of confusion, the audience rose in vibrant applause assuming he was saying what they wanted to hear and feeling that it connected with them personally, they think.

[indypete]

The audience was surging with the mavericky surginess of the surging mavericosity as it surged maverickly over their collective maverick surges.

Curse you Groucho Marxist... you're the one that started all this!

[Coinyer101]

surge me in the morning
surge me in the evening
surge me at supper time
i'm surging surging surging
surging all the time

surge me in the .......

[MikeDu]

I suppose an 'economic surge' would resemble the Iraq one. KSoldiers kicking in doors halfway around the world and butchering the inhabitants. I guess for an economic surge the carnage will be happening in Bangalore and Bankok instead of Bagdhad.

[mgchitown]

Hmmm, I wonder who will be in charge of leading this economic surge...probably the same man who called us a nation of whiners. Lovely.

[NegSpin]

"when I am President, we are going to get it done."

Isn't that being presumptuous?

[zippywpinhead]

sorry, that doesn't fit the MSM's narrative...

[indypete]

Only if it comes from a young, black democrat.

[michaeledward]

Jobs are moving overseas because of tax advantages ... so sayeth McCain ...

How about a solution from the early days of the Republic; Import Tarrifs.

Let us cut taxes on on companies that make goods here in the USA. And let us place significant import duties on goods coming into the country. That might be a way to keep jobs in this country. While we can't write the tax policies of foreign nations, we can recognize that America is where most business want to do business ~ even if other parts of the world are growing significantly. We are too important of a market.

[indypete]

Import tarriffs are bad for the middleman.... y'know, the one that makes his money without actually contributing to the economy but puts up plenty of lobbying dollars.

[SWEETPB307]

THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING, WAR (TACTICS) MERGED WITHIN THE ECONOMY
LETS SEE
The Outstanding Public Debt as of 06 Aug 2008 at 06:47:06 PM GMT is:
9,568,386,770,460.01
so each citizen's share of this debt is $31,423.98.

... $48 billion in American taxpayer money devoted to rebuilding Iraq since the American-led invasion.
Over all, the report from the Government Accountability Office estimates, Iraqi oil revenue from 2005 through the end of this year will amount to at least $156 billion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/world/middleeast/06surplus.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

SO WE SURGE AGAIN, WITH MORE LIES...NO!

McCain has repeatedly claimed that Obama would raise tax rates for 23 million small-business owners. It's a false and preposterously inflated figure.
We find that the overwhelming majority of those small-business owners would see no increase, because they earn too little to be affected.

The McCain campaign claims that Obama voted to raise income taxes on individuals who earn as little as $32,000 per year. That's wrong. Obama (June 12, 2008): If you are a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan will not raise your taxes. Period. Not income tax, not payroll tax, not capital gains tax, not any of your taxes. And chances are you will get a tax cut.


Capital Gains Rate: It's untrue that Obama is proposing a 28 percent capital gains tax rate. Furthermore, he has said only couples making $250,000 or more
http://www.factcheck.org/