McCain Surrogate Calls Obama (Not His Policies) "A Socialist"

Over the past few days there has been a concerted McCain campaign effort to paint Barack Obama's tax policies as socialistic in nature. On Friday a surrogate for the Arizona Republican took the argument to the next overheated level, declaring as fact that Obama a socialist himself.

During a speaking arrangement in southeast Ohio, Sen. George Voinovich was quoted as saying of Obama: "He is left of Teddy Kennedy...With all due respect, the man is a socialist."

The charge - unfounded and essentially hypocritical - represents the logical extension of the McCain campaign's newest gambit. Following Wednesday night's presidential debate both the Republican nominee and his running mate have taken to deriding Obama's proposal for refundable tax credits as something akin to "welfare" or a "government giveaway." But they have never gone so far as to label the candidate himself "socialist."

McCain, in a radio address on Saturday, declared: "Barack Obama's tax plan would convert the (Internal Revenue Service) into a giant welfare agency, redistributing massive amounts of wealth at the direction of politicians in Washington... "At least in Europe, the socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives. They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Senator Obama."

Sarah Palin, a day earlier, accused the Democratic nominee of having an economic agenda that resembled socialism. "Sen. Obama said that he wants to spread the wealth and he wants government to take your money and decide how to best to redistribute it according to his priorities," she said. "Joe [the Plumber, the new McCain working man surrogate] suggested that sounded a little bit like socialism."

There is, however, a kicker. The refundable tax credits that the McCain-Palin ticket is deriding are a major part of McCain's own health care plan. In fact, in his speech on Saturday, the Arizona Republican touted the fact that he would outfit "every single American family with a $5000 refundable tax credit" to help with insurance costs.

"Presidential campaigns are full of hypocrisy, of course," wrote the New Republic's Jonathan Cohn. "But I can't remember the last time a candidate was this brazen about it. It makes you wonder what McCain thinks about the public's power of perception."

Comments

[gap08]

McCain and company have truly crossed a line that this country should have put well behind us after the red scare. They accuse Barack Obama of 'paling around with terrorists' and yet are personally laying the foundation for a climate of terror, fear, and antagonism in which according to their bizarre logic huge swaths of this county is "un-American" or "socialist'. I think I'm going to be sick.

Please read "Are You A Socialist? Take the Palin-McCain-Bachmann Quiz" for a lighter take on the new red scare that is being created:

http://rumorreport.com/2008/10/21/are-you-a-socialist-take-the-palin-mccain-bachmann-quiz/

[showmestategal]

Could he please explain the differences.
Obama lives & breathes what he believes in.
Just sounds like more MCCARTHYISM FROM MC CAIN & HIS SURROGATES-JUST LIKE BUSH IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE BELIEVED IN YOU WHERE NOT PATRIOTIC!
OR NOW ANTI-AMERICAN PER SURROGATES.
WELL I know what I am and will not do is be influenced what is Right for me or We The People by this hateful rhetoric. Just like Obama or like my Late husband use to say "Water off a Ducks Back, Katie"
Please Do Mess With My Right & Privilege To Vote!
SEE MONEY DOES NOT BY HAPPINESS CAN TELL BY ALL THE UNHAPPY REPUBLICANS THAT ARE SPEAKING OUT SAYING Bye Bye to their JOBS>>>>>
DO NOT THREAD ON ME.

[EricArthurBlair]

Walk The Plank, tell me if you can: what difference is there between a system in which the state controls business or one like we have, in which business controls the state (i.e., lobbyists writing narrowly defined legislation and ownership of politicians by special interests)?

[arcticterrier]

Socialism is and cannot be anything but wealth redistribution by its very nature. If it is such a wonderful system why has the industrialized world been moving away from socialism for the past 30 years?

How, in what unholy universe, is it the business of the government to decide what rich is? I love Obama's math....95 percent of us will not see our taxes go up? When a third pay no tax let's see that is 95 plus 33 that is 128%. A perfect example of why I don't need or want the government making spending decisions for many anywhere beyond the 18 specific powers allocated to Congress, the only branch that can tax and spend, by the Constitution. And for all you libs who want to dog the cons for spending...your guys have been in charge of Congress for the last two years and could have said no to any budget the White House submitted. Or Iraq, or anything else for that matter.

Afterall, the government, dems and repubs, have done such a fine job of handling our money in the past. A pox on both your houses....you've definitely been a pox on the rest of us.

[research]

Industrialization and capitalism have built in exponential imbalances that, without progressive, redistributive , taxes makes the rich richer and poor poorer, faster and faster. It happen before the depression the same way. Taxes on top income got lower to 25% in 1925 leading to market bubbles and crashes. think of it this way: 10 times the average income has WAY MORE THAN TEN TIMES THE POWER TO MAKE MORE MONEY.

The also use more of societies resources.

No one get's rich on a desert island.

[arcticterrier]

It would seem the only thing missing is a statement regarding the class struggle between the bourgesoies and the proletariate. Get right to it.....

How is it right, morally or legally, for the government to decide how much and to whom the money I have earned should go to?

The government did not help me pay off my student loan when I went back to college to get another degree, did not pay for my books, or reimburse me for the pay cut I had to take in order to have the time to do it. But now that I have been finished for some time and have done better by myself and my family through my efforts I should be rewarded with a higher tax bracket? By what logic? Because I can afford it? That isn't logic it is an excuse.

Redistribution of wealth is a very addictive drug. People get something for nothing and soon come to believe they either earned or deserved it when they did neither.

Money is like the wind, you only feel it when its moving. I'll decide how what I earned moves and where. Get your hand out of my pocket.

[skwan91607]

No Magic from Plummer-Prisoner Wand
"Socialism" is a word of scariness using as propaganda by McCain. The notion of wealth redistribution by Joe the plummer framed by John the Prisoner is a cherry pick topic. Does anyone look back what are happening in the last 8 years. W with the help of Republican control congress signing numerous legislatures to transform the wealth of Americans to a group of the cronies already. Joe is just a chip for McCain's presidential run. No magic can be given from this Plummer-Prisoner wand. .

[research]

Read about:

"Social Democracy"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy

Capitalistic, market oriented, socially responsible, Social safety net, Democracy.

[Frederic]

Funny how idiots like Voinovich use words the meaning of which they don't have the slightest idea.
From a European angle, the fact that the "great" US has 45 million people without health insurance and is even proud of it, is simply breathtaking, and, more dangerous, destroys the ideal of democracy in its roots. No wonder the US has lost all respect throughout the world, and the only hope to regain it lies with Obama, who will inherit an almost unbearably heavy burden from the GOP criminals.

[S1m0n]

They say that like it's a bad thing.

[darthdarcy]

Nearing the end of his life, the world renown genius and economist John Stuart Mill said:

"I am a socialist, a democratic socialist..!"

[arcticterrier]

Mill was also against progressive taxation....to tax greater those who made/earned more he believed would stifle creativity and inventiveness.

Now Obama's plan is to raise taxes on who???

[freaktown]

hmmm...looks like i'll have to write a letter to my senator and tell him how disappointed i am...

[Whinger]

A tired old man objecting to the ultra rich having to pay their fair share, the love of money and all that.

[thepianodiva]

HuffPost's Pick

Dear Sen. Voinovich,

I am a U.S citizen who is a socialist so I can tell you Barack Obama is definitely not a socialist.

But what if he were? What is wrong with that? Isn't this a free country? Don't we all have the right to think and believe what we want? Isn't that the whole point? What if the populace decided they wanted socialism? Would that not be allowed? Since when does one group of people get to decide what the permissible parameters of thought are in a free society?

What's with this derogartory attitude toward socialism? It 's just another point of view. I've had to live the last 8 years with the conservative, neo-con, Republican point of view because that is what the voters had chosen. I bit the bullet and put up with it. Now that we see what the fruit of that line of thinking is, people are deciding they want a change. Are they not allowed to do that?

Frankly I find your attitude completely arrogant and uncalled for. We live in a democracy and no one party or approach has the right to think it's way must be adhered to forever, stubbornly and ponderously.

So, Sen. Voinovich, please give it a rest.

Sincerely-thepianodiva.
p.s. Did you know that Albert Einstein was a socialist?

[arcticterrier]

Einstein huh?

So was/are.....Castro, Kim Jong IL, Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini, Mugabe....a theory that turned out well for all their nations no?

[WalkThePlank]

Argh. Will you people look up "socialism" in an encyclopedia?

Socialism rejects capitalism utterly and says that all means of production should be owned by the state. It's "communism lite". Not even Europe would touch socialism with a 10 ft pole. Europe isn't socialist, although some places like Scandinavia and the UK are social democratic. Never, ever confuse socialism with social democracy just because both have the word "social" in them. They're fundamentally different. Social democracy says -- look, drive a nice car, get rich, buy stock, start a company, buy all the gadgets and bling you want, that's all FINE. The only difference between social democracy and the American system is that social democracy considers health care, elder care, child care and higher education basic human rights, not something you have to earn. If you think this would be bad for America, that higher taxes would kill jobs etc, ask yourselves the following: Why does Denmark, with taxes twice as high as US taxes, have an unemployment rate of 2%, while the US has 6-7% unemployment? Why are Danes the happiest people in the world according to a survey taken by Oxford University, while Americans come in 23rd place? If high taxes prevent people from being rich and successful, why is the founder of IKEA among the 10 richest people in the world?

"Socialism"... laughable. In terms of fiscal policy, Obama is to the right of Margaret Thatcher, one of the most conservative politicians who ever lived.

[utd]

Tips for dealing with these people:

1. Congratulate them, because you always thought Republicans never read authors like M-arx or Engles because of the difficulty in the reading. Call them a true maverick. Tell them you admire how they are willing to empathize with their opponent to read soci-alist literature.

2. Ask specifics about why they think this about Obama, his policies, our party, whatever. Pretend like you care. Cut them off if they give you an answer and profusely apologize, because you just assumed they were refering to Mar-xism, and ask them if Trotskyism, Maoism, or Leninism is more applicable. Ask them for specifics.

3. Once you hear the words "Well, I don't know." Ask them how they feel about the REPUBLICANS who have been engaging in market social-ism by nationalizing our banks. Let them know Paulson and Bernanke don't speak for congress. Don't wait for a response to let them know that the only real socialism going on is by their own party. Make them grab a pen and go to taxcut.barackobama.com since they aren't smart enough to be making $250k or they would have hung up on you the second you first praised them.

4. Let them know that if they are still uncomfortable with getting this extra money every year, they are can mail it to people who make m(b)illions every year at no further cost to other tax payers. All they need is an envelope and a stamp.

[jusion]

Ronald Reagan was once asked what is the difference between a Marxist and an anti-marxist. (He answered) a Marxist is who have read the books of Karl Marx and an anti-marxist is who has understood them.

[arcticterrier]

Well said. Not a fan of Reagan but well said.

[LemonMeringue]

The people who believe the most in Rush Limbaugh's redefinition of the word are the ones who line up in front of the federal office to get their government subsidies for growing - or in many cases NOT growing - wheat, corn and other crops.

They don't consider it socialism though. They just consider it entitlement, because, you know, they are better than everyone else. Palin is appealing directly to them.