Some surprising data here, but what’s not surprising is that the economy is at the very top of the priority list. And that has to be good news for Obama since he has such a wide lead.
Energy, Gas Prices - extremely important to 51%
Obama - 47%
McCain - 28%
Economy - extremely important to 49%
Obama - 48%
McCain [...]

Remember my post today about McCain’s $5,000 a car tax break giveaway to the auto manufacturers who make and sell zero-carbon emissions cars?
If so, do you recall how I said it was a bad idea, and that he should instead be proposing giving consumers tax breaks because incenting consumption is the only way we [...]

He’ll be accused of offering the typical Democratic tax and spend plans, but with the housing market tanking because of free market loopholes and the prices of basic goods skyrocketing due in part of out of control war spending, I’m thinking the middle class would appreciate some fiscal attention refocused on their needs.
From the AP:
Speaking [...]

Thomas Friedman thinks the federal government should mandate $4.00 a gallon gas. Why? Because now that we’ve pretty much reached that price point, people are finally changing their habits, driving less and buying smaller cars. Friedman wants to make sure we don’t go back to our gas-guzzling ways.
For many years raising gas taxes to spur [...]

Her 2006 returns are a good start, but as I’ve said in the past, full disclosure for presidential candidates is becoming a must. Especially since it’s obvious that nearly all of their assets are in her name and she recently sold off mutual funds linked to Sudanese companies.
From the AP:
Cindy McCain has released her 2006 [...]

How do they explain their record profits? Good planning? Price gouging? Lucky breaks?
First CBS has this report…

I like that…the reason their profits are so big is because their companies are so big? I guess we all should just start building bigger companies then, yeah?
Then from the AP, and note how one of them talks about [...]

Although I agree with the stimulus, if for no other reason to start paying down people’s personal debt, I think this is pretty damn funny.
By the way, I think this represents Ron Paul’s official stance. :-)

This time from the decidedly conservative editorial board of the Washington Times:
Cindy McCain refuses to release her tax returns. This is not just a questionable political decision that threatens to haunt her husband’s campaign for the next six months. It is also the wrong decision. Mrs. McCain needs to change her mind and release the [...]

“The candidate should get his wife to reconsider. The last thing the country needs in a new president is more secrecy.”
- from a Washington Post editorial published today about Cindy McCain’s refusal to release her tax returns.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll continue to say that Cindy McCain’s tax returns should be a matter [...]

Okay folks, I’ve done a little bit more digging on this issue after my post calling for Cindy McCain to disclose her tax returns, and what I’ve found makes me really not buy any arguments that excuse the McCain’s lack of transparency.
Why? Well, it’s apparent that over the past 28 years they’ve made numerous investments [...]

Alan says no, but I say yes.
There’s no reason why the income of a candidate’s spouse shouldn’t be a matter of public record. Let’s face facts, just because spouses file separately doesn’t mean that they don’t jointly benefit from each other’s incomes. And I would have said the same about Bill Clinton if Hillary [...]

Should the spouse of a presidential candidate be expected to disclose his or her tax returns if the couple files separately? That’s the question now that Cindy McCain has declared she will never make her tax returns public. Opponents of John McCain are already criticizing this move but Mrs. McCain says it’s a matter of [...]

Looks like Hillary Clinton is trying to ride her support of a gas tax holiday to victory. She has now released an ad attacking Barack Obama for opposing the plan. I guess when you’re behind, pandering is the best option. But this doesn’t do much to bolster her claim that her experience is what matters. [...]

Robert Reich notes something Hillary said during her appearance on ABC’s This Week today…
When asked this morning by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos if she could name a single economist who backs her call for a gas tax holiday this summer, HRC said “I’m not going to put my lot in with economists.”
She’s not going [...]

He’s arguably THE most business savvy politician ever, and here’s his opinion on the Clinton/McCain proposal…
“It’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard in an awful long time from an economic point of view. I don’t understand why you think there’s any merit to it whatsoever. We’re trying to discourage people from driving and we’re trying [...]

I don’t generally agree with Barack Obama’s policy positions, but I have to say, his refusal to endorse the gas tax holiday is something I can really support. While John McCain and Hillary Clinton pander and pretend this economically unsound initiative is actually a good plan, Obama is choosing to stand up and admit that [...]

(h/t: Below The Beltway)

National Priorities Project has a great website that illustrates how your money is spent by the federal government on a state by state average. (note: this doesn’t mean state tax dollars are being spent, just the average breakdown for federal taxes paid by residents of a certain state.)
The biggest finding? For every $42 we spend [...]

Wow. It’s good to be a Clinton! (returns here)
Here are the numbers Drudge show:
Feds Taxes Paid: $33.7 million
Charity: $10.2 million
Her Senate Salary: $1,051,606
His Presidential Pension: $1,217,250
Her Book Income: $10,457,083
His Book Income: $29,580,525
His Speech Income: $51,855,599
Good for her and good for him.
But why was this info so hard to get again?

It’s not necessarily a promise, but at least it’s sooner than 3 days before the Pennsylvania primary.
From CNN:
(CNN) — Barack Obama and his wife released their tax returns from 2000 to 2006 on his campaign Web site Tuesday, and the Illinois senator challenged Sen. Hillary Clinton to release hers.
Later, Clinton said she expected [...]