When McCain’s folks can’t even sell their snake oil to Fox News, you know it’s pretty bad whiskey.

This has not been a good week for McCain’s reputation as a truth teller.
Let’s hope he quits lying.

They’re calling BS…
Palin supported and signed into law a $1.5 billion tax increase on oil companies in the form of higher severance taxes. One rule of thumb is that higher taxes cause less investment. Sure enough, State Tax Notes reported (January 7): “After ACES was passed, ConocoPhillips, Alaska’s most active oil exploration company and one [...]

I’ve noticed at the Democratic National Convention, a lot of the speakers have referenced the middle class, primarily how us hardworking, home-owning folks are struggling and how the Democrats will improve our lot while the Republicans will throw us to the lions.
The overblown rhetoric doesn’t bother me – it’s the convention, you expect some hardcore [...]

First McCain’s ad, which once again uses the celebrity meme and opinions from newspaper editorials…

Then Obama’s ad, which features McCain’s optimism about the economy contrasted with real people talking about struggling to make ends meet…

I think this one goes to Obama. He’ll get a lot more traction from real people talking about real problems then [...]

If true, this is pretty bad news. Because more than anything, it suggests that if all the loopholes are closed, American corporations may not even be able compete when they have to play by the rules.
From the AP:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to [...]

Seriously. The “facts” in this ad are completely wrong at best and outright lies at worst.

Yes, he’s using the whole “celebrity” theme again…as if McCain hasn’t been featured on numerous magazine covers. Seriously John, you need to quit pulling the jealous schoolgirl act. It’s wearing thin.
But getting to the real point of the ad…that Obama [...]

After Alan posted yesterday about McCain wavering on his tax policy, I wondered how long it would take for the fiscal conservative establishment to say, “John, I think we need to have a word with you…”
Here’s how they open the editorial, and this one has to hurt…
One of the miracles of this Presidential election campaign [...]

John McCain appears to be wavering on his no tax pledge. This past weekend he admitted that “nothing is off the table” in terms of fixing Social Security, and that includes raising the payroll tax.
McCain said he would obviously prefer not to raise taxes but …
While I tend to think taking tax increases off the [...]

John McCain is making a concerted effort to acknowledge the decline in American jobs and explain how his plans will help workers. Of course, you don’t get points for just recognizing a problem. You need genuine solutions. Does McCain have any?
At the center of his workers assistance plan are (and here’s a big surprise) tax [...]

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 [...]