SC DEBATE: MCCAIN ON TAXES

TONIGHT:

Senator MCCAIN, you opposed president bush's 2001 tax cuts. Now you say you were wrong. How can you convince republican voters you will push a democratic congress hard enough to make those tax cuts permanent, sir?

MCCAIN: Well, first of all, i didn't say that I was wrong. I said that the reason why i opposed those tax cuts is
because we didn't reign in spending. The fact is the tax cuts have dramatically increased revenues.

REALITY

2003: McCain Was Against Tax Cuts "Worsen the Deficit Before It Ever Helps the Economy." Senator McCain rejected the Bush tax cuts in 2001 ‘All the predicates for the 2001 tax cuts and all the predictions for its results were absolutely, completely wrong,’ he said. And it will worsen the deficit before it ever helps the economy, he added.” [Star-Ledger, 2/24/03]

2007: McCain Says Tax Cuts Increase Revenue. Asked if he might consider a tax increase as part of a compromise for entitlements or tax simplification, Senator McCain responded “No. None. None. Taxcuts, starting with Kennedy, as we all know, increase revenues. So what's the argument for increasing taxes?If you get the opposite effect out of taxcuts?” [The National Review, 3/5/07]