Did you catch John Kerry on Imus drive-time this morning? Imus took a pass, which was disappointing since Kerry offered up warmed over Dem talking points...he even shamelessly parroted the lie that the Donks balanced the budget. Clinton's last budget before the '94 elections had deficits 11 years out.
Kerry's careful parsing of tax cuts was Clintonesque. Kerry is for keeping the funded tax cuts, but not for any new tax cuts. The word new is key to this fudge... he went on to explain that the tax cuts scheduled eight years out are really new and thusly should be rolled back. A much better idea would be to give everyone (the top 1 % too?) an immediate tax cut with a payroll tax holiday. I cringed at Kerry’s condescending explanation that an immediate tax cut would kick start the economy by placing disposible cash in everyone's pocket. Apparently, in Kerry's view, tax payers are mindless spend thrifts who run straight to the nearest mall refund check in hand. Some in the African-American community, a key Democrat constituency, don’t agree that a spate of quick cash is a good thing either. I recall that a problem with the Bush refund was that too many people banked the windfall.
Senator Kerry also fails to mention that payroll tax funds Social Security...his plan would raid the SS fund would it not? Even Al Gore is smart enough to avoid the SSI third-rail.
Kerry smoothly changed gears to the failings of Bush WH policy, offering Esquire’s John J. DiIulio Jr., interview as proof that the Bushies are concerned only with politics, the worst ever he says. Oh really? Have they lobbed cruise missiles into aspirin factories to control the news cycle?
I could go on but it's pointless, we all recognize campaign hack-speak. It's a pity too because Kerry is an attractive candidate if only he would speak with his own voice from the heart.