Election Watch: Hey Big Spender! Media Fail To Report Cost Of Campaign Promises

This article by Nathan Burchfiel of the Business & Media Institute is from January 30 of this year but it is still relevent in terms of comparing the candidates for President. It is also important to note that these comparisons have gone largely unreported by Old Media.

Here is a very relevent comparison:

Obama’s reference to “finite resources” seems ironic, considering he leads all presidential contenders in proposed new spending with a whopping $287 billion, according to a new report from the National Taxpayers’ Union Foundation. Fellow Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) trails him with $218 billion in proposed new spending. Republican candidates come in much further behind. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has proposed new funding totaling $54 billion. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney proposed $19.5 billion and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has proposed nearly $7 billion.

The report from the National Taxpayer's Union can be accessed on-line here:

2008 Presidential Candidate Spending Analyses
National Taxpayer's Union
Copyright 2008

Just the difference between Sen. McCain and either Gov. Romney or Gov. Huckabee is significant but the differences between Sen. McCain and the two Dem candidates is staggering.

Further, the two most liberal candiates haven't been coy about how they intend to pay for their socialist programs such as universal health care:

It would also cost taxpayers $110 billion every year. Clinton made it clear she would help finance her health care plan by “rolling back” the Bush tax cuts, amounting to a massive tax increase. But she had to admit that wouldn’t cover it all. Some journalists took note. ... “Mr. Obama this week said getting rid of Mr. Bush’s tax cuts would fund his proposed $85 billion in tax cuts for the middle class. But his $50 billion health care plan is also funded by the Bush tax cuts and cost-savings measures,” Bellantoni wrote. Anne Kornblut of The Washington Post mentioned Obama’s apparent double-talk in a Sept. 19, 2007, brief, noting his promised tax cuts though “he earlier said he would use those funds for his health-care program.”

For those of you keeping score, in terms of taxes, we have the two Dems promising to raise taxes (exorbitantly it would seem), and the presumptive GOP candidate pledging to make the 2001 tax cuts permanent.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

Election Watch: Hey Big Spender! Media Fail To Report Cost Of Campaign Promises
Nathan Burchfiel
BusinessAndMedia.org
January 30, 2008