Leadership, Messaging, Speeches, Views on News • September 18th, 2008

Patriotism through higher taxes

by Chris Lato

Joe Biden’s record as a veritable gaffe machine is well-documented by independent reports, but a comment he made this week is not so much a gaffe as it is a telling example of the mindset that will be a deciding factor in this election.

In a story that I had to read at least twice to make sure it was ‘reporting’ and not an opinion piece criticizing John McCain, the AP says Biden calls paying higher taxes ‘patriotic.’ He was referring to the tax hikes President Obama would seek against high-level earners.

The idea of redistributing wealth, which Biden is endorsing with his comments, is the kind of notion that makes fiscal conservatives nuts – the ‘bigger government knows best’ ideology that stands in stark contrast to McCain’s record and positions. For Obama/Biden, the thinking is that economic class warfare will resonate with those who are not among the richest in the nation.

  As I noted yesterday, the tax issue is an evergreen in political campaigns, but in a year of economic uncertainty, taxes are as relevant as ever.

As for Biden’s comments on the campaign trail, Team Obama knew what they were getting into when they selected Biden as a running mate. That said, these small mishaps begin to pile up and become a distraction, just as the relentless hammering of Sarah Palin threatens to become a distraction as well – although one that gives the McCain campaign the chance to claim that a female candidate is being treated unfairly in the press.

The debate between Palin and Biden ought to be fascinating.

At the same time, the see-sawing in the polls is tilting ever-so-slightly back in Obama’s direction. All this comes as Obama is showing signs of a tough new tone on the stump, urging supporters to go on the attack in these final weeks.

Hopefully, this doesn’t indicate a ratcheting up of the shrill, sour rhetoric and half-truths from the extremes on both sides that have tainted this campaign. But perhaps that’s too much to hope for.

 

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