Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips
I'm genuinely curious how you see Palin as a strong fiscal conservative. She's imposed a windfall profit tax as governor and ran up a huge debt on a sports complex as mayor. McCain has a much better record as a fiscal conservative IMO.
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I said she was the closest, and not perfect. I would compare her to Obama in that her record doesn't show a ton of fiscal conservative policies (much like Obama's record doesn't indicate any kind of "change"), but they are both fairly young. I think Palin's ideas on energy, I like her ideas on tax policy and I like her willingness to go against certain (but not all, of course) interests on spending.
Controlling spending is always going to be a tough one to get representation on. Many in congress feel they have to spend to stay elected, but there are some that handle this. IMO, I would love to see a former business owner as president. What we need right now is a lot of the policies and theories successful small businesses employ on the national level. That's why I liked Romney and even Rudy to a lesser degree.
I've followed McCain for years and while he has cracked down on earmarks, he's been anti tax cut, anti strong energy policy, pro open borders, pro wasteful spending IMO (campaign finance, global warming, his education plan w/ Kennedy, ...).
I see McCain as someone trying to be a fiscal conservative for this election and taking on those policies for tax cuts (let's not forget McCain voted against Bush's tax cuts), energy, cutting programs and so forth. The problem is I don't think he believes in them. That, IMO, is why he stumbles in these debates when he's not talking about foreign policy or ear marks. Ask him to defend his tax plan, and you get a jumbled response. Ask him about energy, and it sounds confusing. That's how I would respond if I was asked to defend McCain's global warming initiatives and health care plan (because I don't agree with them).
McCain is the true "wolf in sheep's clothes" on fiscal policy and I think he will be very similar to Obama if elected. Both will massively increase the debt and both will take part in more of this wall street bailout crud. So, if that's the case, I would prefer all this happen with democrats across the board. Plus, if McCain wins, there will be even more pressure on the fiscal conservatives to "go away" and we could face a democratic congress in the mid term with veto-proof majorities in both houses. The more I think about it, the more dangerous is would be for true fiscal conservatives for McCain to win. I will still vote for McCain as I can't in good conscious vote for someone (Obama) who I think will be a worse president than McCain (I may very well be wrong, though). But an Obama win (like a Carter win in 1976) may be what the doctor ordered to get back to a fiscal conservative platform in the GOP.