Obama's Moving Tax Threshold: $250,000? $200,000? $150,000? What Next? [Byron York]
One of the things I've seen at Republican rallies is that people just don't believe Barack Obama when he says he'll raise taxes only on those who make more than $250,000 a year. It's not that these people make that much money or even think they'll make that much money sometime in the next four years. It's that they believe Obama, once in office, would lower the threshold and raise taxes on people who make less than $250,000.
Obama's position in the past was that he would raise taxes on families making more than $250,000 a year and individuals making more than $200,000. But in his new ad, "Defining Moment," he seems to lower it to $200,000 for families. "Here's what I'll do as president," Obama says in the ad. "To deal with our current emergency I'll launch a rescue plan for the middle class That begins with a tax cut for 95 percent of working Americans. If you have a job, pay taxes and make less than $200,000 a year, you'll get a tax cut." That seems kind of ambiguous, but the graphic on the screen says clearly: "Famlies making less than $200,000 get tax cut." Now, the McCain campaign is pointing out something that Joe Biden said in a Pennsylvania TV interview yesterday:
"What we’re saying is that $87 billion tax break doesn’t need to go to people making an average of 1.4 million, it should go like it used to. It should go to middle class people — people making under $150,000 a year.”
This morning, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, McCain started pushing hard:
Senator Obama has made a lot of promises. First he said people making less than 250,000 dollars would benefit from his plan, then this weekend he announced in an ad that if you're a family making less than 200,000 dollars you'll benefit — but yesterday, right here in Pennsylvania, Senator Biden said tax relief should only go to "middle class people — people making under 150,000 dollars a year." It's interesting how their definition of rich has a way of creeping down. At this rate, it won't be long before Senator Obama is right back to his vote that Americans making just 42,000 dollars a year should get a tax increase. We can't let that happen.
10/28 11:37 AM
corner.nationalreview.com
How Low Can It Go? Richardson Pegs Middle Class as Those Making Under $120,000
For the second time in a week, a prominent Democrat has downgraded Barack Obama's definition of the middle class.
FOXNews.com
Friday, 2008-31-305
For the second time in a week, a prominent Democrat has downgraded Barack Obama's definition of the middle class -- leading Republicans to question whether he'll stick to his promise not to raise taxes on anyone making under $250,000.
The latest hiccup in the campaign message came Friday morning on KOA-AM, when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson pegged the middle class as those making $120,000 and under.
Click here to listen to Richardson talk about Obama's tax plan.
"What Obama wants to do is he is basically looking at $120,000 and under among those that are in the middle class, and there is a tax cut for those," Richardson said in the interview, according to a clip posted on YouTube.
There's no indication that Obama has changed his tax policy, which states that anyone making under $200,000 would get a tax cut under his administration, and nobody making under $250,000 would be hit with a tax increase. Richardson actually recited that part of Obama's plan correctly earlier in his radio interview.
But Sarah Palin accused Obama of shifting the threshold Friday afternoon at a rally in York, Pa.
"So now we're down to less than half of the original income level," she said, citing Richardson's interview. "We can't let this happen."
And the Republican National Committee quickly blasted out an e-mail saying, "At this rate, it won't take long until Obama is again raising taxes on Americans making as little as $42,000 a year."
"When Barack Obama comes to your door this Halloween, there will be no treats -- just taxes," the e-mail said.
Joe Biden caused headaches for the campaign Monday when he told a Scranton, Pa., TV station that Obama's tax break "should go to middle class people -- people making under $150,000 a year."
John McCain said the tax threshold was "creeping down," while the Obama campaign accused him of lying about Obama's tax policies.
elections.foxnews.com
BTW Richardson would be a Cabinet member if Obama were elected. |
