Romney Campaign Press Release - Do You Know the Real McCain Agenda?

Pushing The Democrat Position On Immigration, Taxes, Energy...

"A conservative is not a man that calls tax cuts that George Bush passed that revived the economy, 'tax cuts for the rich.' ... A conservative is not a man that teams up with Teddy Kennedy to produce a bill that is nothing short of amnesty ... A conservative is not a man who says that he wants to increase taxes, maybe 50 cents per gallon on the American people... That is not a conservative. I could go on forever and ever." – MSNBC's Joe Scarborough (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 1/31/08; www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViXv8KeemkU)

Sen. McCain Would Sign McCain-Kennedy Amnesty Legislation Into Law:

Sen. McCain Recently Admitted That If Elected, He Would Sign McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill Into Law. NBC'S TIM RUSSERT: "If the Senate passed your bill, S.1433, the McCain/Kennedy immigration bill, would you as President sign it? MCCAIN: " Yeah. But look, the lesson is, it isn't – one, it isn't going to come. It isn't going to come." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 1/27/08 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLWRW4GoGHY)

Sen. McCain Would Not Champion The Bush Tax Cuts He Voted Against:

In 2004, Sen. McCain Said He Was Against Making The Bush Tax Cuts "For Higher Income People" Permanent. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: "They want to make the tax cuts for higher-income people permanent, and I don't want that." (NPR's "Morning Edition," 6/16/04)

Sen. McCain: "I Don't Think We Should Continue To Cut Taxes." SEN. MCCAIN: "I don't think we should continue to cut taxes." (Sen. John McCain, Remarks, Washington, D.C., 5/18/04)

- In 2001, Sen. McCain Was One Of Only Two Republicans To Vote Against The $1.35 Trillion Tax Cut. The bill lowered marginal rates, eliminated the marriage penalty, and doubled the child tax credit. (H.R. 1836, CQ Vote #170: Adopted 58-33: R 46-2; D 12-31; I 0-0, 5/26/01, McCain Voted Nay)

- In 2003, Sen. McCain Was One Of Only Three Republicans To Twice Vote Against The $350 Billion Tax Cut. The comprehensive bill lowered taxes by $350 billion over 11 years – including increasing the child tax credit and eliminated the marriage penalty. (H.R. 2, CQ Vote #179: Passed 51-49: R 48-3; D 3-45; I 0-1, 5/15/03, McCain Voted Nay; H.R. 2, CQ Vote #196: Adopted 50-50: R 48-3; D 2-46; I 0-1, 5/23/03, McCain Voted Nay)

Sen. McCain Might Even Resort To His 2000 Plan To Raise Taxes:

Sen. McCain Recently Praised His 2000 Campaign Tax Plan. SEN. MCCAIN: "I made it very clear when I ran in 2000 that I had a package of tax cuts that were very important and impactful but I also had restraints in spending." (CNN, [Unverified Transcript], Republican Presidential Candidate Debate, Simi Valley, CA, 1/30/07)

Unfortunately, In 2000, Sen. McCain Admitted His Tax Plan Included Have A Tax Increase. FOX NEWS' BILL O'REILLY: "All right. So you want to target the – the middle-class people, and you're willing to live with the rich people paying the taxes they're – they're paying." MCCAIN: "Sure. And I don't want to take any money. In fact, the program that I have gives them a slight tax increase, but the question is what do you do with the surplus. Governor Bush puts it all in tax cuts. I want to give middle-class Americans a tax break, spend it on Social Security, Medicare, and paying down the debt." (Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," 1/20/00)

Sen. McCain Would Sign McCain-Lieberman Energy Legislation Into Law:


Sen. McCain Called Bush's Record On Climate Change "Disgraceful," And Urged The President To Support McCain-Lieberman. "Maverick Republican Sen. John McCain last week called the Bush administration record on climate change 'disgraceful,' and urged the president to support his efforts to pass mandatory limits on carbon dioxide emissions in the face of international scientific opinion that global warming is occurring and poses risks to future generations." ("Fighting For CO2 Controls, McCain Bashes Bush Position," Electric Utility Week, 11/22/04)

McCain-Lieberman Would Dramatically Raise Taxes On All Carbon-Based Fuels, Like Gas For Your Car And Home Heating Oil. "What is not widely understood is that [Sen. McCain] is currently sponsoring legislation that, in the name of fighting global warming, would dramatically raise the tax on all carbon-based fuels, including gasoline, home heating oil, coal, and to a lesser extent, natural gas." (Roy Cordato, "McCain's Costly Tax On Energy," National Review, www.nationalreview.com, Posted 1/10/08)

Sen. McCain Would Push For More Government Regulation On Top Of McCain-Feingold:

Sens. McCain & Feingold Have Called For Even More Campaign Finance Reform. "The bill Senator Feingold and I are introducing today is designed to put an end to the abusive, illegal practices of these 527s. I urge my colleagues to support swift passage of this bill and put an end to this problem once and for all." (Sen. John McCain, Press Release, 1/31/07)

Sens. McCain & Feingold Have Called For Even More Government Regulation. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: "Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by my good friend and colleague from Wisconsin, Senator Feingold in once again introducing legislation to replace the Federal Election Commission (FEC) with the Federal Election Administration (FEA). The FEA would serve as an independent body to enforce federal campaign laws - something the FEC has been unable, and often unwilling, to do. This legislation would terminate the FEC and establish a new regulatory entity. Using a new organizational structure and administrative law judges, we hope to avoid the routine partisan deadlocks that are now so prevalent at the FEC. This bill would authorize the new FEA to impose civil penalties, issue cease and desist orders, report apparent criminal violations to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, and conduct audits and field examinations of campaign committees. Finally, Mr. President, this bill would direct the Comptroller General to examine and report to Congress on the enforcement of the criminal provisions of the federal campaign finance laws. I urge my colleagues to support this common sense reform proposal." (Sen. John McCain, Press Release, 2/1/07)