Kevin Stach argues that John McCain’s record on fiscal issues shows that he is a mainline, low-tax conservative. He points out that McCain:
- Voted in 1983 to expand the Reagan tax cuts
- Voted in 1984 against $300 billion in tax increases
- Voted in 1989 to cut the capital gains tax and expand IRAs
- Opposed George Bush’s tax-raising budget deal in 1990
- Supported a super-majority for tax increases, and a capital gains cut (in 1992)
- Opposed Bill Clinton’s 1994 tax increases
- Voted for tax-free Medical Savings Accounts in 1996
- Supported tax-free education savings and capital gains tax cuts in 1997
- Voted to cut income taxes in 1998
- Voted to eliminate the marriage penalty in 2000
- Supported additional tax cuts during the Bush administration, after opposing the initial Bush tax cuts in 2001
The Club for Growth does a good job of laying out the criticisms of McCain’s record on taxes. The blemishes on his record come almost exclusively from recent years, in relation to the Bush tax cuts. They also praise his record on spending. McCain will need to explain his record to low-tax conservatives, but on the balance, his record provides ample ammunition for him to make his case.
