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Originally Posted by Clark Addison
OK, let's take these one by one.
Increase Capital Gains Tax It is true that Obama would like to increase the capital gains tax to the levels of that extreme lefty, Ronald Reagan. For what it's worth, I don't know if I like this position, but it is hardly radical.
Health Insurance Is Obama's plan for Health Care on the left? Of course. Is it radical or extreme? I don't see that, but if you want to argue in more specific terms how, feel free.
Iraq Where has Obama said that he favors "immediate unilateral withdrawal from Iraq". His plan calls for a phased pull out over the course of over a year. Sadly, I don't think he will be able to do it. And I don't understand your concern with unilateralism? Whose permission should we be asking to leave? If, by this, you mean that Obama is not planning on cooperating with Allies or Iraq in working this out, I don't know where you got this idea. His withdrawal is certainly planned to be less unilateral than the invasion was.
Voting Records Again, I don't know what this means. Most people who say that "Obama is the most liberal member of the Senate" are talking about rankings in National Journal Magazine (a conservative magazine. Hmmm, they surely wouldn't have any reason to push this agenda). If you look across rankings by various groups, whether on the left, right, or non-partisan, there is no evidence that Obama is out there on the fringe somewhere. The ACLU ranks him #28 by their criteria. Taxpayers for Common Sense rank him #27. The US Chamber of Commerce ranks him in the middle. The John Birch Society ranks 15 Senators as more liberal than him. The beloved Eagle Forum ranks 42 Senators as more liberal.
Pastor Wright I think it is valid to use this relationship to question Obama's judgement. I don't see how it proves he is radically liberal.
Increase Income Taxes Obama wants to repeal Bush's tax cuts. This would put us at a level, if you look at the past 25, 50 or 100 years, of LOW taxation. We are currently running massive deficits. Isn't fiscal responsibility supposed to be a conservative trait? If Obama wanted to raise the marginal tax rate on incomes over $150K to 80%, then sure, call him a radical.
Maybe the problem is me. Maybe I am a radical. But I don't see a lot of far-left proposals out there.
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You are a radical.
The capital gains levels exceed what many other countries assess upon their capital investments, and Ronald Reagan had to barter and trade. In theory, we should have capital gains at ten percent and nothing higher, but don't try and characterize his position as anything but radical in terms of taxation.
If his plans for health care are NOT extreme, then what is extreme? They may be attractive to citizens who are looking for a way to reduce the cost of health care, which I believe his plans will fail to achieve, but they are radical and extreme. People don't wish to pay a lot and the politicians are all too happy to say, "I know a way." Fools believe them.
His proposal is the most radical out there. Again, I don't like that it got started but I feel a moral duty now we're there.
A guy listening for 20 years to an anti-American hatemonger, and you don't find that radical?
Our tax rates are still higher than many countries such as HK, Monaco and I believe even Costa Rica.