Decision ‘08

Changing The Tone In Virginia

James Webb’s campaign has responded to the Allen camp’s recent ad criticizing his retrograde stance on women in the military by asking for a return to the issues. That’s music to my ears, both because the contest has been very nasty of late and because I think on the issues, the Republican incumbent is in better shape. One quick example on a subject near and dear to my heart: taxes.

Here’s Allen’s website on taxes:

Lessening the Tax Burden on Virginians:

Senator Allen is an advocate for Virginia’s hardworking families, workers, and small businesses. He believes that we need to keep the current economic expansion of opportunity growing stronger and prevent tax increases, and in fact, lower the tax burden on taxpayers and investment for more prosperity, opportunity, and jobs.

Supporting Tax Relief:

Advocated for and sponsored successful tax relief efforts including –

Elimination of the Death Tax

Acceleration of marriage penalty relief

Increasing the number of Americans eligible for the 10-percent tax bracket

Raising the Child Tax Credit

Signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s “Taxpayers Protection Pledge” to assure the working people of Virginia and America that they will be able to keep more of what they earn.

Now, Webb:

This country is splitting into three pieces. As a result of the internationalization of the economy, the people at the top have never had it so good. The middle class is continuing to get squeezed by stagnant wages and rising cost of living. And we are in danger of creating a permanent underclass. We must reexamine our tax and trade policies and reinstitute notions of fairness, and also enforce our existing trade laws so that free trade becomes fair trade.

Uh, oh…’fair trade’, ‘internationalization’, and not the two Americas of John Edwards, but three? No, no, no, this won’t do at all…this quasi-socialist warmed-over Perot-type progressivism is not the prescription for Virginia or America.

One of the biggest problems I have with the modern Democratic Party is its reflexive hostility towards capitalism. Class warfare is an old populist trick, and it might play well for those with resentment towards the more fortunate, but I happen to think most American don’t resent the rich so much as they aspire to join them…

11 Responses to “Changing The Tone In Virginia”

1 Jack Rich Says:
September 29th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
I’m a Virginia Republican, and I’ve always liked and respected Jim Webb. Ditto for George Allen, at least until recently. Allen in the past few months has been, well, let’s just say less than presidential. Less than senatorial, actually…he has come across as the Southern good ole boy he never was, growing up in California.

But it appears as though Webb has sold his soul, or at least put it on the installment plan, in order to please the Democratic faithful. If and when Webb shouts out “Halliburton!!!” or “No blood for oil!!!” we’ll know his transformation is complete.

Bottom line: I haven’t yet made up my mind who to vote for; I suspect whoever it is I’ll be holding my nose while I do so.
2 Eric Says:
September 29th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
One of the biggest problems I have with the modern Republican Party is its inability to view the legitimate issues that people raise with our own uniquely American brand of capitalism as anything other than “reflexive hostility towards capitalism”.

Let’s make a pact right now. Can we all agree that we’re OK with the free market system? Can we all agree that most of us - regardless of party affiliation - aren’t itching to pack up and move to a state farm? Can we dispense with the strawmen? Please?

Having said that, our system - not necessarily capitalism iteself, mind you, but our specific implementation of it - is hardly a bastion of fairness. Access to the legislative process (not to mention the executive branch) is monumentally heavily weighted in favor of the rich and large corporations. The fact that we as citizens get to vote every year or two hardly balances the scales. I fail to see how that point can be argued, but I’ll accept that some try. What I won’t accept, however, is the simplistic (and, to use another word, “wrong”) notion that people who point these things out and argue for their change are automatically “quasi-socialist”. You want lower taxes? Fine. Make corporations toe the line. I think it’s fair to suggest that making millions - if not billions - of dollars off the American people comes with some measure of responsibility.
3 Mark Says:
September 29th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Well, Eric, you might be surprised to find I agree with some of what you just said: corporations do need less tax breaks. I’m all for a more equitable tax system, in terms of eliminating loopholes. But let’s face it, that’s not what Webb is referring to. You accuse me of throwing up a straw man; what about Webb with his “internationalization”? These are code words to the progressive union faithful; you know it, I know it, let’s not insult anyone’s intelligence by pretending otherwise…
4 mtl Says:
September 29th, 2006 at 10:24 pm
“This country is splitting into three pieces. As a result of the internationalization of the economy, the people at the top have never had it so good.”

At first I thought he waa talking about Iraq. I have feeling Webb is not going for the Reaganites who are supply siders.
5 mtl Says:
September 29th, 2006 at 10:26 pm
btw, the commercial that Allen ran ended this race. Considering if it impacts women voters by 1%, it will have more impact than the progressive ‘racist chase’.
6 too many steves Says:
September 30th, 2006 at 6:02 am
Taxing corporations is not some consequence free action that brings about “fairness”, whatever that means. Corporations don’t pay taxes, people do. If you raise taxes on corporations they simply fund the increase through lower wages (or reduced wage increases), by employing fewer workers (or restricting expansion), by increasing their prices, or some combination of all of these.

But, then, the whole “fairness” in taxing idea is an argument designed to go after some bogeyman other than ourselves. Whether there are two classes, or three, or five, is irrelevant.

Now, if you want to talk about fairness in captialism, as it applies to our version, lets explore the elimination of all the anti-capitalist, anti-free market mechanisms built into our system (regulation, tax-breaks, enterprise zones, etc.).
7 AllenHQ Says:
September 30th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
[…] Decision ‘08, on Webb’s economic rhetoric: “One of the biggest problems I have with the modern Democratic Party is its reflexive hostility towards capitalism.” […]
8 JB Says:
September 30th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
So Webb wants to “reinstitute notions of fairness.” Hmmm. Whatever could he mean by that? Higher taxes on the rich? And of course rich by the Democrat standard means employed.

The fact that this bozo is even close in a red state is a bit worrisome.
9 charles Says:
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:42 pm
The democrats will vote for anything. Webb is only polling 6 points higher than “player to be named later” was in February.

I don’t get the “3 americas”, I guess because I don’t know which one I’m in. Maybe I’m in the squeezed middle class.
10 Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » Interesting Choice Of Inspirations Says:
October 8th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
[…] The George Allen blog notes The Nation looking on with approval at James Webb’s nods to…Marx and Engels. I’ve noted before Webb’s solid progressive (read: populist or socialist, pick your poison) credentials on economic matters, causing one commenter to note with exasperation: Can we all agree that we’re OK with the free market system? Can we all agree that most of us - regardless of party affiliation - aren’t itching to pack up and move to a state farm? Can we dispense with the strawmen? […]
11 Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » James Webb, Socialist Says:
November 16th, 2006 at 9:20 am
[…] Actually, I did recognize quite early on that Webb had socialist ‘tendencies’, a full month before the elections, and I said so: I’ve noted before Webb’s solid progressive (read: populist or socialist, pick your poison) credentials on economic matters, causing one commenter to note with exasperation: Can we all agree that we’re OK with the free market system? Can we all agree that most of us - regardless of party affiliation - aren’t itching to pack up and move to a state farm? Can we dispense with the strawmen? Well, when you’ve got a candidate for the U.S. Senate taking his economic cues from Marx and Engels…no, we can’t agree on that at all… […]