McCain Campaign Plays the Race Card

The McCain campaign stepped up its attacks today, playing the Race Card in a not-too-subtle way. The McCain campaign is now referring to Obama's tax relief plan as "welfare":




From ABC:

The Arizona senator released a web video Thursday degrading his opponent's refundable tax credits as "welfare" and "government handouts."

A day earlier, it was adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin who was making the case against Obama.

"The most interesting place now where people have caught onto Barack Obama is in the area of a 'tax cut' for 95 percent of the American people, despite the fact that just under 50 percent literally pay no income tax," said Holtz-Eakin on a conference call with reporters.

"Now how can this be done?" he continued. "Well, Barack Obama has labeled mailing checks to individuals a tax cut."

McCain's top policy adviser then enumerated the following litany of refundable tax credits favored by Obama: (1) a "make-work-pay" credit of up to $500, (2) a universal mortgage credit of 10% of mortgage interest, (3) three different extensions of the Earned Income Tax Credit, (4) a refundable child care credit, (5) a saver's credit, (6) a Hope Credit, and (7) a 100% match of college expenses up to $4,000.

"This array of credits amounts to sending checks to individuals," said Holtz-Eakin, "In 2009, there would be checks sent to 57 million households in the US."

Obama's support for the Earned Income Tax Credit comes as no surprise to Illinoisans. In 2003, Obama championed and passed an expansion of the EITC. Senate Bill 4 passed the Illinois General Assembly unanimously. Which in itself is not surprising, since the EITC was first proposed by Richard Nixon and later embraced by Ronald Reagan.

Its no surprise to see John McCain's moving further down this road. But will it work?