There is a an article on the front page right now that asks John McCain if he still supports privatization of social security.
Which made me think, we should ask John McCain if he still stands by his promise to balance the budget by 2012.
Remember way back on July 6, 2008? Almost eight whole weeks ago? When John McCain promised that he would balance the budget by the end of his first term?
In case you forget, here is how Politico covered it:
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) plans to promise on Monday that he will balance the federal budget by the end of his first term by curbing wasteful spending and overhauling entitlement programs, including Social Security, his advisers told Politico.
The vow to take on Social Security puts McCain in a political danger zone that thwarted President Bush after he named it the top domestic priority of his second term.
McCain is making the pledge at the beginning of a week when both presidential candidates plan to devote their events to the economy, the top issue in poll after poll as voters struggle to keep their jobs and fill their gas tanks.
"In the long-term, the only way to keep the budget balanced is successful reform of the large spending pressures in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid," the McCain campaign says in a policy paper to be released Monday.
There was widespread coverage:
From the Washington Post:
The focus on the economy is part of McCain's renewed effort to drive a consistent message after weeks of being criticized by many in his own party for a muddled and disconnected message. Senior adviser Steve Schmidt took over daily operations last week, promising more coherent themes and better execution.
And ABC news:
The bold declaration -- which McCain will make during a Denver town hall meeting as part of a weeklong tour of swing states -- is part of his efforts to be perceived as the candidate who can manage the economy; the economy has become voters' overwhelmingly top priority, and it offers a way for McCain to dramatically differentiate himself from President Bush.
Bold indeed!
Of course, John McCain has already flip-flopped on this topic just in this election cycle: he was for it before he was against it before he was for it. Again, from Politico:
The pledge is a return to an earlier position he'd later backed away from. On April 15, McCain backed off a February pledge to balance the budget in his first term when asked about it by Michael Cooper of The New York Times, who reported that McCain said "at a news conference ... that ‘economic conditions are reversed’ and that he would have a balanced budget within eight years."
and from the New York Times:
In February, Mr. McCain had proposed balancing the budget by the end of his first term as president. But when he announced a series of tax cuts in April, he said that he would balance the budget within eight years. He said then that "economic conditions are reversed," making it difficult to balance the budget earlier.
But how will be answer the question today? Enquiring minds want to know!