Will the real tax-and-spender please 'fess up?

[MrCoffee]

With the general election in full gear, Senator John McCain has stepped up efforts to paint his rival, Senator Barack Obama, as what he calls a traditional Democratic tax-and-spend liberal. On Tuesday, for instance, Mr. McCain, addressing a business gathering, accused Mr. Obama of wanting to enact “the largest single tax increase since World War II.”

Mr. McCain, the expected Republican nominee, also said that “under Senator Obama’s tax plan, Americans of every background would see their taxes rise — seniors, parents, small-business owners and just about everyone who has even a modest investment in the market.” He used much the same language in an April 15 speech in which he warned that Democrats “are going to raise your taxes by thousands of dollars per year,” adding up to “a trillion dollars in new taxes over the next decade.”

Economists of various ideological persuasions, however, view Mr. McCain’s assessment as inaccurate or exaggerated. Some question whether Mr. Obama’s tax plan can even be characterized as an increase. Some also argue that contrary to Mr. McCain’s assertions, the Democrat’s proposals, if enacted, would actually reduce taxes for the middle class — the voters both candidates see as the key to victory.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25133125/

Edited to add: For an excellent overview of both candidates tax plans (and excellent arguments as to why McSame's tax plan screws most people over), Tax Policy Center has their Preliminary Analysis up.

[DCofVA]

1. It's better to be a "tax and spend" Democrat than...

a "borrow and spend, and spend, and spend, and spend, and spend..." Repulican. It's all this borrowing that has put our economy in the tank. Even worst, the Republicans want to spend on things we don't need, like the Iraq war, and not on things we really need, like universal health.