Less-than-Dynamic Duo: McCain to endorse, stump for Carly "God Given Right" Fiorina tomorrow

[Amerigo Vespucci]

McCain to campaign for Fiorina in GOP Senate primary

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/04/mccain-to-endorse-fiorina-in-gop-senate-primary.html

April 5, 2010 | 12:00 pm

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is headed West on Tuesday to stump and raise money for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina. Consider it payback -- Fiorina was a campaign surrogate and economic adviser who helped McCain reach out to voters during his unsuccessful 2008 presidential run.

Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, had an uneven run as a surrogate and made several gaffes that McCain’s campaign had to walk back. She was sidelined after she told a radio host in September 2008 that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice-presidential pick, lacked the experience to lead a major corporation. She later clarified her remarks by adding that McCain and then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) were also unqualified to run a company, which didn’t really help the situation.

This election cycle, both Fiorina and McCain are facing tough primaries.

Fiorina, in her first bid for elected office, is jockeying for the lead with former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell in the race to be the GOP nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in the fall. Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore is trailing in the polls.

McCain, who has represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate since 1987, is facing a tough challenge from the right from former Congressman J.D. Hayworth.

Fiorina and McCain will visit DeVore’s hometown of Irvine Tuesday morning. They will tour Affinity Medical Technologies before making remarks and taking questions from attendees. McCain will also hold fundraisers for Fiorina in Orange County and Los Angeles.

Updated at 12:25 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said McCain would be endorsing Fiorina on Tuesday. In fact, McCain announced his endorsement when she announced her candidacy in November. On Tuesday, he will be campaigning for her for the first time.

FLASHBACK: McCain Adviser Carly Fiorina: ‘There Is No Job That Is America’s God-Given Right Anymore’

By Ben Furnas on Jun 20th, 2008 at 7:30 pm

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/06/20/fiorina-history/



Today, John McCain is in Ottawa, Canada, speaking to the Ottawa economic club to affirm his support for free trade and reassure them that his economic plan would be good for Canada.

But McCain neglected to mention that he opposes a key way to encourage investment (and, therefore, jobs) in the United States: eliminating the tax incentives for companies to keep profits overseas instead of reinvesting them in the United States.

By leaving profits overseas, U.S. companies can indefinitely postpone (i.e. totally avoid) paying U.S. corporate taxes.

As Martin Sullivan of Tax Notes writes, “The U.S. tax system does provide an incentive to locate production offshore.”

McCain adviser Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is well acquainted with this fact. At Hewlett Packard, Fiorina oversaw the sheltering of over $14 billion in profits overseas, bringing the companies effective tax rate down from 35% to 12%.

At a recent McCain economic event, Fiorina acknowledged the tax incentives to move offshore and explained that Hewlett Packard “left billions of dollars in cash overseas.”

In fact, Fiorina, has shown a consistent callousness towards Americans who have lost their jobs through outsourcing and offshoring:

– During her time as CEO, Fiorina was an outspoken defender of Hewlett-Packard’s offshoring, referring to it as “right-shoring.”

– In 2004, Carly Fiorina gave a speech in which she said, “there is no job that is America’s God-given right anymore.”

This callousness extends to McCain’s policies. Even as McCain opposes eliminating these incentives (which would encourage the creation of American jobs), he advocates a $175 billion tax cut for corporations and a expensing deduction called “the mother of all corporate loopholes.”

Fiorina, speaking for the campaign, has insisted that eliminating these incentives is unnecessary if the corporate rate is cut from 35% to 25% as McCain proposes, but, as George Stephanopolous neatly pointed out during an interview with Fiorina, this argument is absurd on its face: corporations face zero taxes if they leave their profits overseas, and 25% is still a whole lot bigger than zero.

In an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press, McCain wrote, “those who would lead our countries must work to ensure that the benefits of NAFTA are understood throughout our countries.”

Perhaps it’s time McCain made his continued desire to put corporate profits ahead of American jobs “understood throughout our countries” too.

[JuniperLea]

1. Can you say "kiss of death?"

McCain's endorsement is only slightly less harmful than GWB's endorsement, IMHO.

That's ok... I'm not complaining:) Smooch away, you old coot!

[Wapsie B]

3. Carly needs Sarah to stump for her.

:rofl:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. Palin would need a MOTHER-huge payoff on the back end for that "favor."

It would be interesting to see exactly what kind of carrot would have to be dangled, because she's proven one thing beyond the shadow of a doubt...whe'll sign up for just about anything if the price is right.

Oh, you BETCHA.

:rofl:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. Freepers are apoplectic over Palin campaigning with McCain...

...at best, rationalizing it as her "payback" for being on the 2008 ticket, but McCain's own "political capital?"

Not enough to get an item on the McDonald's "Dollar Menu."

:rofl:

[spanone]

2. mccain has destroyed any sense of 'heroism' concerning himself.