McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and A Balanced Budget

John McCain says he "will not leave office without balancing the federal budget." But an analysis by the non-partisan FactCheck.org reveals McCain's plan is "full of holes" and doesn't even add up. According to FactCheck.org, McCain's "pronouncement on cutting spending, and even the growth in size of the federal government, are dubious at best." His claims about cutting earmarks wouldn't produce the savings he intends, and he has been "vague" about the specific programs he would cut. On top of this, his campaign has backed off his no-earmarks pledge, the central aspect of his budget plan. [johnmccain.com, accessed 5/13/08; FactCheck.org; 5/13/08]

A president whose plans are dubious--sounds like more of the same we've seen from George Bush. And in these times of economic uncertainty, dubious plans on the budget are the last thing our country needs.

FactCheck.org Analysis Shows McCain's Spending Plans Don't Add Up. According to the non-partisan FactCheck.org, "McCain's big promise is that he can balance the budget while extending Bush's tax cuts and adding a few of his own. He likes to leave the impression that this can be done painlessly, for example, by eliminating "wasteful" spending in the form of "earmarks" that lawmakers like to tuck into spending bills to finance home-state projects. We found that not only is this theory full of holes, it's not even McCain's actual plan." [FactCheck.org, 5/13/08]

After casting himself as a "Maverick" in 2000, the new John McCain is walking in lockstep with President Bush, pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and embracing the ideology he once denounced. On the campaign trail McCain has callously abandoned many of his previously held positions, even contradicted himself, in a blatant attempt to remake himself into a candidate Republicans can accept in 2008. So just who is the real John McCain? The Democratic National Committee will present a daily fact aimed at exposing the man behind the myth.