McCain Blames Recession On Wall St.
Candidate Says Deregulation Spurred Economic Growth, Didn't Cause Collapse
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Play CBS Video Video Candidate McCain, Part 1 In separate interviews, the two parties' presidential nominees are questioned on the big issues, including the U.S. economy, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, energy policy and health care. Scott Pelley interviews Sen. John McCain.
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Video Candidate McCain, Part 2 The presidential candidates talk about the defining experiences of their lives. Scott Pelley interviews Sen. John McCain.
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Video McCain: How I Differ From Bush Sen. Obama has called Sen. McCain President Bush's third term, but McCain disagrees with that and points out a number of differences.
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Sen. John McCain (CBS)
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Photo Essay Behind The Scenes Take a behind-the-scenes peek of Scott Pelley's interview with Sen. John McCain.
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Interactive Campaign 2008 Profiles of the candidates, polls, fund-raising, blogs, video and more.
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Watch past 60 Minutes reports on John McCain:
- 1997: Maverick From Arizona
- 1999: McCain
- March 2008: McCain
McCain: Yes. Yes
Pelley: This is the president of your party.
McCain: Yes, it is.
Pelley: Are you saying that the Bush administration has failed?
McCain: I say the Bush administration has failed. I say the Congress has failed, Democrats and Republicans. I remind you the Democrats have had the majority in Congress for the last two years. So everybody's failed. And the cozy, old-boy, special interests that have prevailed in Washington have harmed the American people, frankly, in the most terrible fashion.
Pelley: What are the differences between you and Senator Obama on taxes. In your plan, who gets a tax cut?
McCain: Well, in my plan everybody does.
Senator Obama's plan would cut taxes more than McCain for the middle class, but Obama would raise taxes for those making more than $250,000 a year. And last week, McCain turned up the temperature on the rhetoric.
"His tax increase along with the enormous federal programs he proposes are the surest way to turn a recession into a depression," McCain said.
Pelley: You and Senator Obama propose cutting taxes in different ways. But in the last few days the federal deficit broke all records.
McCain: Yes.
Pelley: It's now $400 billion that the federal government is in the red. Is it smart to cut taxes for anyone in this economic emergency with that kind of a deficit?
McCain: Well, number one, Scott, the worst thing you could do is raise taxes on anybody. And I don't know which iteration we are talking about of Senator Obama's. He's had four or five different positions on which taxes he would increase, which ones he wouldn't. I think the major point here is that spending got out of control. How many Americans know that the size of government increased by 40 percent in the last seven years? We Republicans for six of the eight years presided over the greatest increase in government since the Great Society. Republicans came to power to change Washington. And Washington changed us.
Pelley: But how do you cut the budget?
McCain: Oh, easy. Look
Pelley: That much.
McCain: Look, if you were able to increase the budget and the size of government by 40 percent, don't you think you could cut some of it?
Pelley: What are you gonna cut?
McCain: I think we'll frankly, you can eliminate so many agencies of government that are outmoded. Obviously I would scrub defense spending. Obviously we would look at every institution of government. I would stop these protectionist tariffs. I would stop subsidizing sugar.
Pelley: Did I just hear you say you’re gonna cut the defense budget?
McCain: I think there's areas in defense where we can save a lot of money in cost over runs.
Produced By Tom Anderson
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See all 401 CommentsI remind you, Mr. McCain, that your fellow Republican Senators have had the filibuster and Duhbya has had the veto for those two years, and they have made liberal use of them.
c''mon now! those republican fear-tactics aren''t gonna cut it anymore...nice try though.
basically, this election is about: The Rich vs. The Poor; Republicans vs. Democrats, respectively. I really understand why Rich people vote Republican; but, I''ll never understand why ANY Middle/Lower-Class folks vote republican...its not about Black or White; Old or Young; Male or Female. Republicans only care about one color: "Money Green".
Over the past 8 years (especially with this $700 Billion Bailout for the Rich)GW and the Republicans have proven that to us time and time again. Wake up, Middle/Lower Class...If we elect to put another Republican in office, we''re up shiggity-creek for the next 4 years. Right or wrong?
Posted by jaxsterling5 at 11:50 AM : Sep 23, 2008
Gee...I hope you''re right!
John McLame the Recession didn''t just start LAST WEEK.
Blame the Economy, Bush Administration, Housing Bubble, Sub-Prime Mortgages, Job Loss and many more factors.
John McLame the US Economy has been in Recession for the past 18+ months where the Frack Have you Been ?
Once again John McLame has his marbles jumbled up facts jacked up.
McCain/Palin "08
McCain: No
I think it''s time for McCain to SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!
John McCain knows better, but once again, John McCain is putting politics before America. He''s disgusting.
-- George Will complained in an article that Obama had "never run so much as a Dairy Queen."
Of course it spurred economic growth--if you''re talking about the growth of the incomes of the top 1 percent. Several weeks ago, George Will complained in an article that Obama had "never so much as a Dairy Queen." Well, guess what, McCain''s never held a single private sector job IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE. But he could care less; he''s the Kept Man of a multi-millionaire beer heiress. Why should he have any sympathy for the average joe out on the street who can''t even keep up with the mortgage on one house, not to mention seven (or was it eight--together with thirteen cars and a private plane)?
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