During the recent debt ceiling debate the GOP and their right wing propaganda machine harped on the fact that then Senator Obama voted against raising the debt ceiling in 2006. He admitted that his vote was political but wasn’t needed to pass or defeat the raise. I learned today that the Republicans have also had changed views on taxes, favoring corporations, and health care reform.
According to Politifact, Senator Obama’s vote was typical and not needed:
The Senate narrowly approved raising the limit along partisan lines, 52-48, with all Democrats opposed.
Typically, the party that controls the White House has had to take the difficult vote to raise the limit, while the other party was free to criticize. An analysis of the past 10 years of votes on the debt limit from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center shows the vote usually splits along partisan lines, with the president’s party voting in support.
Bachmann said Obama voted against the debt limit when he was a senator
Republicans don’t seem to have room to talk.
In 1990 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said in a campaign video:
I’m sure you’ve been watching this mess in Washington.
I’d like you to know how I feel about it.
I haven’t voted for one of these lousy budget packages for years and I won’t vote for this one.
It would raise taxes on the wrong people.
Unlike some folks around here I think everyone should pay their fair share. Including the rich.
We need to protect our seniors from Medicare cuts too.
I don’t care if the President or Congressional leaders twist my arm. I won’t support any deal that isn’t a fair deal for the working families of Kentucky.
As ThinkProgress noted:
But McConnell has not always been so virulently anti-tax. In fact, in a 1990 campaign ad, McConnell said that “everyone should pay their fair share, including the rich,” prompting the Associated Press to say that he sounded like a “populist Democrat”
In 2005, Mike Huckabee said this:
Echoing the compassionate conservative theme that marked the Bush campaign of 2000, Huckabee said the party needs to show a sense of compassion.
“I don’t know if it’s the reality or it’s the perception that Republicans are more interested in businesses and corporations than they are people,” he told reporters later. “Frankly, good policies will have an impact across all socio-economic boundaries.”
That’s right Huckabee warned of the dangers of focusing on corporations instead of humans.
Senator Jim DeMint, in 2007, was for a national “Obamacare” when it was still called “RomneyCare”:
And incase you think DeMint was confused here is a graphic showing the difference between the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the healthcare reform signed into law in Massachusetts by then Governor Mitt Romney:
(H/T ThinkProgress)
As you can see the ONLY difference is the Massachusetts plan couldn’t mess with Medicare.
When are these principled Republicans going to admit their views are purely political and varies depending on which way the wind is blowing or who is in the White House.
It probably also depends on how much cash they got for their principles.