One thing I have to give credit to McCain for is that he’s done a really good job linking Obama to higher taxes. If you hear McCain speaking, in between “maverick” and “my friends,” you’ll hear a lot about Obama raising taxes.

McCain said, “Sen. Obama is measuring the drapes and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid to raise taxes, increase spending… What America needs in this hour is… [s]omeone who puts all his cards on the table and trusts in the judgment of the American people.”

Speaking of putting all one’s cards on the table and trusting the judgment of American people, Obama is the one who’s vowed to cut taxes on the middle class, and the one who’s assured families making under $250,000 a year (and individuals making under $200,000 a year) won’t see their taxes increase a penny. McCain talks a lot about continuing the Bush tax cuts for the rich and about cutting taxes on corporations.

McCain likes to bring up how Obama voted to raise taxes on people making as little as $32,000/$42,500. Except this is misleading on multiple levels… For one, the bill was a procedural vote on appropriations, and had no impact on actual tax rates. And as I understand it (I can’t find the bill in THOMAS), McCain voted the same way.

Of course I’m simplifying both candidate’s stances on the issues. But just like you shouldn’t trust Sarah Palin when she says she’s “pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing …. any hint of any kind of unethical activity there” (she was actually found, by the Republican-led Alaskan legislature, to have abused her power and violated state ethics law), you should roll your eyes every time McCain mentions Obama planning to raise taxes. Because Obama is the one who’s promised not to do that; in fact, he’s the one who’s promised tax cuts for the middle class.