Oliphant supports Kerry's economic poliices

[Nancy Waterman]

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/08/31/economic_focus_helps_kerry/

In a chat with journalists before Kerry's presentation in Durham, N.H., last week, a senior Kerry adviser well versed in the ways of Washington and Wall Street expressed amazement at how easily Democrats have forgotten the core lessons of Bill Clinton's presidency, when getting economic fundamentals right supported and stimulated prosperity. The core of government policy, he said, must focus on the most powerful engine of growth -- America's middle-class -- for reasons that include simple fairness and politics as well as sound economics.

In addition, discipline must be maintained over the huge federal budget, and trade policy must be "progressive" to foster American exports, meaning no rollbacks of existing international agreements and a willingness to pursue new ones. That is the essence of Kerry's approach, which stands not only as a solid means of reversing an astonishingly poor record by the Bush administration but as a forceful rebuke of two competitors -- Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt -- who have let their fixation on a single issue (universal health insurance) cloud their judgment about the income tax burden on ordinary Americans.

It sounds tough, and it appeals to the anti-Bush in most Democrats these days, to call for the repeal of all of the tax cuts. However, that means far more than the unconscionable slashes in the top rate paid by the most wealthy, the cut in taxes on stock dividends, and the lowered capital gains rate.

It also means the recent increases in the child tax credit, the new bottom rate of 10 percent, the much broader 15 percent bracket, and the easing of the so-called marriage penalty. This is where working America lives in tax terms and the impact of complete repeal would be enormous, both on families with a tough enough struggle to make ends meet and on a fragile economy that needs more, not less, consumer spending.

[scoelhoMA]

1. Oliphant'sassessment

I believe that he is right. John Kerry has a plan and is not just reacting to what is hapening at the moment. I know that Dean is very popular and I like him very much and if he is the nominee then I will support him. But I know Kerry can beat bush and I doubt any of the others can. Oliphant is s very astute columnist.

[w4rma]

2. This statement by Oliphant shows he doesn't know what he's talking about

…
In addition, discipline must be maintained over the huge federal budget, and trade policy must be "progressive" to foster American exports, meaning no rollbacks of existing international agreements and a willingness to pursue new ones. That is the essence of Kerry's approach, which stands not only as a solid means of reversing an astonishingly poor record by the Bush administration but as a forceful rebuke of two competitors -- Howard Dean and Dick Gephardt -- who have let their fixation on a single issue (universal health insurance) cloud their judgment about the income tax burden on ordinary Americans.
…

Also, I don't he's correct about Sen. Kerry's position on trade agreements (I had thought that Kerry was pro-fair trade), but if Oliphant is correct, then Kerry is not as good on economic issues as I thought he was.

Dean's and Gephardt's positions on health insurance are widly different. It is my understanding that Gephardt's position is single-payer and so is Kerry's position. Dean's position is not single-payer, but an incremental approach that expands existing programs to the currently uninsured.