MotherJones Blog: Forget the 2008 Horse Race, What about Policy?

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Forget the 2008 Horse Race, What about Policy?

Okay, for a moment let's forget about attack ads, Iowa, the polls, that floating cross in Mike Huckabee's latest commercial, Hillary's wrinkles, and the question of whether Jesus and Satan are half-brothers--and let's talk presidential race policy!

The smart wonks at the New America Foundation have taken a details-drenched look at the proposals of all the Democratic and Republican presidential wannabes related to the promotion of savings and asset building. This broad category includes retirement security, affordable home ownership, children's savings accounts, the subprime mortgage crisis, bankruptcy, and more. A sample:

Joe Biden plans to incentivize savings by expanding the Saver's Credit, providing eligible families a 50% refundable tax credit for deposits up to $2,000 in certain tax-preferred savings accounts, such as 401(k) plans or Individual Retirement Accounts. A family earning less than 50,000 that deposits $4,000 into savings products eligible for the credit would receive a $2,000 matched refund from this plan.

Chris Dodd proposes to assist individuals saving for a down payment on a home with the creation of Tax-Deferred Individual Homeownership Savings Accounts. The federal government would match up to $500 each year in the accounts of low-income and working families under this plan.

John Edwards proposes the creation of “work bonds” to match household savings. Households earning up to $75,000 would receive a state-provided bond valued at $500 per year. Additionally, he proposes the “Get Ahead” tax credit to match up to $500 in savings for retirement, college education, home purchase or investment in a small business or during a financial or medical emergency.....

Rudy Giuliani proposes to expand tax-free savings accounts to encourage Americans to save. Giuliani also plans to eliminate the double taxation of individuals’ current savings.

Barack Obama proposes to federally match savings by expanding the Saver's Credit. Working families earning up to $75,000 would receive a 50% match of the first $1,000 of savings deposits made to accounts eligible for the Saver’s Credit. The refundable tax credit and the savings match will be directly deposited into the filer's personal accounts.

Mitt Romney proposes to allow tax-free savings for all families with adjusted gross incomes under $200,000. He would do this by eliminating all taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains. This would allow these families to save and invest tax-free.

So now is it clear whom you should vote for? Seriously, there's not much coverage of such policy matters during the campaign. Democrats in presidential races tend to produce loads of policy papers. Republicans often don't bother. But certainly few policy papers come to be campaign matters--with the exception of those related to such big-ticket subjects as health care or Social Security. Still, it's good to remember that behind each candidate is a bunch of ideas (and advisers with ideas)--and that in one case this will indeed matter. To check out the full New America report, click here.

Comments

It seems like a huge concern for a paltry amount of money.

I would love to hear how they are going to fix the economy as a whole. The numbers are meaningless if the economy is not squared away first.

Good piece, exposing the issue that is as clear as thick mud.

"So now is it clear whom you should vote for?"

Maybe the intention of such policy prattle is to promote a fall back position of party or ideology. In our backwards world - the above might really cement some people behind the candidate they cannot possibly understand - most?

Makes as much sense as anything else these days.

Posted by: capt on 12/19/07 at 10:49 AM Respond

Prima Donnas First Ladies of the State: Chancellor: Golan (Goal) Cipel (to Cripple) I Crippled Golan Cipel. Break a Leg, Congratulations, Good Luck, Good Luck, Good Luck, Congratulations Throw Rice-Toast to Adolph Hitlers understudy Czar Michael Chertoff: The Producers of the Opera. We never seen shit like this, He has the whole world in his hands, Their freaking out in foreign lands. The 911 Emmy Osama Award goes to Wolf Blitzer, Situation Room. Awarded for picking up a 1938 Hollywood Contract, a script murdering Non Jews. No Jews or Presidential Candidates were prosicuted for picking up the old Hollywood Contract murdereing non Jews, killing our children for Christmas. Listen to The Phantom of the Opera: 1. Overture 7. Prima Donna 11. Wishing You Were Here Again 10. Masquerade.

Israel caused the USA dearly in terms of the costs of the "War on Iran" and in terms of its
"hated image" here and around the world. I am demanding immediate monetary relief from all parties
to Americans with their sincerest apologies, respect, dignity and integrity unveiled, and the satisfaction
I deserve for catastrophic, permanent damages this Israeli operation cost America $900 Trillion Dollars.
There are no facts in dispute and as a matter of law, Lawrence De Marco is entitled a default judgment.
I deserve for catastrophic, permanent damages this Israeli operation cost America. In God We Trust.
Decadence and disillusion pervade, and the spiritual core of the people was decimated by the inquisition.

Hollywood Royalty, Senators, News people and Congressmen on live television. Prosecute everyone
of them now. Start with Home Land Security Michael Chertoff polygraph to distinguish truthful from deceptive individuals, script readers polygraphed on live television to distinguish truthful from deceptive representatives. Subprime Foreclosures, Swindlers List of Traitors. Normandy, Sicily, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Manhattan,
Come and get it wholesale. Inside Traitors: Russia Knew in Advance and Encouraged Russian Citizens,
Sell Dollars, Buy “Judas Euros, Cursed as Blood Money, Dammed For All Time, Let Them Eat Euros”. Jesus Mohammed Christ Bloodlines are all God’s Children, named of the Father, Jesus Christ Super Star.

ANGELS IN AMERICA

Demanding Reward Money Promised to Lawrence De Marco will unveil the perpetrators of 911 forbidden to say my name, Lawrence De Marco. My Reward Money is Past Due. My salary has not yet been paid.
No one likes a debtor so its better that my salary be paid. Who would have the balls to send this. OG

Honorable United States Military are US FALLEN ANGELS IN AMERICA, Jewish Lightning Murdered.
US soldiers are dumb stupid animals who are good for nothing but pawns for our foreign policy. Kissinger.
Senator Frank Lautenberg of NJ is knowingly throwing the United States Military under a Amtrak train.
We will end euthanasia as the primary means of population control and enhance quality of life matters.

The Crucifixion Missal, Jewish Infamy Has Never Been Exceeded: Until Armageddon, and hence, Judas, thou art proved more criminal and unhappier than all; for when repentance should have called thee back to the Lord, and rescued thee from thy headlong fall. Why dost thou distrust the goodness of Him, But O man that nothing could convert, O "spirit going and not returning," thou didst follow thy heart's rage, and, the devil standing at thy right hand, didst turn the wickedness, which thou hadst prepared against the life of all the saints, to thine own destruction, so that, because thy crime had exceeded all measure of punishment, thy wickedness might make thee thine own judge, thy punishment allow thee to be thine own hangman, the rule of law, thine own judge, thy punishment be crucified.

Reward Money Promised to Lawrence De Marco is For Lawrence and not for the English Court Jews.
We remember the English Jews sending the German Jews to Auschwitz and too America Must Perish.

Dear Mrs. Sullivan: We remember your boys. And Now, Its Spring Time for Hitler Around The World.

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, other new fascists, and yes, OUR CONGRESS are not incompetent,
they are following the plan precisely: Their job. Destroy America, and that's exactly what they are doing. To empty the US Treasury through a long series of wars from the Civil War to present day, deliberately prolonged, in order to transfer as much of the nation's money as possible to the elite royals sworn to death...... to have deliberate "no win" wars, i.e., Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, (Iran, Israel, England).
Ask a Viet Nam Vet about the "Rules of Engagement". Psychopaths sworn to the death, this is the end.

To demoralize the people non-stop through relentless assassinations, black ops, false flags, that never get fully investigated and resolved, Oklahoma City, Waco, Texas, out source, take citizens jobs, pensions, their houses, their savings, to the point they'll be desperate for the government's intervention, even to the point of agreeing to giving up their guns, and martial law. Today's War is not a war against Adolph Hitler. Nor is it a war against the Nazis. It is a war against the Jews systematically killing Non Jews. Baiting and Switching, Israeli Manufactured Osama Terror. Israel caused the USA dearly in terms of the costs of the “War on Iran” and in terms of its “hated image” here and around the world.
Limiting choices of Presidential Candidates fast track primaries, media drives players and kill hope.

Posted by: Lawrence on 12/30/07 at 12:49 PM Respond

First of all, having read the New America Report, the only thing I took away from the pages was a pack of cagy proposals with no details for successful deployment teased out. Second, these hollow promises are as meaningful and convincing of a candidate's worthiness for office as my chances are good for winning the local Lotto or getting hit by lightning twice in the same location. The fact remains that neither we nor the forth estate have bothered to hold these jokers to any standards. Consequently, they run on their lies against their oppoenents cell phone calls from their spouses in the middle of "debates," Brittany Speears and her dysfunctional family, crows' feet and wrinkles, ear-bleed provoking cackles, their strange gods and the odd religious drawers, elementary school homework assignments, total make-overs and $400 haircuts, boob flashes, Anna Nicoles' boobs, and the absence of stupid American flag lapel pins, forged of lead and roofies in China by enlaved children. Even when you visit their web pages, you learn very little about what they plan to do for us once they become president. There is no open intellectual discussion of the state of the union and what is needed to salvage what is left of our Democratic Republic after the 8-year dark age of Dumya imperialism. It's as if the next President will never have to confront this quagmire. Well, the reality is that the next President of the United States of America will inherit this horrific Bush43 mess. For that reason, we voters NEED to know DETAILS for what and how the next President will address our fate as a Nation.

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