Sen. John McCain, today, from The Politico: [1]
Asking for a dose of straight talk, AP's Liz Sidoti asked McCain if the country had entered recession.
"I certainly think so," McCain replied.
John McCain, January 10, 2008, at a GOP presidential debate: [2]
And by the way, I don't believe we're headed into a recession. I believe the fundamentals of this economy are strong, and I believe they will remain strong. This is a rough patch, but I think America's greatness lies ahead of us.
When speaking to conservative leaders, McCain ignored the economic stress middle-class Americans have suffered throughout in the last several years. Now that he has to speak to a broader electorate, he has to drop the delusion and get back to reality. The Politico also reports that McCain said "there is a role for government" in improving the economy, furthering his rhetorical shift away from anti-government conservatism. [3]
But it is nothing new for conservatives to mask their conservatism [3] to an American electorate that is fundamentally progressive. [4] Voters will have to decide in the end if McCain does talk straight when it comes to the economy.
In January, during the GOP primary, McCain said we weren't facing a recession. But today...
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Links:
[1] http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0408/McCain_thinks_were_in_recession_reminds_of_his_TR_worldview.html
[2] http://www.cfr.org/publication/15249/
[3] http://ourfuture.org/blog-entry/government-new-black
[4] http://www.ourfuture.org/report/progressive-majority