August 15, 2008

This week John McCain has stayed busy trying to escape his ties to criminal lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his shady lobbyist colleagues, including Randy Scheunemann and Ralph Reed. The McCain campaign has been trying to gloss over the details of Scheunemann's swings between lobbying and advising McCain, often on issues of interest to recent clients, and attempting to excuse McCain's enlistment of Abramoff crony Reed to raise money. But the McCain campaign can't spin away Scheunemann's shady ties, or his influence on McCain, and they're not having any more success trying to escape the fallout over McCain's refusal to cancel his Monday fundraiser with Reed. Full release

New analysis of the major presidential candidates' tax policy show stark differences in approach and outcome. In Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact No. 137, Robert Carroll, Vice President for Economic Policy at the Tax Foundation, examines tax relief proposals from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). With the economy as one of the top issues among the American electorate this presidential election cycle, both candidates have been using the issues of health care, gas prices, and housing devaluation among others to preface their economic proposals. But Carroll explains that the candidates have significantly different tax policies that address these issues. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi will deliver the Democratic Radio Address tomorrow. In her address, she will discuss energy legislation the New Direction Congress has brought forward to combat rising energy and gas prices and to invest in renewable resources. Full release

On a conference call to discuss John McCain's decision to raise campaign cash with scandal-plagued Republican activist Ralph Reed, Representative Henry Waxman said McCain's refusal to cancel the fundraiser shows that he is a "reformer no more." Waxman, who chaired the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform investigation into the scandal surrounding criminal lobbyist Jack Abramoff said McCain knows the degree to which Reed was involved in the scandal and should cancel the fundraiser scheduled for Monday. Full release

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan released the following statement today on the RNC's 1 millionth donor this cycle. "One million donors strong, the Republican National Committee's fundraising is proof that Americans are serious when it comes to electing John McCain for President and ensuring Republican victories at all levels in November.
Full release

The following is a statement by President Bush on the situation in Georgia: THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I've just received an update from my national security team on the situation in Georgia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Tbilisi. She's conferring with President Saakashvili and expressing America's wholehearted support for Georgia's democracy. Full release

Today the Institute for Energy Research released a chart that debunks the myths surrounding the development of federal leases. As Russia threatens Europe's oil pipeline in Georgia and Iran threatens to cutoff Middle East oil at the Strait of Hormuz, America's energy and economic security depend on understanding the reality of domestic energy development, says Institute for Energy Research President Tom Pyle. Full release

The Democratic National Committee today released a new web ad called "Tainted" that highlights John McCain's decision to raise campaign cash with one of the central figures in the Republican culture of corruption. While McCain brags on the campaign trail about his role in investigating criminal lobbyist Jack Abramoff, his campaign has enlisted one of Abramoff's top cronies to help raise money. According to reports, scandal-plagued Republican activist Ralph Reed -- a central figure in the pay-to-play scheme led by Abramoff -- is touting himself as a member of McCain's Victory 2008 team and soliciting campaign contributions. Full release

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