Obama-Keyes: on Tax Reform


Mark Kirk: Ending Bush tax cuts may cause double-dip recession

Q: Do you think that the Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for all Americans?

KIRK: Congressional leaders want to hit the US economy with a $900 billion tax increase on Dec. 31. On top of the ten new taxes in the health care bill, on top of the taxe in financial regulation bill. The key danger here is will our policies increase the chance of a double-dip recession? Taking more money out of the private economy, I don't think it's the right way to go.

Q: Well, back in 2004, you were part of the Republican Main Street Partnership. As part of that group, you had a press release in which you said: "Tax cuts should only be extended temporarily.... We simply can't afford permanent and across-the-board extensions at this time". That's what you said then, when the debt was about 1/3 of what it was today. How could we afford to make permanent tax extensions now?

KIRK: Because especially in this climate, we have Congressional leaders that are not interested in spending restraint at all.

Source: NBC's Meet the Press: 2010 IL Senate debate Oct 10, 2010

  • The above quotations are from Senate Debate, between candidates Barack Obama (D) and Alan Keyes (R), on Illinois Radio Network, Oct. 12, 2004, and Oct. 26, 2004.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Tax Reform.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Barack Obama on Tax Reform.
  • Click here for more quotes by Alan Keyes on Tax Reform.
Candidates and political leaders on Tax Reform:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Feb 19, 2019