Hardly. With a week to go until the nation’s first primary, McCain and George W. Bush are playing “Who Wants a Tax Cut” in New Hampshire, and anyone who isn’t buried in snow is bound to hear about it. The debate turned fierce last week, as the two sides blasted hourly e-mails and unveiled tough new ads. Bush and McCain remain close in New Hampshire; a NEWSWEEK Poll found Bush surging to a nine-point lead, but the nature of the poll suggests that it could be closer, and other polls had the race in a dead heat. It now seems that the race will turn not on money or rhetoric, but on ideas. Bush is betting that the party faithful are still hooked on slashing taxes and government. McCain is confident that mainstream Republicans have moved toward the fiscal center, and would rather use much of the budget surplus to pay down the national debt. Who’s right? The debate seems to favor Bush–at least for the moment. The NEWSWEEK Poll shows that New Hampshire voters widely favor his sweeping tax-cut proposal, 47 percent to 35 percent. But the country as a whole seems to prefer a more balanced plan, which could mean trouble for Bush if he gets the nomination.
Essentially, the debate goes like this: Bush wants to return most of the projected budget surplus–about $483 billion of it–to the taxpayers. The wealthy would benefit most, but so would the poor. McCain wants a more modest, $237 billion tax cut for middle-class families, with the rest of the surplus going to pay down the debt and preserve Social Security and Medicare. Bush attacked the McCain plan by putting his own spin on some obscure provisions; he says it will hurt working mothers and colleges, both plentiful in New Hampshire. McCain cried foul, saying only corporations with dubious write-offs would suffer.
Bush is plainly tired of McCain’s needling. For months Bush ran as if he were already the nominee, stressing his “compassionate conservative” message. But as he lost ground in New Hampshire, Bush dodged right, talking tax cuts and painting McCain as a liberal. McCain insists he’s the real Republican. Will New Hampshire voters agree? As Regis might say, stay tuned for their final answer.
