Friday, April 21, 2006

Obama, Bean and McSweeney on Bush's Tax Cuts

Mary Frances Bragiel [WBBM 780 AM Radio]: Congressman [sic], do you think the Bush tax cuts should be made permanent?

Congresswoman Melissa Bean: I have supported the tax cuts that have come before me since I have been in Congress.

Jeff Berkowitz: Do you think they should be made permanent?

Senator Barack Obama: Let’s finish up here [Senator Obama directed the questioning back to the topic of separate legislation sponsored by Cong. Bean and him to prevent third party tax return preparers from disclosing or disseminating to other third parties information the tax return preparers received or used to fill out their customer’s tax returns, even if the client whose tax return is being filed signs a written consent to such disclosure or dissemination.].
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Mary Frances Bragiel: Congressman [sic], do you want to answer again-- continue answering in regard to [whether] the Bush tax cuts should be made permanent?

Congresswoman Melissa Bean: I have supported the tax cuts that have come to me so far. We haven’t seen anything proposed yet to further that.
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Senator Barack Obama [D- IL] and Congresswoman Melissa Bean [D-Barrington, 8th CD], Joint Press Conference, Chicago Loop, April 17, 2006.
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McSweeney on Taxes: an issue contrast? [See here for a more complete discussion of this issue]
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Jeff Berkowitz: Now, you’ve referred to taxes and the Democratic position, but Congresswoman Bean has said on this set that she supported the extension of the Bush tax cuts for dividends and for cap[ital] gains. She supported that. You would support that.[Go here to watch show with Cong. Bean, taped Jan. 29, 2006].

David McSweeney: I would support-

Jeff Berkowitz: There’s no difference between you and her on that issue, right?

David McSweeney: Jeff, I would support making President Bush’s tax cuts permanent. Melissa Bean was on your show and she said she had no position on that. She said that she had not decided how she was going to go.

Jeff Berkowitz: On the marginal rates-

David McSweeney: On the overall Bush tax cuts.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, you’d make them [the Bush Tax Cuts] permanent, and she favored an extension. But, to be fair, the dividend and cap[ital] gains proposal from the Republican party was only for an extension.

David McSweeney: That’s why the Republican party’s in so much trouble on the national level. We’re just tinkering around with two year extensions, which I would have supported, but I favor bold steps. We need to make-

Jeff Berkowitz: You want to go further than the Republican party.

David McSweeney: I want to go much further than the Republican leadership. That’s why our popularity is so low as a Party-- because we’re taking half steps.

Jeff Berkowitz: Marginal rates, you would include those. You would make those cuts, on the marginal rates of taxation, permanent. Congresswoman Bean said that she wanted to look at the state of the economy at that time, when it is proposed; She wanted to look at what income levels you are talking about. That would be an issue difference? Is that an issue difference

David McSweeney: That’s a bunch of double talk.

Jeff Berkowitz: Is that a major difference between you and-

David McSweeney: It absolutely is. That’s a bunch of double talk. You can’t have it both ways. I favor reducing marginal tax rates and making President Bush’s tax cuts permanent. End of story.
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Public Affairs, with David McSweeney [R-Barrington Hills], the Republican Nominee in the 8th Cong. District, was recorded on March 26, 2006 and aired on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs , April 10 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21. The show with candidate McSweeney is also available as a video podcast currently at the Public Affairs Cinema Complex, along with eighteen other shows, which are also airing there. [See here].
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Show with McSweeney partial transcript draft prepared by Amy Allen, who also does research for “Public Affairs,” and has her own political blog [See here].
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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