IS Tucker Bounds just another lying political hack?

By l.t. Dravis

MSNBC NEWS – Thursday October 16, 2008 – Are you as sick of listening to lying political hacks as I am?

If so, are you sick and tired of listening to McCain campaign mouthpiece, Tucker Bounds, lie through his teeth?

If you don’t already know, who is the real Tucker Bounds?

He’s the McCain spokesperson who’s got a reputation for spinning facts into the neverland of political-speak to make his boss and his boss’ running mate look like they could actually govern this nation. He’s also known for tangling with Campbell Brown (CNN), Megyn Kelly (FOX News) and Norah O’Donnell (MSNBC) in on-air interviews when these first-class interviewers refuse to let him slip and slide away from the truth.

Okay . . . but is Tucker Bounds just another lying political hack?

Maybe we can answer that question by judging Tucker on how he interacted today with David Shuster, a respected MSNBC journalist.

In an on-air interview, David Shuster asked Bounds to react to last night’s debate between Senators Obama and McCain and here’s how part of the interview went:

David Shuster: (talking about ‘Joe the plumber’): “Tucker, Joe admitted to ABC news today that he is not going to make more than $200,000.00 in his business and wouldn’t that mean, then, that under Obama’s plan he would not pay higher taxes as John McCain alleged last night?”

Tucker Bounds: “Well no, I mean, what he was sp . . . I mean what this was . . . we can try to put the toothpaste back in the tube here, but when he was talking to Barack Obama, Barack Obama told ‘Joe the plumber’ directly to his face that, yes, if these truths were, uh, to play, play themselves out, he would get a tax increase. That is where, uh, ‘Joe the plumber’ and ‘Joe plumbers’ all across America should know that there is a face that exists to the tax increases that Barack Obama wants to put on American people . . . “

David Shuster (interrupting): “But talk to the average plumber, the average plumber in America makes something like $47,000.00 and the point is that, sure, if any plumber in America starts a business and is making more than $200,000.00 a year, the point is, yes, under Barack Obama’s plan, they will see a tax increase. If they’re making less than $200,000.00 then their taxes will go down. That’s the point, isn’t it?”

Tucker Bounds: “No, David, we-we’re missing the point altogether, here, which is that there are hundreds of thousands of small businesses. That is the one sector that’s showing growth and vitality in the American economy. The last thing that you would ever do, the last thing any respectable economist would ever suggest is that you layer a malaise (sic) of tax increases on the one vital, uh, growth . . . “

David Shuster (interrupting): “B-but, I agree with you, but that’s a different issue, I mean the issue, sure,

Tucker Bounds (interrupting): “No, it’s the same issue, David, it’s the exact same issue . . . we’re talking about rai . . . we’re talking about raising taxes on small businesses. ‘Joe the plumber . . . “

David Shuster: (interrupting): “Right . . .

Tucker Bounds: “ . . . is the face of this enormous gap in the, the Barack Obama economic policy which is in essence a tax increase on small businesses which grow jobs . . . that’s what we need right now.”

David Shuster (not-interrupting): “Tucker it’s a tax increase on small businesses making $200,000.00. Now, you may have a valid point that the way to grow an economy is not to raise taxes on anybody, but again, and when somebody says that well, Barack Obama’s gonna raise your taxes and you’re making less than $200,000.00, that’s not true.”

Tucker Bounds: “No, it is untrue when you go on the campaign trail and say, ‘I’m a tax-cutter’ when in fact you raise taxes . . . that is what Barack Obama says. I’m here to tell the truth,” he said, laughing.

No matter how convoluted his words were, Tucker Bounds was obviously trying to sell us on the idea that Senator Obama plans to raise taxes on small business.

Hmm . . . that doesn’t sound so good . . . no responsible candidate for President would raise taxes on the strongest job-creating segment of our economy . . . would he?

But before we decide not to vote for Barack Obama over this issue, we probably ought to check out Bounds’ veracity.

Why not look at what Obama said when he responded last night to John McCain’s accusation that Obama plans to raise taxes on small business?

Obama said, “The last point I'll make about small businesses. Not only do 98 percent of small businesses make less than $250,000.00, but I also want to give them additional tax breaks, because they are the drivers of the economy. They produce the most jobs.”

So, how does Senator Obama’s position square with the line that Tucker Bounds was trying to sell us?

Hmmm . . . doesn’t sound like Senator Obama intends to raise taxes on small business . . . does it?

But why would Tucker Bounds tell us something that is obviously not true?

Is Tucker Bounds just another lying political hack?

Could be . . .

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