A Truth Check for John McCain

A new advertisement for Senator John McCain’s bid for the U.S. Presidency says:

“As President, John McCain will:

• Make taxes simpler
• Make energy cleaner, cheaper
• Make health care portable and affordable
• Make corporate CEOs accountable
• Permit mortgage debt to be restructured.”

This is what McCain promises. Let’s take a closer look to see what he, as President, can actually do.

Make taxes simpler. Boy… Am I tiered of hearing that one. Every presidential candidate as far back as I can remember has promised to make taxes simpler. This is not a thing presidents have the power to do. If McCain got elected, making the taxes simpler would take the approval of congress, which has never, ever made anything simpler.

Make energy cleaner, cheaper. I have no idea how McCain, as President, could significantly impact energy costs. The market and the oil industry sets energy prices and, as a Republican, McCain is intensely opposed to any interference in market forces. As for green issues, McCain has placed himself firmly on both sides. He has supported programs to reduce global warming, but voted in favor of opening the Artic Wild Life Reserve for oil drilling. As President, McCain could set a policy that might help reduce America’s carbon footprint. So, we can give him a partial plus on this promise.

Make healthcare portable and affordable. Here’s another issue over which McCain, as President, will have no control. He could sign a health care bill if congress passed one, but that’s about it. McCain has proposed a health-care plan which if enacted by Congress could help some people with health care, but McCain’s plan leaves millions still without adequate health coverage.

Make CEOs accountable. Does anyone have an idea of how the President could accomplish this? I don’t and I doubt that McCain does either.

Permit mortgage debt to be restructured. Congress could enact a law which might require mortgage holders to allow some restructuring. In fact, Congress is considering such a bill at this time. President Bush says he will look at it and perhaps he will sign it into law. By the time McCain gets to be president, this issue may already be done. The point to keep in mind here is that Congress must act first. Again, McCain is promising what he cannot alone accomplish.

In this blog, I have looked at each of the three remaining viable candidates. All have made promises that they, if elected, will have no power or ability to keep. I’m still looking for a candidate that will simply tell me what she or he will do and keep it to things that can actually be accomplished. I don’t think I’m going to find that candidate.