June 29, 2008
A pander too far?
True to form, the man who claims he is not a typical politician and who claims he won't cater to special interests caters to the one group that he has most trouble with politically: seniors. Deborah Solomon writes in the Wall Street Journal:
In a bid to shore up weak support among senior citizens, Barack Obama is offering them a big break. He promises to exempt anybody age 65 and older, and making no more than $50,000 per household, from paying income taxes.The proposal would benefit seven million individuals, costing the Treasury $7 billion a year, according to the Obama campaign. While the plan may win points among voters, it's drawing jeers from economists -- including many Democrats.