How Do the Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans Affect Taxpayers’ Marginal Tax Rates?
Source: Tax Foundation
From press release:

Marginal tax rates will rise to over 50 percent on some middle-income families if Sen. Obama’s tax plan becomes law, and over 40 percent under Senator McCain’s plan, according to a new report from the Tax Foundation.

The report is Tax Foundation Fiscal Fact No. 150, “How Do the Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans Affect Taxpayers’ Marginal Tax Rates?” by Robert Carroll, Ph.D., vice president for economic policy at the foundation. Carroll illustrates his point with a family of four—two working adults with two children—and explains the economic importance of “marginal” tax rates and why they can differ dramatically from statutory tax rates.

Study: More than 100 Tax-Related Measures to Appear on State Ballots This Election Day
Source: National Taxpayers Union

All eyes may be on the Presidential candidates in the final weeks before Election Day, but a comprehensive guide from the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) shows that further down the ticket, voters will decide on more than 100 fiscal policy-related ballot measures — including efforts to eliminate or significantly reduce state income taxes, limit property taxes, and impose “good government” reforms.

“From abolishing the state income tax in Massachusetts to putting in place strong majority vote requirements for tax or spending increases in Arizona, voters across the country have a chance to pass numerous pro-taxpayer measures,” NTU Director of Government Affairs Kristina Rasmussen said. “Simply put, 2008 has the potential to be a banner year for taxpayers.”

+ 2008 Ballot Guide: The Taxpayer’s Perspective (PDF; 1.02 MB)

Palins Release Tax Returns And Financial Disclosure
Source: JohnMcCain.com

Today, the McCain-Palin campaign released Governor and Todd Palin’s tax returns for 2006 and 2007. The Palins’ tax returns show that they paid $36,682 in federal taxes for 2006 and 2007. In the past two years, Governor and Todd Palin have contributed $8,205 to charitable causes. Below please find summary information about the Palins’ 2006 and 2007 tax returns.

The McCain-Palin campaign also released Governor and Todd Palin’s Public Financial Disclosure Report.

Documents in PDF.

American public has much to learn about presidential candidates’ issue positions (PDF; 81 KB)
Source: National Annenberg Election Survey

Many Americans are unable to identify where the major party candidates’ stand on various issues ranging from health care to abortion to free trade, according to recent data collected by the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey. Only a little over a quarter (28 percent) of adults were able to identify Senator John McCain as the presidential candidate more likely to support free trade agreements like NAFTA.

Over one-third (37 percent) of adults mistakenly believe that Senator Barack Obama is the candidate who proposes providing individuals 2,500 dollars or families 5,000 dollars to help them buy their own health insurance. That is in fact Senator McCain’s position. Only 20 percent of respondents, however, attributed that health insurance plan to McCain.

Only 8 percent of survey respondents knew that both McCain and Obama favor closing the base at which alleged enemy fighters are held at Guantanamo Bay. Over 43 percent of respondents incorrectly identify Obama as the sole candidate who favors that position.

On the issue of abortion, around two-fifths (42 percent) of respondents knew that McCain is the candidate who favors overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

On the issue of reducing pollution, only 9 percent of adults knew that both candidates favor reducing pollution through a process called cap and trade.

Election Experts Release “Ballot Accounting Checklist” for 2008 Election
Source: Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law

In light of startling miscounts and vote losses in recent primaries in Florida, Ohio and Washington, D.C., today the Brennan Center for Justice, joined by Verified Voting and Common Cause, urged election officials across the country to practice smart, transparent ballot accounting in order to tally votes accurately and maintain public confidence in the 2008 election results. With the contributions of election officials, election administration experts and computer scientists, the Brennan Center also disseminated a “Checklist for Best Ballot Accounting Practices” that precincts and counties can follow both before polls open and after they close.

+ Best Ballot Accounting Practices Checklist (PDF; 48 KB)

As Election Day Nears, Presidential Candidates Continue Out-Promising, Out-Spending Each Other
Source: National Taxpayers Union

As John McCain and Barack Obama jockeyed for position in the race to appear “leader-like” over the economy and in upcoming debates, the latest update of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s (NTUF) candidate cost analysis project shows that despite their different styles, the major party Presidential hopefuls have one thing in common: both their agendas would add billions more to the taxpayer’s tab every year.

NTUF’s fourth and final round of assigning price tags to the candidates’ platforms since January 29 found that Sen. McCain (R-AZ) would increase yearly federal spending by $92.4 billion, compared to Sen. Obama’s (D-IL) $293.0 billion. NTUF also released a first-time analysis of Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr, who would instead cut annual federal spending by $200.9 billion. The studies include proposals through September 19.

+ Bob Barr (PDF; 191 KB)
+ John McCain (PDF; 341 KB)
+ Barack Obama (PDF; 687 KB)

After holding financial advantage in primaries, Obama will likely achieve only funding parity with McCain in general election
Source: Campaign Finance Institute

When the long presidential primary season of 2007-2008 finally came to an end, the Democratic and Republican candidates for their parties’ presidential nominations had raised a record shattering $1.22 billion. This was 81 per cent more than presidential candidates had amassed at the same time in 2004. As long as the 20-month money chase might seem, the parties’ two nominees managed to pick up the pace in August, the final month of the formal pre-nomination season. Barack Obama and John McCain each had his best fundraising month ever, with Obama raising $65 million and McCain $52 million.

During the primaries, Obama and Democratic candidates raised far more than their Republican counterparts ($787 million to $477 million). But as the general election approached, party fundraising (aided by the candidates) became increasingly important for both the Obama and McCain campaigns and helped to equalize the financial balance between them. Indeed, by early September the combined McCain/Republican general election cash in hand advantage was at least $92 million (counting McCain’s $84 million grant for participating in the public financing system). Even if the parties kept pace with each other until November, Obama, who chose to rely on private funding, had to play catch up at perhaps $50 million a month just to stay even.

Tables in PDF

The Whoppers of 2008: Where McCain and Obama have misled voters. A partial tally.
Source: FactCheck.org

Normally we post a “Whoppers” compilation the week before Election Day. This time we’ve already seen such a large number of twisted facts, misleading claims and outright falsehoods that we are doing that now.

It’s not just Sarah Palin’s claim about killing the bridge project that she had supported until it became a national laughingstock and Congress turned against it. That’s just the whopper that got the attention of many news organizations earlier this month. There have been lots of others.

McCain has made multiple false representations of Obama’s tax proposals. Obama has made false claims about McCain’s stance on Social Security. Both McCain and Obama have traded some whoppers about their energy policies, about Iraq, and about Iran, and about supporting troops.

For our full sampler of the campaign distortions we’ve seen so far, please read on to our Analysis section. There we provide summaries and links to extensive articles on each. This is a partial tally. We still have more than five weeks to go before Nov. 4.

Energy Policy of Presidential Candidates
Source: Deloitte LLP

“Energy Policy of Presidential Candidates” reviews key oil and gas tax policy differences of the presidential candidates. It focuses predominantly on the issues and political positions that are most relevant to the oil and gas industry from a tax perspective. Few industries have the impact on global economic livelihood, societal functioning and quality of life as significantly as the energy industry, and few industries face as many challenges.

+ Full Document (PDF; 265 KB)

Free registration required.

Voting in 2008: A close look at voting preparedness in 10 swing states
Source: Common Cause/Century Foundation

As election officials brace for record-breaking voter turnout on Election Day, a close examination of voting preparedness in 10 swing states shows that significant problems in the basic functions of the American election administration system persist, and in a few cases have worsened over the last few years, a new report by Common Cause and The Century Foundation shows.

The report, “Voting in 2008: 10 Swing States,” examined what, if any, progress has been made since 2006 in seven battleground states: Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In addition, Colorado, New Mexico and Virginia, whose new status as likely swing states, and the potential for election administration difficulties, have also been included.

The areas looked at include: voter registration, voter identification, caging and challenges, deceptive practices, provisional ballots, voting machine allocation, poll worker recruitment and training, voter education and student voting rights.

Results are mixed. Florida, Georgia and Virginia stand out as the states with the most problematic voting administration on a variety of criteria. This is especially worrisome in Virginia given its new status as a key battleground state. Wisconsin gets the most positive review overall for its good poll worker training standards, excellent machine allocation standards, a solid deceptive practices law and clear student voting rights. Ohio, which in 2004 was the poster child for problems such as hours-long lines to vote and voter challenges, is much improved, according to the report, with a policy now to better handle challenges to voters, excellent poll worker training standards and good information provided to voters. New Mexico and Pennsylvania get mixed reviews for still having shortcomings such as no deceptive practices law, but good poll worker training standards. Colorado, Michigan and Missouri fall somewhere in the middle.

+ Full Report (PDF; 960 KB)
+ State by state charts

Report advises presidential candidates on filling key science and technology posts
Source: National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine

The importance of research in solving many of our national challenges, including economic ones, was emphasized today in a new report titled Science and Technology for America’s Progress: Ensuring the Best Presidential Appointments in the New Administration. The report, sent to John McCain and Barack Obama with guidance for whomever is elected president in November, provides suggestions on filling key science appointments after the election. Issued by the independent and nonpartisan National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, the report lists approximately 80 high-level science and technology appointees who will be crucial in advising the new president on issues that range from energy to health care to economic growth. It also urges members of the scientific community to serve in these positions, and suggests ways to make it more attractive for well-qualified people to do so.

Read full report for free online.

Corsi’s Dull Hatchet
Source: FactCheck.org (Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania)

Despite its place near the top of The New York Times’ nonfiction bestseller list, where it has been riding high for the past six weeks, Jerome Corsi’s “The Obama Nation” is not a reliable source of facts about Obama.

Corsi cites opinion columns and unsourced, anonymous blogs as if they were evidence of factual claims. Where he does cite legitimate news sources, he frequently distorts the facts. In some cases, Corsi simply ignores readily accessible information when it conflicts with his arguments.

Support for the Presidential Ticket and Identification with Party Predicted Convention Speech Viewing (PDF; 97 KB)
Source: Annenberg Public Policy Center

The Democratic and Republican Convention’s speech audiences tended to be made up of supporters. Nearly two-thirds of those who saw or heard all of Senator Clinton’s speech and about three-fourths of those who saw or heard all of Senator Obama’s speech said they backed the Democratic nominee. Similarly, about six in ten of those who saw or heard the entire convention speeches given by Governor Palin and Senator McCain were supporters of that ticket, according to results from the National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES).

Further, those who heard or watched all of the Obama and Clinton speeches were more likely to be Democrats and those who heard or watched all of the McCain and Palin speeches were more likely to be Republicans. The sample size of those who watched all of Senator Biden’s speech is too small to permit detailed analysis, but the pattern of viewership followed the Democratic ticket.

These findings suggest that many Americans were selective about their convention viewing – they tuned in when their preferred candidate and party took the stage and opted out for the opposition. The data also show that self-described independents were as likely to watch the Democratic speeches as the Republican speeches.

Sliming Palin: False Internet claims and rumors fly about McCain’s running mate
Source: FactCheck.org

We’ve been flooded for the past few days with queries about dubious Internet postings and mass e-mail messages making claims about McCain’s running mate, Gov. Palin. We find that many are completely false, or misleading.

* Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.

* She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a “What if?” question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin’s first term.

• She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She’s been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
• Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a “courtesy” when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
• Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska’s schools. She has said that students should be allowed to “debate both sides” of the evolution question, but she also said creationism “doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.”

We’ll be looking into other charges in an e-mail by a woman named Anne Kilkenny for a future story. For more explanation of the bullet points above, please read the Analysis.

Candidate Issue Index: Transportation
Source: The Brookings Institution

Compiled by Brookings Institution experts, this chart is part of a series of issue indices to be published during the 2008 Presidential election cycle. The policy issues included in this series were chosen by Brookings staff and represent the most critical topics facing America’s next President.

+ Full Document (PDF; 101 KB)