TOM McCLINTOCK….Via The Corner, this is what Dan Weintraub had to say about right-wing tax warrior Tom McClintock’s performance in yesterday’s debate:
Tom McClintock?s performance reminded me of the old line that when you tell the truth, you don?t have to worry about keeping your stories straight. Whatever you might think of him and his ideas, it can?t be said that McClintock trims his sails to match his audience. This is a man who knows what he believes and isn?t going to be shaken from it.
You’ve got to be kidding. McClintock has been involved in California politics for over two decades, he was a state senator during the entire budget fiasco of the past couple of years, and he’s running for governor on a platform of fire and brimstone opposition to tax increases of any kind.
In other words, he’s an expert, someone who knows the budget and doesn’t need an “audit” to tell him which way is up. Despite this, he has consistently refused to give us even a hint of what program cuts he would make to balance the budget. He has just flat out refused.
And this is a guy who doesn’t trim his sails? Give me a break. If you want to deserve your reputation for straight talking, you need to have the courage to deliver the bad news along with the good. McClintock won’t, and Weintraub should know better than to pretend otherwise.
UPDATE: I see that Virginia Postrel and Brad DeLong are thinking along the same lines.
