Candidates stick to economic party lines

WASHINGTON, June 11 (UPI) -- The economic debate between the two presumptive U.S. presidential candidates is boiling down to classic liberal versus conservative theories, analysts say.

While Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., favors taxing the wealthy and using government resources to make the tax burden more "fair," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., wants to extend U.S. President George Bush's tax cuts and accuses Obama of favoring former U.S. President Jimmy Carter-style "big government" solutions for economic problems, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Economic analysts interviewed by the Times said the despite Obama's appeal as a "post-partisan" figure and McCain's reputation as a Republican "maverick," both are falling back on traditional economic positions long held by their respective parties.

The only wild card, they said, is how much the current downturn will force the two presumptive candidates to deviate from the party lines.

Paul Weinstein, the chief operating officer of the Progressive Policy Institute and an economic adviser to former U.S. President Bill Clinton, told the Times that so far, compared with Clinton's policies, Obama's proposals show "a little more focus on fairness and growth than Clinton -- Clinton was more pure growth."