Jesse Kelly’s general election extreme makeover continues as he desperately tries to backtrack from his calls for a 23 percent sales tax that would raise taxes for 80 percent of Arizona taxpayers in order to lower taxes for the wealthiest five percent of Arizonans.

Throughout his primary campaign, Kelly enthusiastically promoted the “Fair Tax,” a radical tax proposal that includes a 23 percent nationwide sales tax on food, gas, clothes and just about everything else Southern Arizonans buy:

“A lot of people want to know how I feel about the ‘Fair Tax.’ This, this 23% consumption tax that’s out there right now. I’ll tell you right now, I would vote for the ‘Fair Tax.’ I do support the ‘Fair Tax.’” (Jesse Kelly, primary campaign video, date unknown. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9hzlTe0HbI.)

Under the radical Fair Tax scheme, the bottom 80 percent of Arizona taxpayers would see their average tax burden increase by $3,828. The top five percent of Arizona taxpayers would see their average tax burden decrease by $40,005.

Now undergoing a general election extreme makeover, Kelly is trying to backtrack from his repeated call for this tax increase that would devastate working families:

Jon Justice: “The other one I like is on Facebook, where they have the little picture of you off to the side, and it says you support the 23 percent tax increase.”

Jesse Kelly: “I saw that, and, you know, it’s a bit shocking that liberals would make such a mistake… that is so unbelievable that it’s just not going to be able to gain traction. These lies that people tell in campaigns.” (The Jon Justice Show, 104.1 FM, 8/30/10. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9hzlTe0HbI.)

As the video shows, these are not campaign allegations; they are Kelly’s own words:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9hzlTe0HbI.

This is not the first time Kelly has reversed course since last Tuesday’s CD8 GOP primary. Throughout the primary, Kelly repeatedly condemned Social Security with calls to “Privatize It,” “Phase It Out” and “Eliminate It.” Since last Tuesday, Kelly has begun calling for protecting Social Security, the same program he labeled “a waste” for 15 months.

Just like his dramatic reversal on Social Security, Kelly’s words and statements about raising taxes on working families in order to lower them for millionaires speak louder than his handlers attempt to give him an extreme makeover.

“I guess Kelly went out and bought a pair of flip flops since his primary,” said Giffords for Congress campaign manager Rodd McLeod.  ”Kelly can duck and dodge all he likes—the video doesn’t lie. He will raise your taxes in order to pay off his millionaire benefactors. He said it.  He meant it.”

Gabrielle Giffords is a third generation Southern Arizonan and the only person in Congress with an active duty military spouse. Gabrielle is not like other politicians. She takes an independent view on the issues and was rated Arizona’s most moderate member of Congress by the National Journal in 2009. She’s voted against a Congressional pay raise every time one has come up, and she doesn’t make earmark requests for campaign contributors. Most importantly, Gabrielle stands up for Southern Arizona by working across the aisle to secure the border, protect our military and veterans and create jobs by investing in solar energy.
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