September 19, 2010 12:40 AM UTC

See Buck. See Buck Lie.

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• by: Colorado Pols

One of our commenters nailed this one, and here are the two rather damning video clips back-to-back–we’re pretty sure that any way you look at it, he’s lying in one of them:

The first clip is from the video of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck with the New York Times’ John Harwood posted earlier today. The second clip is from the “Tea Party”-affiliated Liberty Candidate Search, dated December of 2009.

Transcript, starting with the Times interview clip:

NYT: The Obama administration, as you know, has a commission looking into how to bring down deficits, and also how to reform he tax system.  One of the options that they are considering is moving from income-based taxes to consumption taxes — sales tax, VAT, whatever.  Do you think that’s a good idea, to move toward consumption taxes?

Ken Buck:  I think a VAT is a bad idea.  In some ways a consumption tax, a national sales tax makes some sense, but I’d be very concerned that…

NYT: Like the FAIR tax?

Ken Buck: Well, I am not a FAIR tax proponent. [Pols emphasis] I think we need to simplify the income tax code as the way to go and not adopt a FAIR tax.  But I think that if we move towards a FAIR tax, if we move towards a national sales tax, we’d have to make sure that we do away with the income tax — that we don’t have just have more taxes in place in two different ways.  

NYT: But if you could do away with the income tax, would it be better for the economy and for the American people to go to a sales tax?

Ken Buck: There would be some benefits to it.  One of the benefits is our competition in the international trade. The corporate income tax, in particular, is a tax that puts American corporations at a disadvantage.  I think we lose overseas when we do that.  So there are some advantages to a national sales tax . I think it is a very complicated issue in how to transition from an income tax to a sales tax.  I think the better answer is for us to stay with an income tax and simplify it .

NYT: But it sounds like, again, your concern is more practicality — that in principle, as a policy, you think it would be better.

Ken Buck: No, I’ve never said I think it would be better. [Pols emphasis] I think it would be better to simplify the tax code.

And the second clip, from that “Tea Party” courting session last December:

Ken Buck: I don’t think the income tax is a good idea.  I think a national sales tax, a consumption tax, a FAIR tax is a better idea. [Pols emphasis]  I think a flat tax is a better idea than what we’ve got now.

We really don’t know how Buck’s going to explain his way out of this one, folks, being about the most bald-faced deception imaginable, but now is probably the time to try.