The GOP candidate's call to allow shareholders to vote on executive compensation is seen as an appeal to middle-class voters and the unionsJohn McCain threw a dash of populist pepper into an otherwise fairly traditional Republican stew of economic policies with his June 10 proposal to allow shareholders a vote on executive compensation. The idea, known informally among executive-pay activists as Say on Pay, put McCain into strange company: It has been promoted heavily by unions, and it was introduced in the Senate in April by none other than Barack Obama.
McCain tucked the corporate-pay proposal neatly into the middle of a speech he gave to the National Federation of Independent Business, a small business advocacy group. Early in the speech, he came out aggressively in support of lower corporate tax rates and free trade, criticizing Obama's plan to increase taxes on the top income bracket.
Then he shifted gears.
Read More
