Saxton was in Roseburg yesterday attacking the Governor's plan to use the estimated 60% tax credit corporations will receive under the Kicker law to create a rainy day fund:

He also blasted Kulongoski for wanting to keep the income tax kicker, money refunded to individual taxpayers and businesses when tax revenues beat predictions.

Yet twice in the last week his campaign staff has told the Oregonian Saxton supports using the corporate kicker for a rainy day fund (here and here).

We were a little confused at how Saxton could continue talking out of both sides of his mouth on the issue, but then we listened again to Ron's appearance on Lars Larson last Friday where Lars pushed him on this very question. Here's the exchange:

LARSON: What is your plan to deal with Oregon’s projected 1.3 billion dollar surplus. Give it back to the taxpayers or keep it and spend it on government?

SAXTON: Give it back to the taxpayers, 100 percent. You’re exactly right not to trust what you read in the Oregonian all the time and they got this one wrong.

LARSON: So how is it that they said that you had a plan to hang on to some of both the personal kicker and the corporate kicker and to build some sort of rainy day fund?

SAXTON: Well I’m not sure how they got that. They didn’t talk to me. They talked to some others in the campaign but I’ve been very clear. The kicker is the law of the state it belongs to the people and the money gets returned. It’s that simple.

LARSON: Ok so in other words what your staffers told the Oregonian was not your position at all?

SAXTON: Well I’m not sure how much…other news accounts seem to have it correct so I’m not sure what got said where.

[..]

LARSON: …the fish wrapper [the Oregonian] is right in front of me I haven’t yet wrapped the remains of my lunch sandwich in it. "Saxton who has repeatedly said he opposes any cut in the personal corporate tax kickers said. He is now open to diverting some of that money into a rainy day fund." You didn’t tell the Oregonian that?

SAXTON: I did not speak to them, my staff may have, I don’t know whether my staff said something but my position clearly has been it needs to be returned.

Of course that line would be a little more credible if Ron's campaign manager hadn't directly contradicted him in the Oregonian's follow-up story the next day.

But it raises a larger question: if Saxton is going to start disavowing statements made by his staff, how can we trust anything his campaign says?