The GOP is claiming that Mary Burke is attempting to have it both ways on taxes, and it maybe catching up to her. Yesterday, in a attempt to come across as reasonable on taxes, Burke told reporters, “I’m not going to increase taxes on anyone.” 5 hours later Burke showed that she really does plan to increase taxes by saying that she wants electric cars to contribute to the transportation fund. This would be a new tax. Mary Burke’s only stated idea for balancing the $680 million transportation shortfall is to charge people who drive electric cars. This idea directly conflicts with a position she took earlier in the same day.

Mary Burke’s flip-flop last evening came while she spoke on a Telephone Town Hall with the United Food and Commercial Workers of Wisconsin.

This is amusing to me, because I’m guessing most electric car owners probably vote Democrat. That would be like her advocating a tax on bicycles or snowboards.

There is no reason to raise taxes in this state. Period. If you want to have a discussion about reallocating the tax mix, increasing some taxes while decreasing others to reduce the overall net tax take, that’s one thing. But Burke isn’t doing that.

Notice as well what she criticized and what she didn’t criticize when she met with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board Wednesday:

Burke, who served as Doyle’s commerce secretary for more than two years, criticized Doyle for dipping into the state’s transportation fund to pay for schools. She also lamented several large increases in tuition at University of Wisconsin campuses during Doyle’s time as governor.

“There are certainly things we didn’t see eye to eye on,” Burke said Wednesday during a wide-ranging discussion with editors and reporters of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

None of which she can name beyond those two, one of which is obviously politically unpopular.

Correction/addendum: Does the Journal Sentinel not listen to the transcripts of their own interviews? Wisconsin Public Radio did:

“There’s things that I disagree with,” she said. “We look now at the raiding of the transportation fund, and at this point now you have a shortfall in that.  You saw large increases in tuition, which were 5 percent increases in tuition. That’s not how we bring down the cost of higher education.  So there’s certainly things that we didn’t see eye to eye on.”

Burke also said she did not agree with Doyle’s decision to raise income taxes on the wealthiest Wisconsinites — a noteworthy statement, given that Burke has campaigned against Walker for offering tax breaks to the rich.

OK, so that’s three things, or so she says, not two. But given her previously noted flip-flop, is her statement credible?