I was trying to figure out which was "one" and which was "the other". I looked at the transcript from the second debate (Complete John McCain-Barack Obama Debate Transcript, Oct. 7, 2008 | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times) and found this question from Brokow:
"There are new economic realities out there that everyone in this hall and across this country understands that there are going to have to be some choices made. Health policies, energy policies, and entitlement reform, what are going to be your priorities in what order? Which of those will be your highest priority your first year in office and which will follow in sequence?"

McCain's answer: "I think you can work on all three at once." It wasn't really clear if he then tried to prioritize fixing entitlements as the highest.

Obama's answer: "We're going to have to prioritize, just like a family has to prioritize. Now, I've listed the things that I think have to be at the top of the list. Energy we have to deal with today"

So, based on their answers, I assume that McCain = "the other" and Obama = "one".

Did I unwind your references correctly?

But, returning to the OP...

I'm not sure that McCain has the status in the Senate to allow him to push through any kind of tax increase, especially with a Democrat majority in both houses and a Democrat President.