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In Tarheel State, Obama Tars McCain Presidency as a Disaster for the Middle Class
October 29, 2008 1:29 PM
RALEIGH, NC -- Some new language from Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in his amped-up attacks on Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., this afternoon in Raleigh, NC.
"Because he knows that his economic theories don’t work, he’s been spending these last few days calling me every name in the book," Obama said.
His prepared remarks had Obama next saying, "I’m sorry to see my opponent sink so low," but for whatever reason, he didn't say the line.
"Lately," Obama said, "he’s called me a Socialist for wanting to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans so we can finally give tax relief to the middle class. I don’t know what’s next. By the end of the week, he’ll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten!"
Big cheers in this battleground state, where the latest polls have the race neck and neck.
"I shared my peanut butter and jelly sandwich," Obama ad-libbed, laughing.
(In response, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds later said, “No one cares what Barack Obama does with his toys, but Americans do care that he wants to raise taxes, add a trillion dollars in new spending and redistribute your hard-earned paycheck as he sees fit.")
"Look, that’s his choice," Obama continued. "That’s the kind of campaign he chose to run. But you have a choice, too. The fundamental question in this election is not 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?’ We know the answer to that. The fundamental question is, ‘Will we be better off four years from now?’
Obama charged that his “opponent is making the same old arguments to justify the same old policies that have been a complete failure for the middle class. I mean, arguments he’s making now are the same arguments that George Bush made! All these years. Kept on saying, you know, ‘If we give tax cuts to all these really wealthy people, its going to help everybody. It will grow the economy.’
“The economy has not been growing,” Obama said, “and the average middle class family is $2,000 poorer now than when George Bush took office. When Bill Clinton was president, your average wages and incomes went up $7,500 -- under George Bush, it went down $2,000.”
Obama often criticized the Clinton years during the Democratic primaries as being a mixed bag economically, particularly regarding NAFTA, but as of late, he’s been full of praise for the 42nd president.
He took it one step further today, on a day that will end with a late night rally with the former president in Orlando, Fla., the first time he'll be campaigning with the husband of his primary opponent Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
“So, if I’ve got economic theories that are similar to Bill Clinton’s and he’s got economic theories that are similar to George Bush’s,” Obama said, “you can look and see which one worked and which one didn’t.”
Obama said the crowd of 28,000 was “here because we know they shouldn’t get away with it any more. We don’t need another president who fights for Washington lobbyists and Wall Street -- we need a president who stands up for hardworking Americans on Main Street, and that’s what I intend to be.
“With six days left, it’s time for the American people to think very hard about what four years of John McCain’s policies would mean for the middle class,” he said, in a new riff. “If Senator McCain is elected, 100 million Americans will not get a tax cut. Won’t see a cent, but the average Fortune 500 CEO will get $700,000 in tax relief, average fortune 500 CEO will get an average of $700,000 -- Big Oil will get $4 billion.”
“That ain’t right!” yelled someone from the crowd.
“Somebody said that ain’t right,” Obama said. “Not only is it not right, it ain’t right!”
The crowd cheered.
“If Senator McCain...is elected, your health care benefits will get taxed for the first time in history,” Obama said, “and at least 20 million Americans risk losing their employer-based health insurance. That ain’t right.
“If Senator McCain is elected, we’ll have another president who wants to privatize part of your Social Security,” he continued. “That ain’t right. Can you imagine if you had your Social Security invested in the stock market these last two weeks, these last two months? You wouldn’t need Social Security -- you’d be having a, you know, like, ah what was it? ‘Sanford and Son,'" he said, referring to the 70s sitcom featuring Redd Foxx as the owner of a junkyard.
“I’m coming Weezie!” Obama joked, mixing up a line from "Sanford and Son" and a character from "The Jeffersons."
“It ain't right!” Obama yelled.
“If John McCain is elected,” Obama said, “he won’t make your college tuition affordable. His campaign has no plan to make college more affordable. ... So, whether you are Suzy the Student, or Nancy the Nurse, or Tina the Teacher, or Carl the Construction Worker -- if my opponent is elected, you will be worse off four years from now than you are today.
“So, let’s cut through the negative ads and the phony attacks,” Obama said. “Under John McCain, the middle class will watch wealth get favored over work, jobs get shipped overseas, and the health care costs and college costs continue to go through the roof. North Carolina, we know that just won’t do. Not this time. It is time for change. It is time to do what’s right for you, what's right for our economy, what's right for our country. That’s why I’m running. That’s why we’re here, that’s why we’re going to win on November 4th.”
-- Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller
October 29, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (115)
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Rachel,
With all due respect, I think you are drinking too much Obama Kool-Aid.
McCain has lots of plans. They are just different from Obama's. Lots & lots of plans. McCain is spreading fear about Obama. Obama is spreading fear about McCain. Presidential politics. Happens every four years.
Anybody that has met Sarah Palin believes she is smart & gracious. Even the liberal types. The only ones that bash her are those that don't actually listen. Republicans that call Joe Biden an idiot are just as guilty. Biden's smart, but a bit loose-lipped. We all have our faults.
Not sure what you mean about the Real Americans not being afraid of anything. I'm afraid a terrorist might hurt my family. I'm afraid of losing my freedom. I'm afraid of clowns.
Obama offers false hope. He is trying to make the "middle class" dependent on the government. Hope = opportunity. If you want opportunity, vote McCain. Replace the phrase "middle class" with "proletariat" in any of Obama's speeches and you'll truly believe he's a Marxist. That didn't work out real well for the Soviet Union.
Even France think Obama is a weakling in the foreign policy arena, calling him "arrogant" for wanting to negotiate with rogue regimes. Obama's foreign policy is most similar to Jimmy Carter's. I don't think we'll be able to dig up Reagan to bail us out four years from now.
All Americans are able to SEEK health care now. Obama's plan only makes the seeking that more difficult.
Obama is a good speaker. But the content is troubling & not at all inspirational. If you want inspiration and good speaking, I have the names of a few churches.
Can't remember a Republican "dumping" on a less fortunate person unless it is a criminal. Less fortunate persons are more than welcome to strive to become more fortunate persons.
Nothing wrong with wealth & achievement. Republicans don't want anybody to not have the opportunity to be wealthy.
I couldn't agree more with your last statement!!
Regards,
Karl
Posted by: Karl Marx | Oct 29, 2008 5:32:23 PM
Wouldn't Senator McCain's tax credit help you buy insurance for your kids?
-----------------------
Have you ever really priced an independent family policy? (My 54 year co-worker pays $387 per month and has HUGE deductibles and limited coverage. That's just for her, not her family.)
A $5000 credit will increase the cost of health care for almost every American. Even McCain said the average policy cost was $5800 per year. And that figure is much lower than many third party figures suggest.
Have you ever tried to get an individual policy with a pre-existing condition? You simply can't get it, at any price. You are left uninsured.
Do you understand the power of collective purchasing over an independent puchase? You lose all collective bargaining power as an individual. You are at the mercy of the insurance companies.
McCain's health care plan benefits insurance companies, not Americans. It will leave millions of Americans uninsured.
McCain's plan will end up costing us more because people will not seek preventative health care if they can't afford it.
As with most policies McCain has suggested, it's a horrible plan. Thus, it will never get through Congress. We'll end up right where we started with a broken health care system.
Posted by: Milton Freedman | Oct 29, 2008 5:30:43 PM
If Obama and the Democrats are elected they only have two years to do their "damage" and in the mid-term elections there will be a revolution against the Obamunists and start by throwing out the Democrat majority in Congress.
Obama has flown so, so high...but what goes up will come down. And the US will suffer.
Posted by: Richard J. | Oct 29, 2008 5:26:40 PM
Notice how Obama never denies the socialist and communist claims he brings up - he just gives silly examples about them.
Classic trick of a politician.
You think by his silly examples that he is against socialism and communism, but he never comes out and says he is.
Posted by: Wilma H. | Oct 29, 2008 5:19:24 PM
Yolanda,
Why do you do what you do if you aren't satisfied with your earnings and benefits? Why do you feel it is the government's responsibility to pay your bills? Did you not know that was the pay scale for teachers in the district in which you chose to work? If you are a good teacher (I assume you are), shouldn't you be able to get a raise? Wouldn't Senator McCain's tax credit help you buy insurance for your kids?
Regards,
Karl
Posted by: Karl Marx | Oct 29, 2008 5:12:37 PM
GOBAMA! TELL IT LIKE IT IS!
McCain wants to spread fear, because he has no plan
Palin can only spread fear, she know nothing else
Real Americans aren't afraid of anything! Certainly, we won't be fooled by pathetic attempts to label someone.
Obama offers hope. He has a plan for our economy. He has a new direction for our country based on the middle class instead of corporations.
Obama will help our nation regain the international credibility we've lost under Republican "leadership".
Obama wants ALL Americans to be able to seek health care when needed.
Obama is a true leader. He is an inspirational leader for all Americans.
Obama understands that the less fortunate in our nation have been dumped on by the Republican party.
He knows this country was built "by the people, for the people". And that's ALL people, not just the wealthy ones.
It's time we take our country back. It begins on Tuesday!
Posted by: Rachel | Oct 29, 2008 5:10:14 PM
I have been hearing a lot of talk about how McCain's economic plan will benefit the "Joe the Plumbers" of this country, yet I have not heard anything about how McCain's administration will help the "Yolanda the Teachers." Unlike the "Joe the Plumbers" in his campaign ad, after four years of teaching, I only make $35,000 per year, and, unfortunately, I cannot afford healthcare for my children (or anything else because I DO NOT qualify for any assistance with food, daycare or anything). Additionally, I am deeply offended by their (the “I’m Joe the Plumbers”) cavalier attitudes which suggests that the middle-class will "steal" something we didn't earn under Obama's plan. So, do you mean to tell me that teachers, police officers, fire fighters, EMS workers and other public servants don't at least deserve tax relief as we shoulder the same responsibility as the "Joe the Plumbers" who make far more than we do? When I look at McCain's plan against Obama’s, I know my family will benefit better if Obama is elected president. That's the truth! No fog, no mirrors! By the way, I am a non-affiliated voter (formerly a registered Republican for many years) and I approve THIS message!
Posted by: Yolanda Whitted | Oct 29, 2008 5:03:28 PM
Obama WILL win...people just need to start getting used to that idea.
Posted by: Lola | Oct 29, 2008 5:03:15 PM
You see what you want to see and you hear what you want to hear. Does anyone have a mind of their own? One post was exactly what Obama has been saying for months. Think much? I will not vote for Obama, not because of the economic issues or his stand of Iraq or that he is going to sink this nation into a depression,I will not vote for him because of all his associations to hateful, radical, racist people. You would not associate with these types if your views were not the same. I believe that his agenda, planned for years with Ayers and others is to bring this country down, to destroy it.
Posted by: Linda/Michigan | Oct 29, 2008 5:01:46 PM
THREE GROUPS: Forecasts of voting lag, so far
Record turnout was seen for new voters, young, Hispanics
By MOLLY BALL
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Elections
Politics
People line up to vote Tuesday at a trailer on the grounds of the Las Vegas Athletic Club at Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard.
Photo by John Locher.
Graphic by Mike Johnson.
Analysts have predicted that new voters, young voters and Hispanic voters will turn out in record numbers in this election. But as Nevadans continue to flock to the polls, turnout among those three groups is lagging, at least in the early going.
Posted by: dave | Oct 29, 2008 4:54:49 PM
Concentration of wealth will destroy America. When the disparity becomes too great the government will have no choice but to institute a police state.
At that time the control that the media can exert alone will not be enough.
Fundamental change will occur whether you like it or not.
Posted by: seemstome | Oct 29, 2008 4:39:08 PM
Seemstone,
Thanks for the reply.
I'm afraid that if a plurality of the people think like you on November 4th that you will be proven correct.
I hope you are wrong & I hope you don't live in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Missouri, Nevada, or North Carolina!
Craner
Posted by: Craner | Oct 29, 2008 4:33:37 PM
He's going to enact a tax code that is for the middle class. If that's socialism, then I welcome socialism in this country.
Posted by: SgtPepper | Oct 29, 2008 4:06:09 PM
---
Hallelujah! May Karl Be With You.
Posted by: d0 | Oct 29, 2008 4:32:56 PM
Craner look around. You are living in the past. That America is fading fast.
Populations have shifted from the south to the north. Borders have opened like never before. Fundamental change will happen whether you like it or not.
McCain is not the man for America today.
Neither is your twentieth century philosophy.
Posted by: seemstome | Oct 29, 2008 4:26:03 PM
MM:
Nothing against Palin, but maybe you are right about Romney...he would have been real good on this $ stuff...
Posted by: Wade | Oct 29, 2008 4:20:26 PM
Ryan:
Just saw your comment. I agree...our tendency to vote for one over the other has more to do with a broad shift than the provisions of the proposed plans...
Posted by: Wade | Oct 29, 2008 4:18:16 PM
If the wealthy had their way we would be working like the serfs in China do at one tenth the wages with no health benefits.
We would have the toxic air, and undrinkable water that China's industrial pollution has produced.
When the workforce becomes "flexible" enough, maybe the Chinese form of feudalism will be right for America.
Another eight years of republican rule should do it.
Posted by: seemstome | Oct 29, 2008 4:18:05 PM
Ryan:
Actually, I agree with you...I don't think that insurance companies should be able to have insurance laws of their "home" state apply...McCain is wrong on that in my opinion...
If he were elected, I would argue to my congress people against voting for such a plan. Given that the house and senate with be D, it is unlikely that such a provision would make it through.
However, it is a bad idea of McCain's. There, I said it!
There is no reason that the plan could not include the voucher idea, and leave state sovereignty over insurance companies doing business in the state.
McCain loses on that, but Obama's humongous ideas are too headed for one-payer, Canadian style, wait too long health care.
I think the credit card analogy is actually good. I think Delaware (Biden's state) and SD should be *shunned* Dwight style for allowing usury (I was going to say bombed, but...) On the other hand, a lot of people couldn't get credit if the interest rates were capped at 12%. On the OTHER hand :-), maybe that would be good because banks wouldn't go crazy chasing after bad loans...hmmm.
Posted by: Wade | Oct 29, 2008 4:16:59 PM
No seemstome, I'm not for McCain because he would allow a fortune 500 company CEO's to fire 20'000 people and then get millions of dollars for all there "good works"
Posted by: strike | Oct 29, 2008 4:13:24 PM
Wade,
I think we can both agree that neither plan is likely to be enacted as is and our taste or distaste of a given plan is more tied to the general direction of the plan and our political leanings rather than particularly distasteful components of the plan.
Posted by: Ryan C (That One) | Oct 29, 2008 4:11:33 PM
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