Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

General Election Starts Coming Into Focus

McCain, Obama focus on Democrat's economic agenda

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 9, 2008 2:20 PM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama launched a 2-week economic tour today, prompting dueling press releases, Time reports. Obama kicked off the one-on-one stage of the election by vowing to “restore fairness and balance to our economy,” and John McCain's campaign countered by saying the Democratic nominee "doesn’t understand the American economy."

Obama blasted McCain for voting 95% of the time with President Bush, for prepping “tax giveaways” that would hand $2 trillion to corporations, and for pushing proposals that would effectively add $5.7 trillion to the national debt. The Republican, meanwhile, painted Obama as a classic liberal, saying his rival “has promised higher income taxes, Social Security taxes, capital gains taxes, dividend taxes, and tax hikes on job-creating businesses.”

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., center, listens to senior campaign advisor Steve Schmidt as Mark Salter looks on after their arrival in Washington. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The candidates. (AP composite)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., jogs onto the stage at a Chicago 2016 Olympic rally at Daley Plaza in Chicago on Friday, June 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Poll: Obama 53%, McCain 43%

McCain too busy with attack ads; losing support among base

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama continues to rise in the polls just as John McCain falls, with the latest numbers giving the Democrat a 10-point lead over his opponent, reports the Washington Post. Voters also gave Obama a clear lead on taxes and leadership for the first time in the election. McCain, meanwhile, is seen as too focused on attacking Obama, and is losing support even among his base. More»

Bush's 'Poison Pill' Haunts Both Parties

McCain backs tax cuts; Obama would roll back only for very rich

(NEWSER) - President Bush’s tax cuts have become the governmental equivalent of a corporate poison pill, Paul Krugman observes in the New York Times, aimed at hamstringing new stewardship. Both prospective replacements have tax plans very much haunted by the Bush cuts, with one-time critic John McCain promising not only to make them permanent, but add more—and without a plan to replace revenue. More»

How Much Did Obama Really Add to Deficit?

Ezra Klein crunches the numbers and comes up with a lower total than you think

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney has taken to carrying around a debt clock, blaming President Obama for the ever-climbing number it shows. But the clock doesn't show how much Obama has actually added to that debt, so Ezra Klein set out to find out. "There are two answers," he writes in the Washington Post . The first, which is "simple and wrong" is $4.7 trillion. That's what you get when you subtract the debt when Obama took office (about $10.5 trillion) from the current debt (about $15.2 trillion). More»

Obama: I Won't Sign Any 'Stop-Gap' Debt Deal

President says budget talks will continue 'every day'

(NEWSER) - Compromise was the theme of President Obama's press conference today, during which he acknowledged that yesterday's budget talks did not result in a deal—but promised that "we're gonna meet every single day until we get this thing resolved." He insisted that he and "all the leaders" agree that we absolutely cannot fail to raise the debt ceiling and thus "allow the US government to default." He also confirmed he is still looking for "the largest possible deal," and that he appreciates John Boehner's "good-faith efforts on that front." Obama also noted that nobody is talking about increasing taxes right now. More»

Bush: I Woulda Endorsed Obama

Reportedly told a group of Brits he wouldn't vote for McCain, too

(NEWSER) - George Bush's stop-the-presses revelations just won't stop , though the latest comes by way of a dusty anecdote that's finally seeing the light of day. Alex Barker, writing for the Financial Times reveals that in an Oval Office meeting with Gordon Brown and other British dignitaries during the 2008 campaign season, John McCain came up in conversation. Bush reportedly told the group (according to two who were there): "I probably won’t even vote for the guy. I had to endorse him. But I’d have endorsed Obama if they’d asked me." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

General Election Starts Coming Into Focus

McCain, Obama focus on Democrat's economic agenda

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Barack Obama • John McCain • taxes • national debt • economy • George W. Bush

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Poll: Obama 53%, McCain 43%

McCain too busy with attack ads; losing support among base

Bush's 'Poison Pill' Haunts Both Parties

McCain backs tax cuts; Obama would roll back only for very rich

How Much Did Obama Really Add to Deficit?

Ezra Klein crunches the numbers and comes up with a lower total than you think

Obama: I Won't Sign Any 'Stop-Gap' Debt Deal

President says budget talks will continue 'every day'

Bush: I Woulda Endorsed Obama

Reportedly told a group of Brits he wouldn't vote for McCain, too

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?