Obama launches economic attack on McCain

[LongTomH]

Source: The Guardian UK

"For eight long years, our president sacrificed investments in healthcare, and education, and energy, and infrastructure on the altar of tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs – trillions of dollars in giveaways that proved neither compassionate nor conservative," he said.

Noting that, "in America, our prosperity has always risen from the bottom up," Obama called for an expansion of unemployment benefits, and mortgage interest relief for low- and middle-income homeowners. He reiterated his call for universal health insurance, with subsidies extended to families who cannot afford coverage. He also proposed a programme under which the government would extend a $4,000 tuition grant to college students who volunteer for community or national service after graduation, and called for stricter regulation of consumer credit cards to protect borrowers from unilateral changes to credit card agreements.

Obama proposed curbing corporate tax loopholes and havens and using the savings to fund a tax cut for the middle class that would provide $1,000 to 95% of workers and their families. He called for a windfall profits tax on oil companies, which would fund energy subsidies for struggling families. Also, he pledged to eliminate income taxes for retirees who bring in less than $50,000 per year. He said he would ward off efforts to privatise social security.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/09/barackobama.uselections2008

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I think we made a good pick for President.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. This speech will make waves

Lots of good ideas of how to help the average American.

[Doctor_J]

2. Not in the US it won't

All of Big Media is campaigning for McSame.

[bdamomma]

4. oh mc same is pushing for those permanent tax cuts for the most

wealthiest Americans, saying how Obama's plan is just going to make things worse, what another delusional piece of work, do we really need this nightmare to continue. Permanent tax cuts are not helping us at all just helping mc bush cronies.

[DJ13]

3. It would..... IF what passes for "news" here in the US would report it

We both know they wont touch that subject.

[unblock]

5. what an odd headline. if he talked defense, would it be "obama launches military attack on mccain"?

:shrug:

[LibDemAlways]

6. I appreciate that The Guardian saw fit to print this

story, but it would do more good in an American paper. I know. I know. That will happen about the same time a pig flies by my house. I'm not holding my breath.

[aquart]

7. "I think we made a good pick for President."

Why this constant need to reassure yourself? Some inner, unaddressed anxiety? He's starting well.

The tuition grant is wholly inadequate, even pathetic, but it's a start and I love the community service angle. Hammering health insurance is good...but subsidies for families who cannot afford coverage says right away that he is NOT talking about universal coverage.

He has to get Democratic congressmen on board with an immediate expansion of the unemployment benefits. I'd like him to call Congress into session on January 20 and DO IT ON THE DAY. Seriously. Before the parties. Let them show up late. Will we have our crushing majority in the new Congress by then? Have that and mortgage relief ready to go and get pledges of support from the candidates who are about to knock out Republicans. Let them campaign on it too.

McCain sucks at economics. And he hasn't a clue what it means to budget for food. The war hasn't frightened this country into change. But not even being able to afford chicken will.

[VP505]

8. It looks to me that Obama

really doesn't have an opponent, McSame campaigning on the same crap Booo$h has been shoveling isn't going to cut it. He can't defend or deny anything that has been done the last 7.5 years. The only thing they have is swift-boating and I hope that it can be shut down quickly before it does too much damage.

[wurzel]

9. Obama must have some very clever advisors.

He can't possibly be thinking all this up by himself. It is going to be a very long campaign for McCain if Obama can express his criticisms in this way.

[Kolesar]

10. Obama is running on "tax cuts", which is a right wing "frame" for a message

The Dems in Congress got stuck on this one too. They wanted to repeal Bush's tax cuts but had to keep them for working class people earning up to $100,000.