Counterpunch
WASHINGTON – In a counterpunch to Barack Obama's economic policy kickoff yesterday in North Carolina, John McCain told the National Small Business Summit that his rival's economic policies will hurt small businesses, thwart global trade and increase taxes.
Noting that tough economic times are prompting calls for change on both sides of the aisle, McCain asked, "The question is what kind of change? Will we enact the single largest tax increase since the Second World War as my opponent proposes, or will we keep taxes low for families and employers?"
In Raleigh yesterday, Obama compared McCain to President Bush, who ran as a fiscal conservative. "Instead, we got the most fiscally irresponsible administration in history," Obama said. "And now John McCain wants to give us another."
McCain today shot back saying that he would return the Republican party to spending discpline, but that Obama's policies would cause the kind of across-the-board tax hikes that stifle economic growth.
"Under Senator Obama's tax plan, Americans of every background would see their taxes rise -- seniors, parents, small business owners, and just about everyone who has even a modest investment in the market," he said.
The Arizona senator also went on to criticize Obama's "habit of talking down the value" of foreign trade agreements like NAFTA, which the presumptive Democratic nominee has proposed to overhaul.
Another point of contention for McCain regards the estate or "death" tax, a piñata for conservative Republicans that played a prominent role in the GOP primary. McCain said that he would "keep it predictable and keep it low," in contrast to an increase of up to 55% proposed by Obama.
McCain was introduced by Ebay CEO and national campaign co-chair Meg Whitman, whose name has been tossed around as a dark horse candidate for the vice presidency.
A few minutes into his talk, McCain was interrupted by three female protestors in quick succession, who yelled their objections to the Iraq War and were led out. McCain used the interruptions to call for civil general election debate.
"One of the things they're tired of is people yelling at each other," he said. "Americans want a dialogue."
After the second outburst, he won laughter and applause from the audience for quoting conservative icon Ronald Reagan's famous one-liner: "There we go again." And as the impatient crowd booed down the third of the hecklers, McCain quipped wearily, "I'm running out of funny lines."
(NBC/NJ's CARRIE DANN)
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