Campaigning in Colmar, Pa., Bush charged that Kerry's stated desire to repeal the president's tax cuts on the wealthiest 2% of Americans would fall $1.4 trillion short of the aggregate price tag for Kerry's spending proposals.
Tallying Kerry's plans for new spending at more than $2 trillion, Bush told hundreds of Republicans at Byers' Choice, a family business that makes Christmas figurines: "So you do the math.... Guess who would end up paying the bill?" My opponent, by making political promises and by promising to tax small businesses such as Byers' Choice, would hurt our economy," Bush said.
The Bush campaign has based its estimate according to information cited by the media, the Congressional Budget Office and independent analysts. Earlier this year, it was citing a figure of $1.7 trillion for dozens of new Kerry programs over the next decade. Republicans said much of the new spending would come from the Democrat's plan to expand access to healthcare and reduce insurance premiums.
Phil Singer, a Kerry campaign spokesman, disputed Bush's charge that Kerry's spending programs add up to $2 trillion. "The analysis they are relying on includes more than $1.5 trillion in bogus spending," Singer said.
The Kerry camp also said that most Americans have acquired a greater tax burden during the Bush years."Bush's failed leadership has shifted the tax burden to the middle class, and under his plans working families will face higher taxes as he works to impose a 60% retail sales tax," Singer said in a statement.
He added: "John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to cut taxes for 98% of all Americans, 99% of all businesses, and help families deal with the skyrocketing costs of healthcare."
The two campaigns also tangled over Medicare, as the Bush campaign unveiled a television ad designed to blunt Kerry's criticism of a recent premium hike in the insurance program. Last Friday, the Bush administration announced that premiums would rise 17% next year, the largest increase in Medicare's history.
The Bush campaign ad said that Kerry had voted five times to raise Medicare premiums.
"John Kerry: He actually voted for higher Medicare premiums ... before he came out against them," the ad said, continuing the Bush campaign's charge that Kerry takes two sides of many issues.
The Kerry campaign disputed the charge in the ad.
"John Kerry has voted repeatedly to lower Medicare premiums. George W. Bush is the one who raised Medicare premiums by 17% last Friday, thanks largely to his phony prescription drug bill which is a boondoggle to the big drug companies," said Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton.
The president may have been buoyed by a Washington Post-ABC News Poll reported Thursday which showed him making gains after last week's Republican National Convention. Bush led Kerry in the poll 52% to 43% among likely voters. Among registered voters, Bush led Kerry 50% to 44%.
The poll surveyed 952 self-identified registered voters from Monday through Wednesday. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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Gerstenzang reported from Cincinnati, Chen from Colmar, Pa.
