Obama, back on campaign trail, calls McCain a continuation of Bush
The Democrat, in Reno after a family vacation, defends his economic plans. He also says McCain's claims to be a maverick are absurd.
RENO -- — Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail today after a week off in Hawaii and argued that he is the presidential candidate who can fix the nation's economic woes, repeatedly slamming John McCain as a continuation of the Bush administration.
"I've got news for John McCain: My plan's not going to bring about economic disaster. We already have economic disaster from John McCain's president, George W. Bush," the Democratic candidate said as the union-heavy crowd rose to its feet and roared its support.
Obama spoke to about 250 supporters seated at wooden picnic tables in the sunny courtyard of Earl Wooster High School. The event was his first interaction with voters since his family vacation, which allowed his Republican opponent to enjoy the spotlight alone when foreign policy issues dominated the news because of the conflict in the Caucasus.
Last week, McCain, a Vietnam War veteran and 26-year member of Congress, spoke forcefully about the Russian invasion of the tiny nation of Georgia. Obama, whose response has been criticized by McCain advisors as uninformed and slow, did not mention it today.
Instead, he focused on the nation's economic woes, saying he frequently hears from voters worried that their children and grandchildren will not have the same opportunities they had. "They feel as though the American dream might be slipping away," he said. "That's what's at risk, and that's what this election is all about."
Obama pledged to cut taxes for 95% of Americans, reverse the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, invest $15 billion in research on alternative energy sources, and provide greater access to healthcare.
Brian Rogers, a McCain campaign spokesman, said it was the Las Vegas Review-Journal that concluded Obama's tax plan was a "recipe for economic disaster." In an editorial, the newspaper knocked Obama's plan to raise the top tax rate, increase the capital gains tax and end tax breaks for the gas and oil industries and private equity firm managers.
Rogers said Obama's proposal would "only hurt economic growth, raise gas prices at the pump and further squeeze hardworking Americans."
At his stop in Reno, Obama frequently criticized McCain by name, and said the Arizona senator's claims to be a maverick were absurd.
