In a speech on the economy today, Sen. John McCain told supporters that he would put a lid on government spending.
Speaking in Cleveland, Ohio, McCain sought to distance himself from President George W. Bush and also took shots at Sen. Barack Obama.
As McCain put it: “We both disagree with President Bush on economic policies. My approach is to get spending under control,” writes the Associated Press. McCain says his plan will create millions of jobs, protect savings and get the stock market rising again.
The speech included no new proposals, writes the Washington Post, and instead McCain reiterated his promise to provide incentives for people to stay in the stock market, use the government’s bailout money to buy up and refinance bad mortgages and lower taxes on business.
Shortly after McCain’s speech, the Obama camp issued the following statement: “A day after John McCain said that he agreed with George Bush’s economic philosophy, he continued to parrot the same failed policies that give billions to billionaires and big corporations while providing no relief at all to more than 100 million middle-class Americans. Â Barack Obama will invest in the middle-class by cutting taxes for 95% of workers and their families and create new jobs by giving tax credits to employers who hire new workers and investing in renewable sources of energy.”
The Arizona Republican spoke after meeting with economic advisers.
Readers: What do you think? Is it “more of the same” or is McCain offering new ideas for America?
Transcript of McCain’s speech after meeting with economic and business leaders in Cleveland:
I just finished meeting with my team of economic and business advisors. We have been meeting throughout this campaign, discussing the state of our economy and what we need to do to get this country back on track. This is a team of extraordinary leaders in business and government, with great insight into what we need to do to rebuild confidence, restore economic growth and create millions of new jobs. They, and many others, have helped me develop dynamic new economic policies, and in a McCain Administration they will continue to advise me and help enact these important actions to get our economy moving again.
I have been through tough times like this before and the American people can trust me — based on my record and results — to take strong action to end this crisis, restore jobs and bring security to Americans. I will never be the one who sits on the sidelines waiting for things to get better. I believe that to lead, you must put forward your vision of our future, and that is what I have done.
With one week left in this campaign, the choice facing Americans is stark. My economic goals and policies are very clear — One, I will protect your savings and retirement accounts and get this stock market rising again. Two, I will keep people in their