DEMOCRATS Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama slammed potential White House opponent John McCain on the economy today, accusing the Republican of favouring the wealthy and turning his back on struggling workers and middle-class families.
The Democratic presidential contenders, campaigning in Pennsylvania ahead of their April 22 showdown, took a break from attacking each other to portray the Arizona senator as uncertain and untested on economic issues.
In separate appearances but similar language, they said Senator McCain would take his economic cues from President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
"John McCain admits he doesn't understand the economy - and unfortunately he's proving it in this campaign," Senator Clinton told the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO union group.
"After seven disastrous years of George Bush and Dick Cheney, the stakes in this election couldn't be higher and the need to change course couldn't be more urgent. But John McCain is only offering more of the same," the New York senator said.
Senator Obama said all Senator McCain offers "is four more years of the same George W. Bush policies that have gotten us into this pickle".
He said Senator McCain's support for extending Mr Bush's tax cuts, which Senator Obama said would help the wealthy, and his support for trade agreements that Senator Obama said do not protect US workers.
"His response to the housing crisis amounts to little more than standing on the sidelines and watching millions of Americans lose their homes," Senator Obama said in Wilkes-Barre.
The winner of the Democratic nominating battle between Senators Clinton and Obama will face Senator McCain in November's election, and in recent days both candidates have toned down their attacks on each other to focus more directly on Senator McCain.
They have both criticised the former Navy fighter pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam for saying he does not know as much about the economy as national security and military issues.
Senator McCain, who is on a week-long tour highlighting his military service and life story, visited his former high school outside Washington, DC, today.
He said he will soon offer a plan with specifics on help for homeowners who are having trouble paying their mortgage bills due to adjustable-rate loans.
"Senator Clinton's attacks on John McCain are a desperate attempt to change the focus away from the divisive battle within the Democratic Party," said Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant, who challenged her to explain how she will pay for her new spending proposals.
Senator Clinton proposed a plan today to create 3 million new jobs through increased investments over 10 years in the US infrastructure, and proposed a $US10 billion emergency repair fund for critical repairs to bridges and highways.
Senators Clinton and Obama both were in Pennsylvania today ahead of their next showdown in three weeks.
Some Democrats are concerned the prolonged campaign will hurt the eventual winner in the match-up with Senator McCain.
Senator Clinton, who trails Senator Obama in pledged delegates won in state-by-state contests, has rejected calls to step aside.
Neither candidate is likely to have the 2024 delegates needed to win the nomination after the contests end in early June, leaving the decision up to nearly 800 superdelegates - elected officials and party insiders who are free to back any candidate.
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the campaign should continue through the end of voting, and repeated her view that superdelegates should not be perceived to overturn the will of the voters.
"I think the election has to run its course," Ms Pelosi said on Good Morning America.
"I do think that it is important for us to get behind one candidate a long time before we go to the Democratic National Convention if we hope to win in November," she said.
Senator Obama also played down worries the long campaign would hurt the eventual Democratic nominee.
"I think this contest has been good for the Democratic Party. We've
brought in all kinds of new people into the process. And I think that
bodes well for November," he said on the Today show.
Comments
I've been leaning toward Barak Obama.
I do not like Hillary. Yes, she's tough, smart and can do the job. But she is divisive. I'd rather see Chelsea run.
Barak worries me because I wonder if he will come having created a hope for change that he can't fulfill - as has happened in our state with Deval Patrick's promises for change. Deval was a breath of fresh air. And I feel like we are mired in stagnation and lack of willingness of his own party to back him and I don't see much happening.
So Barak is the most brilliant and seems honest and honorable and has been consistent. But I just wonder if it will be a powerless government. I don't know. He's no wimp. He doesn't let anyone get away with a dig. He's quick. He's brilliant. I just wonder what DC would have in store for him.
McCain. I respect his honor, his integrity. He seems to show it consistently. He stood up for Barak Obama over the pastor flack. And I applaud him for stepping out of the partisan way of doing things and working with the most liberal democrat to propose an immigration policy - right or wrong may it be and that's not the point. The point is that was really something admirable.
Having said that, if he can't run the economy, well we will be more sunk than we are now.
So who knows. I find the rhetoric and mean spirited posts on the Internet about opposing views to be sickening. Stomach turning. There is a glee in being right and ripping that the other is wrong. And a nastiness from Americans who believe they are serving the nation by bashing "the other side."
After daily doses of hate filled righteous posts for the last week, I just wonder, who are we as Americans? Is being right more important than changing life for the better? Is being in the right slot worth it? "I'm Conservative. I'm a Liberal. I'm a Republican. I'm a Democrat:"
TRANSLATION: I'm right, I'm on the side of good, they're not. I will help our country. They will destroy it. I'm smug but I won't admit it, I'm just right that's all. They're jerks and they ruined our country and they don't see it. They don't think. They just spew venom and rhetoric. They ruined our country.)
Don't both sides get that thats what is happening? Same spew? If we're all so good and right, why are we afraid to listen and maybe hear a speck of truth from either side and find a stronger unified ground?
I am trying to practice what I preach by listening to everyone and sharing maybe there's another angle here. But it's pointless.