McCain touts job plan in Colorado
Posted: Monday, July 07, 2008 4:24 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
Economy
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
DENVER -- At a town hall meeting here today,
McCain touted a repackaged plan to boost the nation’s economy, but left out plans to balance the budget in four years and explore privatization of Social Security that his campaign is advocating.
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee acknowledged that the economy is “slowing” and said that he would create new jobs through lowering taxes and opposing health-care mandates on small businesses. “Small businesses are the job engine of America, and I will make it easier for them to grow and create more jobs,” he said. “My opponent wants to make it harder by imposing a 'pay or play' health mandate on small business.”
VIDEO: John McCain explains why his economic plan is better than Barack Obama's at a town hall meeting in Denver, followed by MSNBC's Contessa Brewer's interview with political pundits.
The McCain campaign also released a 15-page briefing book, entitled “Jobs for America,” that detailed initiatives to boost the economy and create new jobs. Among the plans -- but not in McCain’s prepared remarks -- was a plan to balance the budget by 2013.
In a conference call Monday morning, campaign economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said the balanced budget plan focuses on “broad-based efforts at controlling discretionary spending, keeping growth rapid, and reviewing programs for their effectiveness.”
“But anyone who's looked at the fiscal picture of the United States understands that over the long term, the budget will remain balanced only as quickly as the Democrats come to the table and undertake bipartisan, comprehensive reform of the entitlement programs,” Holtz-Eakin added.
The McCain job plan also calls for reforming Social Security, including “supplementing the current Social Security system with personal accounts -- but not as a substitute for addressing benefit promises that cannot be kept.”
McCain did not speak of Social Security in his prepared remarks. And asked about it at the town hall, he focused solely on bipartisan initiatives. “Americans have got to understand we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today, and that’s a disgrace,” he said. “You fix it by reaching across the aisle and you say to the Democrats: Sit down with me at the table.”
Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said the balanced budget proposal was not mentioned because it was a speech about jobs.
McCain’s job plan includes previously announced initiatives, like a gas-tax holiday, to alleviate current burdens. In addition to backing small businesses, McCain’s job package incorporates his energy plan, health-care programs, and position on taxes and trade.
“If you believe you should pay more taxes, I am the wrong candidate for you,” McCain said. “Sen. Obama is your man.”
McCain and his wife entered the town hall to a familiar theme to some reporters covering the Republican primaries -- the theme song to the motion picture “Rudy,” which was the music of choice for Rudy Giuliani's campaign. In what is most likely a coincidence, it came just a day after Giuliani’s campaign manager, Mike DuHaime, was named the McCain camp’s political director.
Also of note, McCain’s wife Cindy announced that she will travel next week to Rwanda with the ONE Campaign, which fights AIDS and poverty around the world.
