McCain: "The Economy Has Hurt Us A Little Bit"

ARLINGTON, Va. — Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama's "you-know-what" when the two presidential candidates meet Wednesday in their final televised debate.

McCain made that pledge as top advisers said he is weighing new economic proposals to help the nation weather the financial crisis. The Arizona senator refused to answer a reporter's question Sunday about what plans he might be considering.

Addressing several dozen volunteers at his campaign headquarters outside Washington, McCain promised some of his signature "straight talk" about the state of the race. National and many battleground state polls have shown him trailing Obama amid the deepening market crisis.

"We're a couple points down, OK, nationally, but we're right in this game," McCain said to cheers. "The economy has hurt us a little bit in the last week or two, but in the last few days we've seen it come back up because they want experience, they want knowledge and they want vision. We'll give that to America."

McCain said he and running mate Sarah Palin would continue campaigning hard in the three weeks left before Election Day, in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. The two planned a joint appearance Monday in Virginia, a Republican stronghold turned battleground this time.

"We're going to spend a lot of time and after I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," McCain said.

The two men will debate Wednesday at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y. CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer will moderate the 90-minute forum.

Still, McCain promised to run a "respectful" campaign in the weeks to come.

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"I respect Senator Obama, we will conduct a respectful race and be sure everyone else does too. But there are stark difference between us," McCain said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said McCain was considering policy proposals that would cut taxes on investments.

"I think it goes along the lines of now's the time to lower tax rates for investors, capital gains tax, dividend tax rates, to make sure that we can get the economy jump-started," Graham said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "It will be a very comprehensive approach to jump-start the economy by allowing capital to be formed easier in America by lowering taxes."

McCain already has laid out proposals to address the crisis, including a $300 billion plan for the federal government to buy distressed mortgages and renegotiate them at a reduced price.

The Arizona senator has said his plan is necessary to get thousands of bad mortgages off the books in order to stabilize home values and open up credit. But critics said the plan would do little more than reward financial institutions that made the bad loans to in the first place.

On Friday, McCain called for legislation that suspends for one year the requirement that investors age 70 1/2 begin to liquidate their retirement accounts. The Arizona senator said it would be unfair to force seniors to sell their stocks when stock prices have tumbled so severely. Obama aides said the Illinois senator favors a similar effort.

Obama also has offered plans to address the fiscal crisis but nothing as sweeping or controversial as McCain's mortgage proposal. On Friday, the Illinois senator announced a $900 million plan to temporarily extend an expiring tax break that lets small businesses write off investments up to $250,000 immediately, rather than over the course of several years.

Aides said Obama also wants to extend the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program to help small businesses that cannot access other sources of capital, as well as eliminate fees on SBA loan guarantees and increase the size of loans that could be covered. They put the cost at $5 billion.

Both candidates voted for the $700 billion bailout proposal Congress passed and President Bush signed into law earlier this month.

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On the Net:

McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com

Obama: http://www.barackobama.com

Comments

[politicojunkie]

Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama's "you-know-what"

This statement is too funny. All Sen. Obama has to do is raise McCain's arms above his head and he will collapse. When you are as crippled as McCain is you should be careful what you wish for.

[CaptXpendable]

(Shamelessly stolen from another forum)

"We're a couple points down, OK, nationally, but we're right in this game,"

Tis but a scratch.

"The economy has hurt us a little bit in the last week or two,"

It's just a flesh wound.

[rawdawgbuffalo]

wonder if America is ready for a black president, or will it show the true racial legacy of the icemans inheritance

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

Tr0ll alert...

Zaff786, Paid tr0ll.. (see Salon.com- re: mccain-ghostwriter)

Ignore

[UNCLEJOE]

ON EXPERIENCE:
"If they stoop to common (Straight) talk , and you show them anything but approbation and respect, they fell you with the authority of their EXPERIENCE: they have heard, they have seen, they have done; you are overwhelmed with proofs. I could readily say to them that the fruit of a surgeon's experience is not the tale of his (successes) ... if he does not derive from his success the wherewithal to form his judgement.­.. and is wiser for the practice of his art.

"IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO NUMBER (THE YEARS OF) EXPERIENCE - THEY MUST BE WEIGHED AND SORTED, AND THEY MUST HAVE BEEN DIGESTED AND ANALYZED TO EXTRACT FROM THEM THE INFORMATION AND CONCLUSION WHICH THEY CONTAIN." Michel de Montaigne 1533-1592

[UNCLEJOE]

"EXPERIENCE:
If they stoop to common (Straight) talk , and you show them anything but approbation and respect, they fell you with the authority of their EXPERIENCE: they have heard, they have seen, they have done; you are overwhelmed with proofs. I could readily say to them that the fruit of a surgeon's experience is not the tale of his (successes) ... if he does not derive from his success the wherewithal to form his judgement.­.. and is wiser for the practice of his art.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO NUMBER (THE YEARS OF) EXPERIENCE - THEY MUST BE WEIGHED AND SORTED, AND THEY MUST HAVE BEEN DIGESTED AND ANALYZED TO EXTRACT FROM THEM THE INFORMATION AND CONCLUSION WHICH THEY CONTAIN." Michel de Montaigne 1533-1592

[Carolab]

Just got e-mail from CLG that tomorrow the talk will be OIL...they­'re carving up the spoils in Iraq.

[nivek]

The economy Sen. McCain, is crippling you, it has you surrounded. Pinned down in a way that has cut-off your campaign, stymied every pivot maneuver, and shaken your troops morale. Pinned down by your own rhetoric, you are left lobbing incendiaries higher and wider, walking them back toward your own infantry in a desperate attempt to stop the advance that will sweep aside the crumbling bulwark of your Republican party.

[liseworks]

He announced last night that he would unveil a new economic plan this week -

Now, tonight, it's been retracted - there will be NO announcement of any economic plan !

WOW - &
LMAO !!!!

[abby4ever]

Unless he's decided to drop it on Obama during the debate coming up. That wouldn't surprise me. If he drops it now, Obama would have time to take it apart; if he waits, he won't have time, he will just have to respond during the debate. Think on his feet, and quickly. Whenever politicians say 'We have no immediate plans' to do thus and so, they usually are stalling.

What do you think?

[AdLib]

You think McCain saying he was going to "whip" the black candidate Obama at the debate was bad?

Good thing he rewrote that line, it originally read, "At the debate on Wednesday night, I am going to own 'that one'."

[DragonMama]

Yeah, I caught the whipping thing and thought that was an incredibly stupid thing to say. McCain may not consciously be a racist, but his body language around African Americans at the last debate and weird word choices certainly give clues to his less-conscious opinions.

[iowaliberal]

But he hugged a black man in Wisconsin last week! So obviously he's not a racist, lol. I hope that if he does come out attacking on Wednesday that we get a red faced screaming incident out of him just to polish off his campaign.

[AdLib]

LOL! Attention-starved troII freaking out, keep ignoring its posts and watch its head implode!

[liseworks]

IGNORE ZAFF (below)

THEN FLAG, ....please -

[iburl]

"we will conduct a respectful race"
That train already left the station old man McCain.

[siney]

check out this devastating examination of mccain's very UNmavericky life in rolling stone mag...long­, but well worth the read....so much like bush, beyond scary....a­nd note that rolling stone has written several glowing articles on mccain in past years.....­it's taken this shameful campaign and his unraveling at his own hands for the media to finally take note of the h uckster and c harlatain that mccain is:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

[The 13 Colonies]

His " you know what " is grass and it's been smoked. The only thing left is a roach and it's going back to Alaska real soon.

[WLA]

I'm heading on out. Everyone have a great night. This one goes out to "Sister Sarah" from Johnny McGimmick.

Hate or Hope?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rUAFUoz3jc
You Decide.

Let It Be.

[AdLib]

Night WLA!

[liseworks]

Goodnight !

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Have always loved that Beatle's benediction. G'nite WLA. Excellent work, as always.

[abby4ever]

Night, WLA. Sweet dreams.

[TSense]

Mac will come out with some serious smoke and mirror vodoo econ stuff that may full enough people to get it . Also, he will play the divided government card. That is why Obama needs to have an expressed vision and plans with some details to counter. He also needs to blame Repub and McCain policies. Yes, he needs to talk about "free trade" and put Mac Daddy on the spot while watching trade =depression talk !