Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama dismissed attacks on his character, saying presidential rival John McCain is trying to distract voters from the financial crisis and the Republican's support for President George W. Bush's economic policies.
McCain's running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, yesterday linked the Democratic presidential candidate with a domestic terrorist group from the 1970s, telling supporters Obama used to ``pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country.''
With one month until election day, both candidates are sharpening their rhetoric. Illinois Senator Obama is focusing on the economy and attacking McCain's health-care plan, while the Arizona senator's campaign said it will focus on Obama's ``liberal'' record.
``Senator McCain and his operatives are gambling that they can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance,'' Obama, 47, said today in Asheville, North Carolina. ``That's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time.''
Obama has opened up a lead over McCain, 72, in the aftermath of their first debate Sept. 26 as the economy deteriorates. Earlier in September, a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll showed more respondents said Obama would do a better job handling the financial crisis than McCain, and almost half of the voters said they believed he had better ideas to strengthen the economy than his rival.
Obama's Character
McCain's advisers signaled that they would divert attention from the economy by focusing on Obama's character.
Obama ``is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country,'' Palin, 44, told donors at a fundraiser last night in Costa Mesa, California. ``This, ladies and gentleman, is not the kind of change that I think we should be believing in.''
``We are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days,'' McCain senior adviser Greg Strimple told reporters during a conference call last week. ``We're looking to turning the page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's liberal, aggressively liberal, record and how he will be too risky for the Americans.''
Obama shot back today by saying,``we are facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and John McCain wants us to turn the page on talking about the economy.''
`Hard to Defend'
``I know the policies he's supported these past eight years and the policies he wants to continue for another four are pretty hard to defend,'' Obama said.
Labor Department data released Friday showed the U.S. lost 159,000 jobs in September, the most in five years. The jobless rate, the last one reported before the November presidential election, remained at 6.1 percent. The total decline in payrolls so far this year has reached 760,000; the economy created 1.1 million jobs in 2007. Hours worked reached the lowest level since records began in 1964.
Obama today said McCain was employing ``Swiftboat-style attacks,'' a reference to advertisements that questioned the military record of the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.
Obama pledged to continue talking about the economy, health care and education.
`Erratic'
Obama has begun airing a series of advertisements, including due for release nationally tomorrow in which an announcer calls McCain's response the economic crisis ``erratic.'' The ad, titled ``This Year'' shows a photograph of a smiling McCain with Bush.
``We can't afford another President who's this out of touch,'' the announcer says.
Obama kept up his criticism of McCain's health-care plan, especially a feature that would provide a $5,000 tax credit to families while taxing employer-provided insurance benefits.
Obama said yesterday in Newport News, Virginia, and again today that McCain's plan won't prevent insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. He said McCain's plan would deregulate the insurance industry, similar to the deregulation of the banking industry that he said contributed to the financial crisis.
McCain's campaign countered by saying Obama's attacks were dishonest and that his health care plan would impose mandates, create a health-care bureaucracy, and increase spending by $250 billion a year.
``Americans' paychecks would go to higher taxes that pay the bureaucrats who control their health care,'' said senior economic adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin.
``Barack Obama is not being truthful, because John McCain's plan puts money in the hands of families, preserves their employer coverage and expands new options, and transforms the health care system to provide better care, at lower cost, for every American.''
Both candidates are preparing with their advisers for the next presidential debate Tuesday night in Nashville, Tennessee. McCain is at his home in Sedona, Arizona; Obama is in Asheville.
McCain's running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, yesterday linked the Democratic presidential candidate with a domestic terrorist group from the 1970s, telling supporters Obama used to ``pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country.''
With one month until election day, both candidates are sharpening their rhetoric. Illinois Senator Obama is focusing on the economy and attacking McCain's health-care plan, while the Arizona senator's campaign said it will focus on Obama's ``liberal'' record.
``Senator McCain and his operatives are gambling that they can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance,'' Obama, 47, said today in Asheville, North Carolina. ``That's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time.''
Obama has opened up a lead over McCain, 72, in the aftermath of their first debate Sept. 26 as the economy deteriorates. Earlier in September, a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll showed more respondents said Obama would do a better job handling the financial crisis than McCain, and almost half of the voters said they believed he had better ideas to strengthen the economy than his rival.
Obama's Character
McCain's advisers signaled that they would divert attention from the economy by focusing on Obama's character.
Obama ``is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country,'' Palin, 44, told donors at a fundraiser last night in Costa Mesa, California. ``This, ladies and gentleman, is not the kind of change that I think we should be believing in.''
``We are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days,'' McCain senior adviser Greg Strimple told reporters during a conference call last week. ``We're looking to turning the page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's liberal, aggressively liberal, record and how he will be too risky for the Americans.''
Obama shot back today by saying,``we are facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and John McCain wants us to turn the page on talking about the economy.''
`Hard to Defend'
``I know the policies he's supported these past eight years and the policies he wants to continue for another four are pretty hard to defend,'' Obama said.
Labor Department data released Friday showed the U.S. lost 159,000 jobs in September, the most in five years. The jobless rate, the last one reported before the November presidential election, remained at 6.1 percent. The total decline in payrolls so far this year has reached 760,000; the economy created 1.1 million jobs in 2007. Hours worked reached the lowest level since records began in 1964.
Obama today said McCain was employing ``Swiftboat-style attacks,'' a reference to advertisements that questioned the military record of the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.
Obama pledged to continue talking about the economy, health care and education.
`Erratic'
Obama has begun airing a series of advertisements, including due for release nationally tomorrow in which an announcer calls McCain's response the economic crisis ``erratic.'' The ad, titled ``This Year'' shows a photograph of a smiling McCain with Bush.
``We can't afford another President who's this out of touch,'' the announcer says.
Obama kept up his criticism of McCain's health-care plan, especially a feature that would provide a $5,000 tax credit to families while taxing employer-provided insurance benefits.
Obama said yesterday in Newport News, Virginia, and again today that McCain's plan won't prevent insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. He said McCain's plan would deregulate the insurance industry, similar to the deregulation of the banking industry that he said contributed to the financial crisis.
McCain's campaign countered by saying Obama's attacks were dishonest and that his health care plan would impose mandates, create a health-care bureaucracy, and increase spending by $250 billion a year.
``Americans' paychecks would go to higher taxes that pay the bureaucrats who control their health care,'' said senior economic adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin.
``Barack Obama is not being truthful, because John McCain's plan puts money in the hands of families, preserves their employer coverage and expands new options, and transforms the health care system to provide better care, at lower cost, for every American.''
Both candidates are preparing with their advisers for the next presidential debate Tuesday night in Nashville, Tennessee. McCain is at his home in Sedona, Arizona; Obama is in Asheville.
____________________
The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have!! 
