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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (272356)	10/4/2008 1:14:28 PM
From: Ruffian	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793858

Campaigns Enter New Phase of Attack in Final Month Barack Obama is shifting focus to health care while John McCain is reportedly moving to toughen his attacks on Obama's character. FOXNews.com Saturday, October 04, 2008 McCain in Colorado John McCain speaks at a town hall campaign stop in Pueblo, Colo. Friday. (AP Photo) Barack Obama and John McCain both are shifting focus as their presidential campaigns enter the final month, with Obama honing in on health care and McCain reportedly preparing to de-emphasize his own biography in favor of going on the offensive. On a conference call Saturday morning, the Obama campaign announced its health care talking points, calling McCain's plan "radical" while casting the Democratic presidential nominee's proposal, by contrast, as the most aggressive program for fixing health care of anybody who's run for president. "Barack Obama's going to talk about how his plan is going to get folks covered with affordable, accessible health care. John McCain's plan, which is a radical look at health care, is going to boot maybe 20 million people out of the health care that they currently have and raise the cost of health care for millions of Americans," Obama spokesman Bill Burton told FOX News on Saturday. Obama planned to criticize McCain's plan to tax health care during an event in Newport News, Va., while his campaign echoed the message in four new television ads, four separate direct mail pitches to swing state voters, radio commercials and events in every battleground state. The McCain plan would be a dramatic change to the way Americans get health insurance. The Republican presidential nominee, who makes opposition to tax hikes a centerpiece of his campaign, has proposed to tax the health benefits that 156 million people get through the workplace as income. In exchange, McCain would give tax credits to help pay for insurance -- $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families, paid directly to the insurer they choose. "On health care, John McCain promises a tax credit," an announcer says in one of Obama's new ads, over images of families examining their bills. "But here's what he won't tell you: McCain would make you pay taxes on your health benefits, taxing your health care for the first time ever, raising costs for employers who offer health care so your coverage could be reduced or dropped completely. You won't find one word about it on his Web site, but the McCain tax could cost you thousands or even your health care. Can you afford it?" It's true that McCain doesn't mention that he would tax health benefits on the section of his Web site where he describes his plan. But the Obama ad also leaves out some important context -- the tax credit McCain plans to offer would be more generous than the current tax break, at least for most families for the first several years, according to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center. An assessment by health care economists published last month in the journal Health Affairs projected McCain's plan would lead 20 million people to lose their employer-sponsored insurance. But it also found that 21 million people would gain coverage through the individual market. The Obama campaign's mailings repeat the same message, with pictures of families receiving medical treatment and Obama consulting with doctors, and one piece centered around a doctor saying they fear patients will lose the coverage they have through their employers under McCain's plan. The campaign found a local doctor in each swing state to be featured in the mailing delivered to voters in that state. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported Saturday that McCain plans to launch a new assault on Obama's character and judgment, as his aides find McCain's focus on his war-hero biography and maverick roots is not providing enough lift to close the gap in the polls in the final month of campaigning. The Post reported the new focus is also part of an attempt to shift the discussion away from the economy. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds indicated Saturday the campaign would weave in more criticisms of Obama in the weeks ahead. "When we talk about Barack Obama, there's a lot of things that we'd like to talk about. There are associations that are important to who Barack Obama is as a candidate," Bounds told FOX News. "We're talking about ourselves, we're talking about a straight-talking maverick. I think that is punching through, but we're going to talk about Barack Obama's failed record, his inexperience." As to the health care criticisms, Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant responded, "Barack Obama is lying about John McCain's plan to provide more Americans with more health care choices. Obama's plan only offers more government, while McCain's plan offers more choices." Polls show Obama has taken a lead in the race recently, fueled by voters who give him the edge over McCain in ability to handle the struggling economy. The campaign said they long planned to focus on economic issues in these final weeks of the campaign, but the debate over the government's $700 billion financial industry bailout focused voters on those concerns more than they could have imagined. The push on health care is an opportunity to raise the debate on a pocketbook issue that voters rank near the top of their concerns as the campaign enters its final month. According to an AP-Yahoo News poll taken last month, 78 percent of voters rate health care as at least a very important issue, which puts it behind the economy in a group of second-tier issues along with Iraq and terrorism. The candidates have sharp differences on how to address increasing health care costs and help cover more than 47 uninsured Americans. Obama wants the government to subsidize the cost of health coverage for millions who otherwise would have trouble affording it on their own. He also would also require all but small businesses to make a "meaningful" payment for health coverage of their workers or contribute a percentage of payroll toward the cost. McCain wants patients to have more control over their care and how their health care dollars are spent. His tax credit could help people buy insurance through their employer or directly from insurers in the individual market, licensed in any state. The assessment published in Health Affairs found McCain's plan could lead to employers declining to offer coverage if they know workers can get it elsewhere. The authors also said Obama's requirement for employers to contribute would lead to job losses or pay cuts. FOX News' Bonney Kapp and The Associated Press contributed to this report.