McCain campaign addresses economic plan to help the American worker and control government spending

Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign held a conference call with senior adviser Steve Schmidt and senior policy adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin to discuss McCain’s remarks in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on the economy. Schmidt began however by mentioning presidential candidate Sen. Obama’s comment on bitterness influencing voter actions and beliefs, and he said this has become an important and defining moment of the race because it shows how Obama feels toward people in the country.

Schmidt also summarized McCain’s economic policy, starting with cleaning up “out of control” government spending, reducing corporate taxes, and creating plans to grow the economy, which will spur innovation and investments by the people. He also said McCain believes people are over taxed.

Holtz-Eakin said McCain’s plans have the vision to help the American worker and their family, and to clean up spending. He said McCain is proposing to eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and offer an alternative tax system that is simpler and more transparent. He also said that the proposal for a temporary summer gas tax holiday is part of the short-tem plan to get the economy going and to look at what is hitting people in the pocket now, such as high gas and food prices.

Holtz-Eakin said the long-term plan is to promote economic growth. He said McCain’s plan includes reducing corporate tax rates so the United States is no longer uncompetitive, pursuing ways to broaden the tax base, and having a balanced budget by the time he leaves office.

Obama campaign conference call discusses views from Pennsylvania on NAFTA, job losses, and the Clinton campaign

The Obama campaign held a conference call with International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James Hoffa and Rep. Ryan Dvorak (D-ID) to discuss voter opinions in Pennsylvania and Indiana, and the role of Mark Penn in Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Hoffa said the current trend in Pennsylvania is that Clinton’s numbers are going down, and Obama is gaining on her. Hoffa said he has been campaigning for Obama at teamster’s conferences, talking about issues on trade, employee free choice, and Obama’s vision to keep jobs in the country and amend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He said the aftermath of NAFTA is “still going on, still devastating America.” Hoffa said that Obama told him he was going to amend NAFTA and reverse the provisions that provide subsidies and tax relief for companies that leave the United States. Dvorak said Indiana also started with support for Clinton, but momentum is now moving forward to support Obama.

Hoffa also said that the latest issue with Clinton’s former chief strategist Mark Penn has hurt her credibility, and the “smartest thing she can do is to jettison him.” When asked to comment on comparisons between Penn and Obama’s senior economic policy adviser Austan Goolsbee’s meeting with officials at the Canadian consulate, Hoffa said there was “no comparison” because Penn was getting paid to lobby, and Goolsbee was just attending a meeting.

Hoffa was also asked to compare the labor situation in Pennsylvania to Ohio. He said Ohio was perhaps even more devastated by job movement than Pennsylvania, but that even though Clinton beat Obama in Ohio, he is still closing in on her in Pennsylvania. He said the movement for Obama is surprising and encouraging, and that unions are working hard to support him.