If McCain gets any significant bump from his speech then America wasn’t paying close attention. His speech threw out a pastiche of ideas, several of them, in fact, cribbed from Obama’s plans. McCain was shockingly unfocused.
For one thing he brought up a few sad stories of struggling Americans and said that he would “fight for them,” but no details were given how he’d really help…end of story. NO matter what the Repugs say snidely about Obama’s styrofoam “greek columns” or denigrate his time spent actually helping Americans in Chicago with job training and job placement (his bad apparently) Obama’s speech had a lazer like focus with actual proposals on how he plans to help Americans get through the economic mess left by Bush.
I will also point out that Fiscal Conservatives should give a closer look to McCain’s mishmash of New Government programs including a costly Tax Credit to purchase Health Insurance (paid for, ironically, by partially taxing it as income), and the afforementioned new subsitute for Unemployment Insurance that he would replace by enacting a program for retraining displaced workers, encouraging them to take any job in the meantime, including low paying ones, and supplimenting their loss in income with a Government pay-out (actually after taking a look at this idea, it doesn’t sound too bad, but it certainly doesn’t sound like it will be cheap.) Not to mention the cost of an expanded Military.
Most economists have said that these new programs combined with McCain’s proposed tax cuts will dig this country into an even bigger hole. At least Obama mentioned fiscal responsibity in his fine speech.
OP I urge you to go back and read the transcript to appreciate the true emptiness of the effort in terms of laying out policy, beyond the relevatory material regarding his experience in Vietnam, and its meaning to him personally that made some misty eyed, in addition to his no doubt honest, heart felt boosterism of our fine Country, there was truly no “there there.”
