John McCain speaks:
Sarah and I have news for the big-spending, smooth-talking, me-first, country-second crowd in Washington and on Wall Street:
Change is coming!
We need reform in Washington and on Wall Street. When the financial crisis threatened the economic security of all Americans, I laid out principles to protect hardworking Americans. I believed that inaction was not an option.
I put my campaign on hold for a couple days last week to fight for a rescue plan that put you and your economic security first. I fought for a plan that protected taxpayers, homeowners, consumers and small business owners.
I went to Washington last week to make sure that the taxpayers of Ohio and across this great country were not left footing the bill for mistakes made on Wall Street and in Washington.
Some people have criticized my decision, but I will never, ever be a president who sits on the sidelines when this country faces a crisis. Some of you may have noticed, but it’s not my style to simply “phone it in.”
I am a Teddy Roosevelt Republican. I believe our leaders belong “in the Arena” when our country faces a challenge. I’ve never been afraid of stepping in to solve problems for the American people, and I’m not going to stop now.
Senator Obama took a very different approach to the crisis our country faced. At first he didn’t want to get involved. Then he was “monitoring the situation.” That’s not leadership, that’s watching from the sidelines.
And watching from the sidelines is exactly what got us into this mess. It was the lack of accountability and oversight that put your tax dollars on the line. But it shouldn’t be surprising that Senator Obama isn’t interested in protecting your tax dollars.
Senator Obama has proposed more than 860 billion dollars in new spending. He was asked in our debate Friday to name a single program he would consider cutting to help our country through this crisis, and he struggled to name a single program!
Senator Obama is a fan of all that spending because he’s always cheering for higher taxes or against tax relief. He’s voted that way 94 different times.
Two times, on March 14, 2008 and June 4, 2008, in the Democratic budget resolution, he voted to raise taxes on people making just 42,000 dollars per year. He even said at the time that this vote for higher taxes on the middle class was “getting our nation’s priorities back on track.” Then something amazing happened: on Friday night, he looked the American people in the eye and said it never happened. My friends, we need a President who will always tell the American people the truth.
Senator Obama’s record of higher taxes and more spending isn’t going to help “95 percent” of Americans, as he likes to say: it’s going to hurt 100 percent of us by growing government, slowing growth, and destroying jobs.
Lee ADDS: Obama watches, sees what happens then says, “They did exactly as I told them to.”
I ask, Just who is he fooling?
