By TODD HELBERG
cnedit@crescent-news.com
Despite freezing temperatures, Republican candidate John McCain delivered an energizing campaign speech this morning on the steps of Defiance Community Auditorium.
Several thousand persons braved the chilly weather, some of them waiting for four hours or more before McCain took the podium around 10:15 a.m. today, 15 minutes after his scheduled stop.
Introduced by his wife, Cindy, and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, McCain needed less than a half hour to talk about plans to cut taxes, reduce spending, win in Iraq and Afghanistan, and stand up to America's enemies. All the while, he drew sharp comparisons between himself and Democratic candidate Barack Obama, who leads in recent presidential polling.
"We have a clear difference, Sen. Obama and I do," said McCain. "He wants to raise your taxes. Raising taxes makes a bad economy much worse. ... If I'm elected president I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money, Sen. Obama will. And he can't do that without raising your taxes or digging us further into debt.
"I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you do," continued McCain. "I'll freeze government spending on all but the most important programs like defense, veterans care, Social Security and health care, until we scrub every single government program, get rid of the ones that aren't working for the American people. ... I will veto every single pork barrel earmark bill that comes across my desk."
In recent weeks, McCain has also made note of Obama's plan to redistribute the tax burden.
"He's (Obama) more interested in controlling wealth than creating it, and in redistributing wealth instead of spreading opportunity," McCain said. "I'm going to create wealth for all Americans by creating opportunity for all Americans. Sen. Obama is running to be redistributionist-in-chief. I'm running to be commander-in-chief.
"My opponent's massive new tax increases is exactly the wrong approach in an economic slow down," McCain later added. "The answer to a slowing economy isn't higher taxes. That's exactly what's going to happen when the Democrats have total control of Washington. We can't let that happen. We need pro-growth and pro-jobs economic policies, not pro-government spending programs paid for with higher taxes. This is the fundamental difference between Sen. Obama and me. We both disagree with President Bush on economic policy. The difference is he thinks taxes have been too low and I think spending has been too high."
The redistribution talk surfaced recently following a question to Obama from a Toledo businessman "known as Joe the plumber " concerning how his tax plan would affect him.
"Well, now we've learned more about Sen. Obama's real goals for our country over the last two weeks than we have learned over the last two years," said McCain. "And, that's only because Joe the plumber asked him the right question right here in Ohio. That's when Sen. Obama revealed he wants to ... "spread the wealth around, spread your income around.' "
McCain thought Joe would be at today's rally, but when he called his name, no one answered. Instead, he said, "All right, well you're all Joe the plumber. So all of ya stand up. ... Wherever you (Joe) are, let's give him a round of applause."
As for small businesses like Joe's, McCain said they need support.
"Small businesses employ 84 percent of Americans, and we need to support these small businesses," the Arizona senator said. "Taxing small businesses will kill jobs. We can't let that happen."
On energy policy, McCain said he favors promoting alternatives. But he especially mentioned offshore drilling, nuclear power and coal.
"Remember when we started talking about drilling offshore, he (Obama) said he would ... "consider drilling offshore,'" recalled McCain. "We're going to drill offshore and we're going to do it now. When I'm president we're going to do it now. And, we're going to build nuclear power plants. We can create 700,000 new jobs by building 45 new nuclear power plants. ... We will use clean coal technology. Clean coil technology will restore the economy of this part of the country."
As the campaign nears its end, the McCain camp has portrayed Obama as too unversed in foreign affairs to meet global challenges. McCain said he believes this provides a marked difference, given that he served for many years as a Navy pilot and was held prisoner-of-war during the Vietnam War.
"The next president won't have time to get used to the office," he said. "We face many challenges here at home and many enemies abroad in this dangerous world. Just the other day, Sen. Biden warned that Sen. Obama would be tested with an international crisis. I have been tested, Sen. Obama has not. Sen. Biden referred to how (John) Kennedy was tested in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I have a little personal experience in that. I was on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, sat in a cockpit on the flight deck, waiting to take off. I had a target, I know how close we came to a nuclear war. And, I will not be a president who needs to be tested. We know Sen. Obama won't have the right response to that test because we've seen the wrong response coming over and over again during this campaign. He opposed the surge strategy that's bringing us victory and will bring us victory in Afghanistan. He said he would sit down unconditionally with the world's worst dictators ... ."
McCain's stop in rural Ohio was no surprise. While the Obama campaign has targeted the state's rural areas more than Democrats did in 2004, no president has won the presidency without carrying the state since 1960.
He reminded supporters of that today.
"I need your energy," he said. "I need your enthusiasm and, my friends, I know history. I know the last time anyone was elected president of the United States without carrying the state of Ohio was John F. Kennedy. We're going to carry Ohio and we're going to win the presidency, and we need you out there working every single moment."
And, he acknowledged that he still trails in the polls but, "We're coming back."
"Last night Sen. Obama said that if he lost he would return to the Senate and try again in four years for the second act," explained McCain. "That sounds like a great idea to me. Let's help him make it happen."
In concluding today's speech, McCain showed vigor and fire, exhorting supporters not to give up.
"Don't give up hope," he said. "Be strong, have courage and fight. Fight for a new direction for our economy. Fight for what's right for America. Fight to clean up the mess and corruption, infighting and selfishness in Washington. Fight to get our economy out of the ditch and back into the lead. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people. Fight for our children's future. Fight for justice and opportunity for all. Stand up to defend our country from it's enemies. Stand up. Stand up and fight. America is worth fighting for. ... We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history. Now let's go win this election and get our country moving again."