John McCain: Way Out of Touch in Ohio

April 22, 2008 -- In Youngstown, Ohio today, John McCain, "standing before a nearly shuttered factory pocked with broken windows," tried to sell his failed Bush economic ideas but failed miserably, showing just how out of touch he is with the issues facing America's families. McCain, the ninth richest member of Congress, even went as far as comparing his presidential primary campaign to the struggles of workers hit hardest by the Bush economy in Rust Belt cities such as Youngstown where jobs have left and people are struggling to find work. [McClatchy, 4/22/08; Roll Call, 9/10/07]

John McCain speaks at CMU: Photo by Patrick Gage (CC)

"It may be a photo-op for John McCain but people in Youngstown and cities across America are really hurting from the Bush economy and are looking for real help. For McCain to compare people struggling to find jobs or facing home foreclosures to his struggling primary campaign shows he just doesn't understand the challenges people are facing," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "McCain's only plan is to continue Bush's failed economic policies but the American people are saying enough is enough. Record Democratic turnout across the country is a clear sign that Americans are ready for change and will elect a Democratic president in November."

McCain's Inaction Tour Comes to Ohio
But Doesn't Offer Much to the State

Jobs and Economy

* Ohio lost 188,200 jobs from January of 2001 to March of 2008. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 4/18/08]
* 239,800 Manufacturing Jobs Lost in Ohio Under Bush. Ohio lost 239,800 manufacturing jobs from 2001 to 2008. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 4/21/08]

Unemployment Up 43% in Ohio Under Bush. The unemployment rate has increased from 4.0% in January 2001 to 5.7% in March 2008, a 43% increase. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 4/21/08]

…But McCain Claimed Americans Were "Better Off Because We Have Had A Pretty Good Prosperous Time." In January 2008 Republican debate, McCain commented, "I think you could argue that Americans overall are better off, because we have had a pretty good prosperous time, with low unemployment and low inflation and a lot of good things have happened. A lot of jobs have been created." [CNN GOP Debate, 1/30/2008]

McCain Said A Lot of Americans' Economic Problems Are "Psychological." When discussing the gas tax holiday, McCain said, "I think, psychologically - and a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological - confidence, trust, uncertainty about our economic future, ability to keep our own home." McCain said that his gas holiday will give people a psychological boost and that solving the mortgage crisis would be a major psychological step forward. [FOX News, "Your World With Neil Cavuto," 4/16/08]

Healthcare

Ohio Has Over 1.2 Million People Uninsured. That's 11 percent of Ohioans living without any insurance. [statehealthfacts.org, accessed 4/21/08]

* More than 206,000 kids in Ohio have NO health insurance. [statehealthfacts.org, accessed 4/21/08]
* Over 1 Million adults in Ohio don't have health insurance. [statehealthfacts.org, accessed 4/21/08]

The Number of Ohio Children Living in Poverty Is Up 22% Under Bush. The number of children living below the federal poverty line in Ohio has increased from 416,000 in 2001 to 509,000 in 2006, or by 22%. [Kid Count Data Book, accessed 4/21/08]

McCain's Health Care Plan Does Not Focus on "Reducing the Ranks of the Uninsured." McCain's plan does not focus on "reducing the ranks of the uninsured," of which there are about 47 million, or one in seven Americans. According to the New York Times, "The McCain campaign has no estimate of how many of America's 47 million uninsured would likely gain coverage under its plan." [Wall Street Journal, 10/11/2007; New York Times, 3/2/2008]

Housing

Ohio Is Being Hit By the Mortgage Crisis. Ohio families are facing foreclosure at troubling rates. In March:

* 11,273 homes in Ohio received a foreclosure filing. [Realty Trac Press Release, 4/15/08]
* 1 in every 448 Ohio households received a foreclosure filing. [Realty Trac Press Release, 4/15/08]
* Overall, Ohio is 7th in the nation in foreclosure filings. [Realty Trac Press Release, 4/15/08]

In Youngstown, Over 700 Homes are Bank-Owned. And the problem is continuing - over 630 homes are in pre-foreclosure.

* 777 Homes are bank-owned. [Realty Trac, accessed 4/21/08, available here]
* 634 Homes are in pre-foreclosure. [Realty Trac, accessed 4/21/08, available here]

McCain's Plan To Aid Homeowners Lacks Specifics On Who Would Be Eligible. "McCain sketched out a plan Thursday to help 200,000 to 400,000 homeowners trade burdensome mortgages for manageable loans in a speech in Brooklyn. Aides said the plan could cost from $3 billion to $10 billion. Still missing were details on exactly who would be eligible for help; McCain said he wants to aid those who borrowed sensibly but now can't handle their mortgages." [AP, 4/10/2008]

McCain Promises Help For Working Americans, But His Proposals Reveal More Aid For Corporations. According to the Washington Post, revealing his economic agenda, McCain "offered sweeping rhetoric about the economic plight of working-class Americans, promising immediate assistance even as he spelled out a tax and spending agenda whose benefits are aimed squarely at spurring corporate growth." [Washington Post, 4/16/2008]

McCain Leaves Behind 1.5 Million "Undeserving" American Homeowners. The McCain campaign maintains that the HOME Plan will assist somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 "deserving" homeowners, "More than 1.5 million other homeowners -- presumably 'undeserving'-- are expected to face foreclosure this year." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Editorial, 4/14/08]

McCain Opposed Helping Ohio Veterans, Building Army National Guard Barracks, Funding Ohio Projects

McCain Complained About Funds For Veterans Facilities and Military Funding for Needs In Ohio. McCain opposed funding for:

* "A set aside of $12.3 million for discretionary authority to construct a parking garage at a VA medical center in Cleveland, OH. Do you want me to tell you that again? Mr. President, $12.3 million for the construction of a parking garage at a VA [*S5316] medical center in Cleveland, OH;" [Congressional Record, 6/5/97]
* "$1.5 million in funding for a barracks for the Army National Guard in Chillicothe, OH;" [Congressional Record, 7/18/02]
* "$1.5 million for officer's quarters in Ravenna, OH;" [Congressional Record, 11/14/06]
* "$900,000 for an information technology complex at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH." [Congressional Record, 11/14/06]
* McCain opposed, "$200,000 for Central State University, Wilberforce, OH, to implement a world class modular automation training system." [Congressional Record, 11/20/04

McCain: NAFTA Great Thing for America

American Workers Don't Need Protection. "Fundamentally, as long as these treaties are fair and equal, when you say that we have to protect American workers that in a way, in my view, does not hold the American worker in the esteem and pride which I do. Because I believe, if given a fair and level playing field, the American worker is the most productive, most effective and best worker in the world. And my job will be to open every market in the world…I'm an unabashed free trader." [CNN Live Feed (Springfield, PA), 3/14/08]

NAFTA: "Great Thing for America." At a business roundtable in California, McCain was asked about NAFTA and said "I believe that NAFTA has been a great thing for America." [CNN Live Feed (Santa Ana, CA), 3/25/08]

* NAFTA Creates Jobs. "So I believe when you look at the overall benefits, as far as jobs are concerned, as far as quality of jobs are concerned, as far as a broad range of measurements, I believe that NAFTA has been a benefit in creating jobs throughout our country." [CNN Live Feed (Santa Ana, CA), 3/25/08]

Source: DNC

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