McCain Ad Raises Specter of Big Government Liberals

Barack Obama's solution to the economic crisis, John McCain says in a new ad, is massive government, new taxes, skyrocketing taxes, wasteful pork... Set the taxes aside for the moment, and ignore the pork red herring. (Metaphorical speciation!) It's not clear what the level of government intervention that McCain is proposing is all that different than what Sen. Obama is proposing. (Is it? Where?) Both candidates are probably going to find themselves running a Resolution Trust Corp-like entity that reorganizes a large part of the economy; both are going to find themselves dealing with massive deficits that constrain their spending; McCain will face enormous pressure from Congressional Democrats (it's true) to raise taxes at some point. These conventional Republican economic talking points don't wear well to more practiced ears, but the McCain campaign has a reason for putting them into an ad: a large majority of Americans rate their personal economic situation as fair-to-good.

ANNCR: When our economy's in crisis, a big government casts a big shadow on us all. Obama and his liberal Congressional allies want a massive government, billions in spending increases, wasteful pork. And, we would pay -- painful income taxes, skyrocketing taxes on life savings, electricity and home heating oil. Can your family afford that? JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.