Obama’s Tuesday Surrogate Talking Points

Obama for America Daily Talking Points
February 19, 2008

State of the race: Wisconsin and Hawaii

* Today, Wisconsin and Hawaii are holding their Democratic presidential nominating contests. After sweeping the past eight contests by large margins, Senator Obama has a lead of 138 pledged delegates.

* By all accounts, Senator Obama began the contest in Wisconsin at a considerable disadvantage, from name recognition to organization, but he’s been catching up fast. The Clinton campaign has discounted the results of the 23 contests Senator Clinton has lost so far, but none of the usual excuses apply in Wisconsin . The fact is, Senator Clinton could not have asked for a more favorable state in which to compete coming out of eight straight losses.

* While Senator Obama, prior to last week, had only visited Wisconsin twice as a presidential candidate, both Hillary and Bill Clinton have been well known in Wisconsin for decades and have made countless trips to the state. The Clintons enjoy a vast network of well connected political supporters and Clinton loyalists throughout the state, including Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. Prior to the Iowa Caucuses, Clinton led in all six public polls taken in the state by an average of 15 points.

* Senator Clinton has sent a series of mixed signals to give the impression she is not competing hard in Wisconsin in an attempt to lower expectations. But the reality is very different. President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton have campaigned across the state. Senator Clinton has been in Wisconsin three straight days. Senator Clinton is running an aggressive campaign of false, negative advertisements statewide. These advertisements began before she even arrived in the state and represent the harshest, most negative attacks she has launched to date during the primary process.

* Coming on the heels of a Rasmussen poll released in Pennsylvania that showed Obama beating McCain by 7 points, while Senator Clinton loses to McCain by 2 points, a new SurveyUSA Wisconsin poll shows Obama beating McCain by 10 in the state; “John McCain beats Hillary Clinton by 7 points, turning Wisconsin red for the first time since 1984, when Ronald Reagan beat Walter Mondale by 9 points in Wisconsin en route to a 49-state blowout.”

Change that working Americans can believe in

* Yesterday, Barack Obama spoke with workers at a manufacturing plant in Niles , Ohio , about what he’d do as President to put the American dream within reach for every American. That starts with making sure our trade deals work for Main Street , not just Wall Street. In the years after her husband signed NAFTA, Senator Clinton touted the trade agreement as First Lady and called it a victory in her book. She also supported permanent trade with China when she was running for Senate. But now that she’s running for President, she says we need a time-out on trade. No one knows when this time-out will end. Maybe after the election.

* Barack Obama didn’t just start criticizing unfair trade deals like NAFTA and China because he started running for office. He did it because he’s seen what happens to a community when the factory closes down and the jobs move overseas. He began his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, fighting joblessness and poverty in neighborhoods that were devastated when the local steel plant closed. That’s why he offers change that working Americans can believe in.

* Middle class tax cut: Obama’s the only candidate to propose a middle-class tax cut that will provide relief to 95% of working Americans - $1,000 per working family. He’ll also eliminate income taxes for any senior making less than $50,000 a year. And he’ll raise the minimum wage every year to keep pace with inflation.

* Health care: Obama’s universal health care plan cuts costs more than any other plan in this race - it will save the typical family up to $2,500 on their premiums. Hillary Clinton’s plan would have the government force everyone to buy health insurance, and she’s said she’d “go after” your wages if you don’t.

* Housing crisis: Obama has proposed a fund that would provide direct relief to victims of mortgage fraud. He’d help those who are facing closure refinance their mortgages so they can stay in their homes. And he’d provide struggling homeowners relief by offering a tax credit to low- and middle-income Americans that would cover ten percent of their mortgage interest payment every year.

* Retirement security: Obama will require employers to enroll every worker in a direct deposit retirement account that places a small percentage of each paycheck into savings. You can keep this account even if you change jobs, and the federal government will match the savings for lower-income, working families.