To: Interested Parties
From: Sean Smith, Communications Director, Pennsylvania Obama campaign
Subject: One state, two closing strategies
Date: Monday October 27, 2008
With a little more than a week left to go, Pennsylvania is living up to
its reputation as a battleground state. It is the only blue state
that is still fiercely competitive.
The McCain strategy continues to be very simple: distort Sen. Obama's
position on the issues on the stump and flood the state with
robocalls and emails that push a variety of smears and lies.
Pennsylvania voters aren't being fooled by their scare tactics. They
are sick and tired of the failed Bush-McCain economic policies, and
voters are ready for change. Just look at the 13 newspapers who have
endorsed Barack Obama so far, including the Erie Times-News, York Daily
Record, and Scranton Times-Tribune who endorsed George W. Bush at least
once.
This week, our campaign will highlight the stark policy differences
between John McCain and Barack Obama. The critical area of taxes
underscores the different philosophies and priorities of McCain and
Obama. John McCain wants to give billions of dollars of in tax breaks
to the wealthiest individuals and corporations - including those who
ship American jobs overseas - and not one dime to over 100 million
middle-class households in America, including 4.7 million households
here in Pennsylvania.
Barack Obama believes that during this time of economic uncertainty and
hardship, middle-class families are the ones who deserve a break. He
will give an immediate tax cut to 95 percent of American working
families, including 6.5 million Pennsylvanians. No family who makes
less than $250,000 will see their taxes go up. And seniors who make
less than $50,000 a year - including 436,000 seniors in Pennsylvania -
will pay no federal income tax.
Barack Obama will return to the state to make his own case tonight in
Pittsburgh and tomorrow morning in Delaware County. Senator Bob
Casey, Jr. and Governor Ed Rendell will also be taking this message to
voters in a series of events across the state.
Backing this all up is what Governor Rendell has called our
"unprecedented" ground game. We have 81 offices open around the state
including in towns and counties that never had a presidential campaign
presence before. Since June 1st, we've knocked on more than 2 million
doors and made close to 3.8 million personal phone calls.
To that effort, we are ramping up a substantial voter education effort
throughout the state. We will coordinate and assist the counties where
we can and where appropriate, and we will make sure that all those who
are eligible to vote and want to vote have that chance - and that their
vote is counted.
Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American democracy, and we are
confident that in all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, the election will
live up to that legacy and run smoothly. Once the votes are all
counted, the people of this state - and the nation - once again will
renew America's promise, bring change to our nation, and will make
Barack Obama the next President of the United States.
###
Sean Smith
Pennsylvania Communications Director
Obama for America