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McCain Campaign Press Release - John McCain 2008 Launches New TV Ad: "Maybe"

August 15, 2008

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released its latest television ad, entitled "Maybe." The ad highlights Barack Obama's "false" and "misleading" attacks in Ohio. The ad will air in Ohio.

VIEW THE AD HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiDVRvzjZLA

Script For "Maybe" (TV :30)

ANNCR: Maybe the applause has gone to his head ...

Saying John McCain cost Ohio jobs, though it's just not true.

It's Obama's taxes that will hurt Ohio families.

Higher taxes on your paycheck, your life savings, your electric bills.

His taxes are a "recipe for economic disaster."

That's the real Obama.

Ready to tax. Not ready to lead.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.

AD FACTS: Script For "Maybe" (TV :30)

ANNCR: Maybe the applause has gone to his head ... saying John McCain cost Ohio jobs, though it's just not true.

FactCheck.org Calls The Obama Ohio Attack Ad "A Distortion." "An AFL-CIO flier and Obama campaign ads say that McCain cost Ohioans 8,000 jobs. We say that's a distortion of the record." (Joe Miller, "Distorting The DHL Deal," FactCheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/distorting_the_dhl_deal.html, 8/15/08)

FactCheck.org: The Obama Ohio Attack Ad Paints "A False Picture." "Ads from the AFL-CIO and the Obama campaign claim that McCain is partly to blame for the loss of more than 8,000 jobs in Ohio. They paint a false picture." (Joe Miller, "Distorting The DHL Deal," FactCheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/distorting_the_dhl_deal.html, 8/15/08)

FactCheck.org Calls Claims In The Obama Ohio Attack Ad "Misleading" And "Unsubstantiated." "But the ads go too far. Some statements about McCain are misleading and some of the inferences the ads invite are unsubstantiated: The ads charge that McCain opposition to a 2003 amendment helped DHL and amounted to turning his back on workers. That's misleading. McCain said he opposed a version of the amendment because it was a special project inserted into an unrelated bill, not to help DHL. And the Teamsters union praised the merger at the time, saying that it would lead to more jobs. And at first, more jobs indeed followed. The ads also imply that the DHL merger is a direct cause of the job losses in Ohio, which we find to be both unlikely and unsubstantiated. Airborne Express had laid off 2,000 employees before the merger, and analysts at the time said that the struggling carrier would need to make expensive investments in its international infrastructure to remain competitive." (Joe Miller, "Distorting The DHL Deal," FactCheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/distorting_the_dhl_deal.html, 8/15/08)

ANNCR: It's Obama's taxes that will hurt Ohio families. Higher taxes on your paycheck, your life savings, your electric bills.

Barack Obama Has Called For Higher Income Taxes, Social Security Taxes, Capital Gains And Dividend Taxes, And Corporate Taxes, As Well As "Massive New Domestic Spending." "Obama's transformation, if you go by his campaign so far, would mean higher income taxes, higher Social Security taxes, higher investment taxes, higher corporate taxes, massive new domestic spending, and a healthcare plan that perhaps could be the next step to a full-scale, single-payer system. Is that what most Americans want, someone who will fulfill a Democratic policy wish list?" (James Pethokoukis, "Barack Hussein Reagan? Ronald Wilson Obama?" U.S. News & World Report's "Capital Commerce" Blog, www.usnews.com, 2/12/08)

Barack Obama Would Raise Social Security (Payroll) Taxes. "Obama's proposal would impose social security taxes on income above $250,000 per year. He would continue to exempt income between $102,000 and $250,000 from social security taxes." (Teddy Davis, Sunlen Miller, and Gregory Wallace, "Obama Kisses Billions Goodbye," ABC News' "Political Radar" Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 6/18/08)

Barack Obama Would Raise Income Taxes. Obama: "[I] would roll back the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000." (Sen. Barack Obama, CNN Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Manchester, NH, 6/3/07)

U.S. Department Of Treasury: Small Business Owners "Are Frequently Subject To The Highest Individual Income Tax Rates." "Changes in the individual income tax affect most businesses in the United States. That is because taxes on business earnings are often paid through the individual income tax when 'passed-through' to business owners. The business income from sole proprietorships, farm proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations, etc., is all taxed at the owners' individual income tax rates. This year 34 million business owners are expected to receive this type of income and pay tax on this income through the individual income tax. These businesses are typically small and often entrepreneurial in nature, and a source of innovation and risk-taking in the economy. Moreover, these business owners are frequently subject to the highest individual income tax rates." ("Topics Related To The President's Tax Relief," U.S. Department Of Treasu ry, http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/reports/president_taxrelief_topics_0508.pdf, May 2008)

Barack Obama Would Raise Capital Gains And Dividend Taxes. "Sen. Obamawants to raise the long-term capital-gains rate for families making more than $250,000 to around 20 percent or somewhat higher but not above the 28 percent level it reached during the Reagan presidency, an Obama economic adviser says. The same rate would apply to most dividend income for these investors." (Tom Herman, "Tax Report Your Tax Bill: How McCain, ObamaDiffer," The Associated Press, 6/18/08)

In 2006, Over 26.7 Million U.S. Taxpayers Reported Capital Gains Income. (Internal Revenue Service Website, "Individual Income And Tax Data, By State And Size Of Adjusted Gross Income, Tax Year 2006," www.irs.gov, Accessed 7/30/08)

In 2006, Over 31.5 Million U.S. Taxpayers Reported Dividend Income. (Internal Revenue Service Website, "Individual Income And Tax Data, By State And Size Of Adjusted Gross Income, Tax Year 2006," www.irs.gov, Accessed 7/30/08)

Barack Obama Called For Tax Hikes On "Dirty Energy" Such As Coal And Natural Gas. Obama: "What we ought to tax is dirty energy, like coal and, to a lesser extent, natural gas." ("Q&A With Sen. Barack Obama," San Antonio Express-News, 2/19/08)

Coal Is The Largest Source Of Electricity In America, Accounting For Nearly 49 Percent Of U.S. Total Net Generation In 2006. (Energy Information Administration Website, www.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 6/9/08)

Natural Gas Is The Second Largest Source Of Electricity In America, Accounting For 20 Percent Of U.S. Total Net Generation In 2006. (Energy Information Administration Website, www.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 6/9/08)

Even Barack Obama Admits That His Tax Increases May Harm The Economy. CNBC'S JOHN HARWOOD: "And I found this fascinating, Maria, that on the issue of taxes, he looked to insulate himself by saying that if, in fact, economic conditions justify the fact that it might harm the economy, he might be willing to hold off some of his tax increases when he takes office in January. Let's take a listen to Barack Obama." BARACK OBAMA: "Some of those, you could possibly defer. But I think the basic principle of restoring fairness to our economy and encouraging bottom-up economic growth is important. So here's what we know: We know that over the last decade or so, that more than half of the economic growth has been captured by the top one percent of U.S. citizens. That means the other 99 percent have seen their effective incomes go down. That is not a recipe for long- term economic growth." (CNBC, 6/9/08)

Tax Policy Center: Barack Obama Would Raise Taxes On One Out Of Every Three Senior Households. "Even though Senator Obama's plan eliminates individual income taxes for seniors with incomes less than $50,000, his plan would raise taxes for almost 10 million senior households, over a third of the total (not shown in table). On average, seniors would face a tax increase of about 2 percent of income." (Burman et al., "A Preliminary Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans," The Tax Policy Center, 6/11/08)

The Wall Street Journal Said Barack Obama's Plan To Raise The Top Income Tax Rates Would "Stunt Small Business." "The clear implication is that raising the U.S. personal income tax rates would also stunt small business entrepreneurship. Yet this is precisely what all of the Democratic Presidential candidates, and even Mr. Rangel, propose." (Editorial, "Corporate Tax War," The Wall Street Journal, 12/4/07)

The Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman: "Strong Argument To Be Made" That Barack Obama's Tax On Oil Companies Will Lead To Higher Gas Prices. "One of the ad's central points is that Obama's plans would increase gas prices by imposing a windfall profits tax on the oil industry. And there is a strong argument to be made there." (Jonathan Weisman, "McCain Ad Slams Obama Tax Plan As 'Economic Disaster,'" The Washington Post's "The Trail" Blog, 8/15/08)

FactCheck.org: "Obama's Votes Indicate A Willingness To Raise Taxes." "Certainly Obama's votes indicate a willingness to raise taxes, and Obama has not been shy about saying explicitly that he will raise some taxes." ("The $32,000 Question," FactCheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org, 7/8/08)

ANNCR: His taxes are a "recipe for economic disaster." That's the real Obama. Ready to tax. Not ready to lead. JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal Calls Barack Obama's Tax Proposals "A Recipe For Economic Disaster." "[Obama] wants to the raise tax rate on the top income bracket from 35 percent to 39.6 percent, nearly double the tax rate on capital gains and dividends, and eliminate all tax breaks for the gas and oil industries and private equity firm managers. Talk about a recipe for economic disaster." (Editorial, "More Class Warfare," Las Vegas Review-Journal, 9/20/07)

John McCain, McCain Campaign Press Release - John McCain 2008 Launches New TV Ad: "Maybe" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/291931

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