McCain to Close With Focus on the Economy

Mike DuHaime, John McCain's political director, said that Barack Obama's tax message is helping to generate a last-minute shift in McCain's direction. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
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Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D), a top Obama ally, said in a telephone interview that the redistribution charge has "excited the Republican base" in his state the way it was "once excited about Sarah Palin." But he said its effectiveness among independents and conservative Democrats "is another question."

Rendell spoke from western Pennsylvania, where he was conducting a bus tour on Obama's behalf, and he said he has seen no evidence that the charge is taking hold. "I'm not sensing it gets much traction with our voters and independents," he said.

By contrast, McCain's chief strategists think that the late focus on spreading wealth has their Democratic rival on his heels, having finally crystallized for voters the difference between McCain and Obama.

"People are starting to really see what's at the heart of [Obama's] economic philosophy," said Mike DuHaime, McCain's political director. The race "is tightening, and I think this is a big part of the reason why," he said. DuHaime told reporters on the campaign plane that the tax message is helping to generate a last-minute shift in McCain's direction among undecided voters.

Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, a McCain backer, said McCain needs to concentrate on the tax message and "the triad of Obama, Reid, Pelosi," referring to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.). He added that McCain's new economic message is working.

Polling suggests that that optimism may be misplaced. While McCain has gained ground on the overall question of who would better handle economic issues, he still trails Obama among likely voters, 52 to 43 percent, according to the Washington Post tracking poll.

That is an improvement for McCain, who was behind by a wider margin on the issue a week ago. But on taxes specifically, likely voters still side with Obama over McCain, 51 to 41, a margin that has not changed since McCain began the "spreading the wealth" message.

McCain has attempted to woo lower-income whites with his appeal on taxes, but the Post poll shows no evidence of movement. The group is about evenly split on the issue, with 46 percent favoring Obama's approach and 44 percent preferring McCain's, almost exactly where they were a week ago.

Still, Obama strategists said they think McCain's closing tax argument could have an effect on the dwindling number of undecided voters.

"That's why he explains his tax plan in every single speech," a senior aide said of Obama.

At each event, Obama asks those who earn less than $250,000 a year to raise their hands, saying that "if you make less than a quarter of a million dollars a year -- and that includes, by the way, 98 percent of small businesses and 99 percent of plumbers -- you will not see your taxes increase one single dime."

That construct is not quite accurate. Obama's $250,000 figure refers to family income, rather than individual, and the message was further muddled Tuesday by his running mate, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), who said tax breaks should go to "middle-class people -- people making under $150,000 a year."

The McCain campaign jumped on that to portray Obama's plan as flexible, and ready to be scaled down should Obama take office. "Are you getting an idea of what's on their mind? A little sneak peek," McCain said in Hershey. "It's interesting how their definition of rich has a way of creeping down."

Staff writer Juliet Eilperin in Hershey and polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta in Washington contributed to this report.