McCain Calls Clinton and Obama “Out of Touch”

From CBS News’ Andante Higgins:


John McCain hammered Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton today, calling them out of touch. “They don't understand America’s economy and they don’t understand history,” he said. “I will look forward to that debate and I will argue they are out of touch and they don’t understand fundamentals of economics and certainly what’s good for America’s future – and it isn’t through big spending and it certainly isn’t through pork barrel projects, which they have supported with hundreds of millions of dollars.”

On day two of the “It’s Time for Action” tour, McCain visited devastated and prospering businesses during his sweep through Youngstown, Ohio, today. “Here in Youngstown, obviously people are in great difficulty,” he said. “We visited a closed facility. They’ve got a great new owner named Al Johnston who is struggling to get it open…and it’s an example of the casualties that this region has suffered,” McCain explained.

In his town hall meeting at Youngstown State University, McCain delivered some straight talk to voters concerned about steel mill jobs lost in the area. “I can't tell you that those jobs are ever going to come back to this magnificent part of the country but I will tell you that I will commit myself to providing these workers who have lost their job with another chance. A second chance. They need it, they deserve it,” he said.

McCain also told audience members twice that he knew his answers were of little comfort to them when he talked about jobs and the economy. “You’ve seen up close and first hand the tragedies that have affected individual families as a result of the job loss here,” he said.

McCain was also asked by reporters about the lack of African-Americans at his events today. He sounded a bit defensive explaining how he knew he had a lot of work to do for the African-American vote and vowed to continue reaching out. He spoke out on affirmative action today as well. “If you’re talking about assuring equal and fair opportunity for all Americans and making sure that the practices of the US military are emulated, the greatest equal opportunity employer in America, then I am all for it,” he said. “If you are talking about quotas, I am not for it. So all of us are for affirmative action to try to give assistance to those who need it, whether it be African-American or other groups of Americans that need it.”