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McCain campaign reaches out to Q-C

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By Ed Tibbetts | Monday, July 7, 2008 11:25 PM CDT | () comments

John McCain’s presidential campaign reached out to small business owners in Iowa on Monday by criticizing rival Barack Obama for backing a federal budget they say will raise taxes on middle- income Americans.

The criticism came as McCain and Obama argued over taxes and the economy.

At a news conference in Davenport, McCain’s Iowa chairman, David Roederer, said the Republican presidential hopeful has a “pro-growth, pro-job-creation tax policy,” while Obama voted for a 2009 budget measure in March that would raise taxes.

“Mr. Obama talks about raising the taxes on the wealthy,” Roederer said. “His definition of wealthy is any business or individual who makes $32,000 a year.”

Roederer was flanked by business owners from the Quad-Cities. The campaign released a list of more than

40 business supporters from across the state.

The McCain campaign says the 2009 budget measure would raise by 3 percentage points the income taxes on people in the 25 percent,

28 percent and 33 percent tax brackets. The 25 percent bracket applies to people making as little as $32,000, it says. McCain did not vote on the resolution, which is a nonbinding budget blueprint.

The Obama campaign said McCain’s campaign is “playing games” with Obama’s Senate record. The campaign said the measure also includes “substantial” middle class tax cuts, such as for child-care expenses, as well as relief from the alternative minimum tax. The levy originally was aimed at wealthy people but is now threatening middle-income people.

The campaign, which says nobody making less than $250,000 a year will pay higher taxes, said what’s important is the two visions the candidates have for America.

“Both candidates are for tax cuts,” said Jason Furman, Obama’s director of economic policy. “Barack Obama wants to cut them for middle-class families. John McCain wants to cut them for corporations.”

Roederer said McCain’s campaign is reaching out to small businesses, which, he said, have created jobs in a tough economy.

Jim Borchardt, who, with his wife, runs a Bettendorf business that recycles and resells moving boxes, said McCain knows keeping taxes low will help the economy.

“A strong economy helps small businesses like ours,” he said.

Tammie Gruenhagen of Davenport, who, with her husband, runs the restaurant where the news conference was held, said this will be her first election. But Gruenhagen, who was listed as a McCain supporter, said she’s still undecided.

“I’m right there in the middle,” she said.

Gruenhagen said she likes what she hears from McCain on health care. And, she added, “I do feel like I pay enough taxes.”

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com. Comment on this article at qctimes.com.