CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Republican John McCain, behind in the polls and looking for a comeback, argued Sunday that voters should elect him president to create a check on a Democratic Congress that he says is determined to increase taxes and the size of government.
McCain also ridiculed reports that Democratic rival Barack Obama is polishing his inaugural address, but he focused on warning activists of the dangers of Democrats pushing for higher taxes and bigger government.
“That’s what’s going to happen if the Democrats have total control of Washington,” McCain told supporters at an Iowa rally. “We can’t let that happen.”
Democrats, currently in control of the House and Senate, are on track for sizable gains in both chambers, aided by the poor economy, President Bush’s unpopularity, a lopsided advantage in fundraising and a robust organizational effort by Obama in key states.
In Zanesville, Ohio, as he opened a campaign swing in that crucial battleground state, McCain targeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as vigorously as he did Obama.
“You can imagine Obama, Reid and Pelosi,” he said. “Tax and spend, tax and spend.”
McCain also echoed running mate Sarah Palin, who told supporters at a Tampa, Fla., rally that Obama is acting as if he has already won.
“He’s measuring the drapes,” McCain said in Iowa, where public polls show him trailing Obama in the race for its seven electoral votes. “I prefer to let voters have their say. What America needs now is someone who will finish the race before starting the victory lap.”
Attempting to turn Obama’s call for change on its ear, McCain argued that he is best positioned to shake up Washington, taking yet another step to distance himself from the unpopular incumbent president of his own party.
“I will take America in a new direction from my first day in office,” he said.
Earlier Sunday, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” McCain complicated the distancing act when he said that he and Bush share a “common philosophy” of the Republican Party, despite disagreements on Iraq, deficit spending and campaign-finance reform, among other issues.
Questioned about his standing, McCain said the race is close and insisted he will emerge victorious on Nov. 4.
“This is going to be a very close race, and I believe I’m going to win it,” he said.
McCain said he has been heartened by the size of the crowds and the level of enthusiasm at his events.
On the subject of his running mate, Palin, McCain rejected the notion that she is unqualified to be president and is hurting the campaign.
“I don’t defend her. I praise her. She is exactly what Washington needs,” he said.
He also dismissed criticism about the Republican Party spending $150,000 on her wardrobe at high-end retailers.
“She lives a frugal life. She and her family are not wealthy; she and her family were thrust into this,” McCain said. “She is a role model to millions and millions of Americans.”
He continued to paint Obama as a big-spending liberal.
“We have stark differences,” said McCain, a conservative, characterizing Obama’s economic positions as the most liberal he has seen. “His political philosophy is very different.”
McCain argued that he is comfortable with the state of the race nine days before Election Day.
“Obviously, I choose to trust my senses as well as the polls,” he said. “I’ve been in a lot of presidential campaigns. I see the intensity out there; I see the passion. We’re very competitive out there.”
“We’re going to do well in this campaign,” he said.
At another point, McCain predicted, “We’re going to be up very, very late on election night.”
McCain continued to praise Palin at a noisy rally before 2,000 cheering backers at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
“We’re going to bring change. With Sarah Palin, I’ll guarantee you we’ll do it a lot faster,” he said. “She has inspired millions of Americans with her record of reform.”
