RALEIGH, N.C. — Barack Obama accused Republican rival John McCain on Wednesday of stooping to low tactics by labeling the Democrat a socialist.
“I don’t know what’s next,” Obama said at an outdoor rally. “By the end of the week, he’ll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten. I shared my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich.”
Obama turned to ridicule to rebut McCain’s references to Obama’s encounter with “Joe the plumber.” McCain has capitalized on a moment when Obama told an Ohio plumber he wanted to “spread the wealth around” by boosting taxes on wealthier people to finance a middle-class tax cut.
The rally was the opener for Obama’s one-man television blitz Wednesday, when he saturated prime time with a 30-minute ad and popped up on late-night television. He also gave an interview to ABC News and was appearing with fellow Democratic star Bill Clinton at a rally timed for the local nightly news.
In the ABC interview, Obama said he “absolutely” wants Republicans in his Cabinet should he be elected Tuesday. But he ducked the question of whether he would keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon, saying only that it’s important “to return to a tradition of nonpartisan national security.”
Obama also contemplated a potential loss and said: “I could envision returning to the Senate and just doing some terrific work with the next president and the next Congress.”
The 30-minute infomercial was Obama’s final opportunity to reach a mass audience to discuss his principles of governing. Obama’s proposals were showcased through the stories of four people who illustrate specific national challenges and how Obama would address them.
Obama spoke in the video, either with voters or directly to the viewing audience. It ended by cutting to Obama at a live appearance in Kissimmee, Fla.
In the ad aired at a cost of millions, Obama promised a rescue plan for the middle class in tough times Wed nesday night as he reached for victory in his 21-month quest for the presidency.
“I will not be a perfect president,” Obama said in the commercial. “But I can promise you this: I will always tell you what I think and where I stand.”
No surprises in 30-minute ad
Aides described the unusual ad as a final summation of Obama’s campaign. They put the total cost at roughly $4 million, enough to show it simultaneously on CBS, NBC and Fox. It also was running on BET, Univision, MSNBC and TV One.
Across 30 minutes, the commercial blended views of Obama speaking in a setting that resembled the Oval Office, scenes of Americans discussing their economic and health-care troubles, and testimonials to the Democratic presidential candidate by politicians and business executives.
After months of campaigning, Obama offered no new proposals in the ad. Instead, he stressed his plan to offer tax cuts to the middle class to “restore the long-term health of our economy and our middle class.”
Obama said the nation’s neglected problems predate President Bush but that the economic crisis that erupted a few weeks ago was a “final verdict on eight years of failed policies.”
Without the money to match the commercial, Republican rival John McCain sniped at the man and the moment.
“He’s got a few things he wants to sell you: He’s offering government-run health care … an energy plan guaranteed to work without drilling … and an automatic wealth spreader that folds neatly and fits under any bed,” McCain said during a campaign stop in Florida.
Earlier, taping an appearance on “The Daily Show” for later in the evening, Obama said he had to reassure one of his daughters that the commercial would not pre-empt all programming.
“I was describing this to Michelle and my daughters, and Malia, who’s 10, said, ‘Hold up a second. Are you saying that my programs are going to be interrupted?’ I said, ‘No, we didn’t buy on Disney.’ So she was relieved.”
