LONDONDERRY, N.H. - Democrat Barack Obama opened the final leg of the presidential campaign by returning to a familiar strategy on Thursday: Linking Republican opponent John McCain to the unpopular incumbent.
Obama said McCain was trying to obscure the issue in their final debate Wednesday when he pointed out that President Bush will not be on the ballot next month.
"I'm not running against George Bush. I'm running against all those policies of George Bush that you support, Sen. McCain," Obama said. "In three debates and over 20 months, John McCain hasn't explained a single thing that he would do differently from George Bush when it comes to the most important economic issues we face today. Not one."
The Illinois senator also continued his push to capture states that have been considered safe Republican territory in recent presidential elections. He bought airtime for campaign ads in West Virginia and planned visits to several traditionally GOP states.
Speaking at a New Hampshire apple farm, Obama said McCain frequently attacked in the debate because he has little positive to say about his own proposals.
"With the economy in turmoil and the American dream at risk, the American people don't want to hear politicians attack each other," Obama told a cheering crowd as a light rain fell on a blaze of autumn trees in the background. "You want to hear about how we're going to attack the challenges facing the middle class each and every day."
Obama referred to the discussion of taxes during Wednesday's debate in which McCain said Obama's tax proposals would prevent "Joe the plumber" from Ohio from buying the plumbing business he works for.
Obama said McCain was misleading voters by proposing tax plans that favor the rich while criticizing an Obama tax plan that would raise taxes only on people making more than $250,000 a year, just 5 percent of all taxpayers.
"He's trying to suggest that a plumber is the guy he's fighting for," Obama said. "How many plumbers you know that are making a quarter-million dollars a year?"
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that under Obama's approach the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers would see their taxes go up on average by $93,709 in 2009, For McCain, those same wealthy taxpayers would see an average reduction of $48,860.
After Thursday's appearances in New Hampshire and New York, Obama was headed to Virginia, Missouri and North Carolina, states that once were assumed to be safely in the Republican column. Now they appear to be up for grabs.
He also is launching TV ads in West Virginia, which George W. Bush won four years ago and hadn't been on the list of target states until recently, according to two Democrats with knowledge of the strategy. The Democrats, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid angering the campaign, said Obama is also considering putting money into reliably Republican Kentucky and may yet return to the airwaves in North Dakota and Georgia.
Still, Obama warned supporters not to get complacent.
"We are 19 days away from changing this country. Nineteen days. But for those who are getting a little cocky, I've got two words for you: New Hampshire," he said, referring to a painful loss in the Democratic primary that came after his dramatic victory in Iowa.
"I learned right here, with the help of my great friend and supporter Hillary Clinton, that you can't let up or pay too much attention to the polls."
