From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
In a 15-minute speech before 2,700 screaming supporters at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Obama unveiled a pair of new proposals aimed at easing bankruptcy laws for military families and for seniors. The Democratic presidential nominee-in-waiting blasted his Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. John McCain, for putting the desires of banks and credit card companies ahead of the needs of working Americans. "While John McCain is an honorable man, and I respect and admire his service to our country, John McCain has been part of the problem, not part of the solution," Obama said. Toward the end of his remarks, Obama vowed to protect military families "who are being stretched thin because of repeated moves and long deployments." Families, he said, who "are being preyed upon by predatory lenders. If you're protecting America, America should be protecting you from unfair bankruptcy laws." He said he would create a "fast-track bankruptcy practice" for military families, which would ease restrictions against declaring bankruptcy, eliminate "unnecessary" paperwork and "let them keep a greater share of the value of their home." Obama said he would work to help seniors keep their homes when emerging from bankruptcy. Their homes, he said, "are the cornerstones of a secure retirement," and also promised a larger homestead exemption for seniors. ... "Our economy has gotten out of balance," he said. "The American people don't resent wealth, they want to be rich. America has historically rewarded innovation and accomplishment and free enterprise, and I want to ensure we continue to do that." ... "If you are a family making $250,000 or less, we will not raise your taxes," he said. "Not your income tax. Not your payroll tax, not your capital gains tax. Not any tax. We will cut your taxes. So I'm happy to have a debate about taxes with John McCain."
From the Wall Street Journal:
Under Sen. Obama's plan, courts would be able to renegotiate mortgages on a debtor's primary residence. He would also offer extra protections to uninsured people wiped out by massive medical payments, disaster victims, military members on extended-duty tours and elderly homeowners. In addition, the proposal would waive bureaucratic steps required to file for personal bankruptcy, and would make debtor-protection laws more equitable across states. Though many states shield certain bankruptcy assets from creditors, the exemptions are uneven, sometimes nonexistent and often too small, the Obama campaign says. Sen. Obama's proposal would establish a minimum national "homestead" level of equity for certain homeowners that would be protected against creditors. The policy also would impose a 120-day moratorium on bad-credit reporting and waive requirements such as mandatory credit counseling and means testing. The Obama campaign has made a similar proposal in the past, covering people who were facing bankruptcy as a result of illness. The campaign says that roughly half of the 500,000 personal bankruptcies this year were for that cause. ... "While I was opposing the credit-card industry's bankruptcy bill that made it harder for working families to climb out of debt, [McCain] was supporting it, and he even opposed helping families who were only in bankruptcy because of medical bills they couldn't pay," Sen. Obama told a crowd at a town-hall event Tuesday in suburban Atlanta.
From USA Today:
Barack Obama and John McCain touted their respective tax plans to a key Hispanic group Tuesday, arguing that their different approaches to the economy would benefit all Americans. Their speeches before the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation's oldest Hispanic advocacy organization, was the latest in a series of addresses planned to reach minority voters. On tap in coming weeks: speeches to the National Council of La Raza and the NAACP, the largest respective Hispanic and African-American civil rights organizations, and Unity: Journalists of Color, a coalition of black, Asian, Latino and Native American journalists. ... Obama said he wants tax cuts for "workers and small-business owners." He criticized McCain's plan as providing "tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans." The candidates also renewed their immigration debate. McCain and Obama both support tougher border security, more guest-worker programs and a path to citizenship for the illegal immigrants already in the USA. Obama, however, repeated his criticism that McCain has backed away from that comprehensive approach. "We need a president who isn't going to walk away from something as important as comprehensive reform when it becomes politically unpopular," the presumptive Democratic nominee said. ... "This election could well be decided by Latino voters," Obama said, citing Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico as key battlegrounds. Bush narrowly won them all four years ago.
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Sen. Barack Obama told an influential Hispanic group on Tuesday that White House rival Sen. John McCain -- a champion of comprehensive immigration reform Congress has refused to pass -- has let them down ... The two White House rivals spoke -- separated by a few hours -- to the United Latin American Citizens convention here, the second time in two weeks they pitched themselves to a major Hispanic association, with each booked at another Hispanic conference later this month. ... "Now, I know Senator McCain used to buck his party on immigration by fighting for comprehensive reform, and I admired him for it. But when he was running for his party's nomination, he abandoned his courageous stance, and said that he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote," Obama said. Obama repeated a claim he had been making: "I fought with you in the Senate for comprehensive immigration reform."
From the Associated Press:
The Democratic National Committee and Barack Obama's presidential campaign will hold meetings in all 50 states to get voters more involved in developing the party platform. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano will chair the Platform Drafting Committee, the DNC and the Obama campaign were scheduled to announce Tuesday. The committee will invite members of the public to attend meetings around the country, with policy experts and other Democratic officials on hand to answer questions. Both political parties produce a platform, or statement of its principles, each presidential election year. In the past, the DNC has held a limited number of public meetings around the country to seek input on the document, generally from advocacy organizations or research groups. ... The disclosure that the DNC and Obama's campaign would seek broad voter input on the platform came on the heels of the announcement that Obama would accept the Democratic nomination at Denver's Invesco Field at Mile High, a 76,000-seat, open-air stadium that is home to the Denver Broncos, instead of at the smaller Pepsi Center, official site for the party's national convention Aug. 25-28. "Barack Obama believes that every American should be able to contribute to the Democratic platform, just as record numbers have participated in this campaign," deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand said.
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