Obama speaks on economy in two-minute ad

In the spot, Barack Obama talks directly to the camera and lays out part of his plan to deal with the economic crisis.

Published September 17, 2008 1:27PM (EDT)

Barack Obama's campaign has decided to take his plan for the economy straight to the public. On Wednesday, it released an unusually long ad -- it lasts two minutes, compared to the standard 30 seconds -- in which Obama speaks directly into the camera about his plan to deal with the country's economic woes. The spot will air in battleground states and nationally, the Obama camp says.

The video, and the script of the ad, are below.

Script:

In the past few weeks, Wall Street's been rocked as banks closed and markets tumbled. But for many of you -- the people I've met in town halls, backyards and diners across America -- our troubled economy isn't news. 600,000 Americans have lost their jobs since January. Paychecks are flat and home values are falling. It's hard to pay for gas and groceries and if you put it on a credit card they've probably raised your rates. You're paying more than ever for health insurance that covers less and less. This isn't just a string of bad luck. The truth is that while you've been living up to your responsibilities Washington has not. That's why we need change. Real change. This is no ordinary time and it shouldn't be an ordinary election. But much of this campaign has been consumed by petty attacks and distractions that have nothing to do with you or how we get America back on track. Here's what I believe we need to do. Reform our tax system to give a $1,000 tax break to the middle class instead of showering more on oil companies and corporations that outsource our jobs. End the "anything goes" culture on Wall Street with real regulation that protects your investments and pensions. Fast-track a plan for energy "made-in-America" that will free us from our dependence on Mideast oil in 10 years and put millions of Americans to work. Crack down on lobbyists -- once and for all -- so their back-room deal-making no longer drowns out the voices of the middle class and undermines our common interests as Americans. And yes, bring a responsible end to this war in Iraq so we stop spending billions each month rebuilding their country when we should be rebuilding ours. Doing these things won't be easy. But we're Americans. We've met tough challenges before. And we can again. I'm Barack Obama. I hope you'll read my economic plan. I approved this message because bitter, partisan fights and outworn ideas of the left and the right won't solve the problems we face today. But a new spirit of unity and shared responsibility will.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

MORE FROM Alex Koppelman


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

2008 Elections Barack Obama War Room