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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
It's jobs, stupid, and tax cuts, too
By John Mercurio
CNN Political Unit
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Stay will CNN-USA for updates and analysis from the campaign trail as both President Bush and the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry, press their economic viewpoints. |
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 CNN's Howard Kurtz analyzes the latest Bush and Kerry ads.
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 CNN's Kelly Wallace on Dem leaders cheering Kerry.
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 CNN's Bruce Morton on gas prices and Bush-Cheney.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With his party $11 million richer from last night's unity dinner, John Kerry travels to Michigan today to take a whack at the soft spot in President Bush's economic recovery -- jobs.
In the first major policy address since he clinched his party's nod, Kerry hits back at new Bush ads that claim Kerry has backed some 350 tax hikes in the Senate, while he offers a plan to create 10 million jobs by 2009.
In the first of three speeches he'll deliver in coming weeks, Kerry today appears at Wayne University in Detroit to outline a tax reform plan designed to encourage job creation. In the second speech, which sources say is scheduled for sometime early next month, Kerry will unveil his plan to give Americans the education and training and skills they need to fill and create 21st century jobs. In the third speech, Kerry will outline his plan to restore fiscal discipline and confidence in the American economy.
"Bush has been the most fiscally irresponsible president in American history -- squandering $10 trillion and putting the nation into deficit," aides said. "Kerry will outline his plan to cut the deficit in half."
Last August, Kerry proposed a new manufacturing tax credit that would provide any manufacturing company that increased its job creation over its past record a full refund on the additional payroll taxes they paid. Today, Kerry will expand that to cover industries that the Commerce and Labor departments determine to be at risk of being outsourced.
Kerry also will expand his new jobs tax credit to cover all small businesses and their employees. Simply put: any entrepreneur or small business owner who creates more jobs over the next two years will get a tax credit worth the additional payroll tax cuts. For most small business owners that means that if they create jobs, they will pay lower taxes in a Kerry administration than they do under Bush.
"You know, economic plans aren't just about dollars and decimals. They're about choices," Kerry will say, according to a draft of his speech obtained by the Grind. "Time after time, this administration has put ideology first and jobs last. Today, I'm announcing a new economic plan for America that will put jobs first. We will renew American competitiveness, make tough budget choices and invest in our future. My pledge, and my plan, is for 10 million new jobs in the next four years."
Kerry and Dean
Kerry's big economic speech, which he'll deliver at 12:45 p.m. ET, comes one day after he returned from a five-day vacation in Idaho to great fanfare from party leaders. The senator yesterday received the formal and enthusiastic endorsement of Howard Dean and two major labor unions, and he presided over a unity dinner in Washington that raised some $11 million for the party.
In a conference call with a few reporters last night, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, whose board of directors backed Dean in the primary, then pulled its endorsement, then endorsed Kerry yesterday, said he's more comfortable with Kerry now than he was just two months ago because Kerry has emerged from the primary process as a better candidate.
"Through this tunnel of fire that they're run through, Kerry has developed a more forceful message, and I think he's grown in stature, not only as a candidate but as a person," McEntee said. "He's more comfortable in his skin and with himself. This is a man who has found his destiny. This is a different guy than he was last year."
Speaking of Dean, we hear he's close to naming someone to head his new organization, Democracy for America. Sources tell the Grind that Karen Hicks, who led Dean's campaign to its third-place finish in New Hampshire, is the leading candidate for the job. Dean and Hicks, who until recently was vacationing in Amsterdam, spoke recently about the opportunity but have some conflicts to resolve.
Bizarre encounter
It's probably old news by now. But in closing today we have one final nugget to share from the Radio and Television Correspondents dinner on Wednesday night.
We heard that one of the night's more bizarre encounters came when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi introduced San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his wife Kimberly to Bush, whose decision to support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage came as a direct response to Newsom's decision to allow gays to marry in his city. We hear Bush greeted Newsom, patted him on the back and told him he's doing a great job in the Bay City.
By all accounts, Bush charmed the Newsoms, who came to the dinner as guests of CNN's Bill Schneider. No word on whether Bush bestowed plucky nicknames on the decidedly liberal Dems.
