Obama on economy, McCain negativity

From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Obama came to this Florida city today, hoping to turn the subject from race back to his intended theme of the week: the economy. His campaign rolled out what it called an “Economic Emergency Plan,” mixing some previously announced proposals with a more urgent timetable. Another round of rebates -- $500 for individuals and $1,000 for married couples -- would go out this fall, to offset fuel and heating costs. He’d also devote $50 billion to be split evenly between infrastructure improvements and a fund for states to tap for assistance without raising taxes. The new rollout, advisers said, was spurred by Obama’s meeting Monday with his economic team in Washington. “Many of the attendees at the meeting, myself included, view the risks of inaction, the failure to craft an efficient, effective policy to offset these serious problems we face, as too high to ignore,” adviser Jared Bernstein said on a conference call this morning. In announcing ... (link)