Message from Obama: Solving the US financial crisis

The economy hit a new low this week, and in every part of the country, people like you are feeling it.

The recent financial disasters -- from the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the historic drop in the stock market -- are not just a string of bad luck. They are the result of years of bad decisions made in favor of big corporate special interests instead of America's working families.

More than 600,000 Americans have lost their jobs since January. Home foreclosures are skyrocketing, and home values are plunging. Gas prices are at an all-time high, and we're still spending more than $10 billion every month on a war in Iraq that should never have been waged.

John McCain's campaign is doing everything it can to focus attention on false personal attacks and distractions -- but there's too much at stake for that kind of politics.

I need your help to get the conversation back on track.

I recorded a two-minute TV ad about our economy and my plan to solve this crisis. Please watch the ad and share it with everyone you know:

For eight years, Bush-McCain economic policies have favored reckless deregulation and huge tax loopholes for big corporations. Now, as these corporations crumble, American taxpayers are facing costly bailouts.

More of the same failed ideas are not going to solve our economic problems.

I'm calling for a $1,000 tax break for middle-class families -- not just because they need help dealing with the rising costs of gas, food, and health care, but also because our economy needs to be reinvigorated from the bottom up, not the top down.

I'm proposing a second stimulus package to save over one million jobs and provide immediate relief to struggling families.

And I'll end the "anything goes" culture on Wall Street with real regulation. We can see clearly that our economy is stronger when we protect investments and pensions, and avoid devastating bankruptcies and bailouts.

This is no ordinary time, and it shouldn't be an ordinary election. Help keep the discussion focused on the issues.

Please watch the video and share it with your friends today:

http://my.barackobama.com/economyvideo

Thanks for helping to bring the change this country needs,

Barack

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Read Obama's full economic plan
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/economyplan