2233029977_c0919b0e16_m.jpgThe McSame campaign wants to make this election about petty personality issues and trivialities — their campaign manager said so publicly. It’s clear — they want to talk about campaign ads and vapid People Magazine profiles and cheesy catchphrases and nicknames.

They don’t want to talk about the highest unemployment rate in 5 years.

The economy shoved its way to the front of the presidential campaign once again, as the nation’s jobless rate shot to a five-year high — escalating fears that the country is spiraling into a full recession.

They don’t want to talk about staggering job losses.

The United States lost a total of 605,000 jobs in the first eight months of 2008, including 84,000 in August 2008.

They don’t want to talk about the skyrocketing deficit.

The Congressional Budget Office said the U.S. budget deficit for fiscal 2008 — $407 billion — will be more than double the deficit for 2007, hit by the wars and a weak economy, and predicted it is likely to rise further in fiscal 2009.

They don’t want to talk about rising gas prices.

In its monthly short-term outlook, the government said prices at the pump would likely average $3.61 this year and $3.88 next year.

They don’t want to talk about record food prices.

U.S. consumers should brace for the biggest increase in food prices in nearly 20 years in 2008 and even more pain next year due to surging meat and produce prices, the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday.

They don’t want to talk about the housing crisis.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac used accounting rules that created a “house of cards” as the housing market descended into its worst slump since the Great Depression.

They don’t want to talk about the collapsing dollar.

The dollar weakened against other major currencies Tuesday as investors worried about the health of the US economy after the nationalization of two mortgage finance giants over the weekend.

They don’t want to talk about record foreclosures.

The rate of mortgages entering foreclosure hit another record high in the second quarter, as did the percentage of loans somewhere in the foreclosure process, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported on Friday. The delinquency rate, which measures mortgages that aren’t in foreclosure but have at least one overdue payment, also was the highest ever recorded in the MBA’s quarterly survey.

They don’t want to talk about stagnant wages.

Factoring in inflation, hourly wages were only 0.2% higher, and weekly wages were actually 0.8% lower in July 2008 than in March 2001.

They don’t want to talk about the highest misery index in 17 years.

The misery index hit the worst level since May 1991, according to a new analysis released today by the Campaign for America’s Future.

They don’t want to talk about any of these things because on the economy, McSame-Palin is lockstep with Bush-Cheney. They are trickle-down, Club-for-Growth, tax-cuts-cure-all Republicans. And they simply don’t have an answer to any of these problems.

Don’t take the bait.

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