Kerry hits on domestic issues heading into debate

Published: October 11, 2004

Details of a new television ad from Democrat John Kerry to begin airing Wednesday:

TITLE: "Truth on Taxes."

LENGTH: 30 seconds.

PRODUCER: Shrum, Devine, Donilon and Squier, Knapp, Dunn.

AIRING: Select media markets in some of the 15 battleground states where Kerry's on the air.

SCRIPT:

KERRY: "Here's the truth about taxes. After nearly four years under George Bush, the middle class is paying the bigger share of America's tax burden and the wealthiest are paying less. It's wrong. We need to cut taxes on the middle class, not raise them. We also need to get health care costs under control and lower our nation's deficit. I don't believe the wealthy need another tax cut. I believe ordinary Americans need someone who will fight for them. I'm John Kerry and I approved this message."

KEY IMAGES:

Kerry talking to camera. Parents and children. Senior citizens.

ANALYSIS:

Kerry is trying to set the stage for his third debate with President Bush on Wednesday with a domestic-policy laden ad in which he claims that he, and not Bush, stands with the middle class. Nevermind that Kerry is one of "the wealthiest" Americans he references in the ad.

Democrats believe they are strongest on domestic issues, and Kerry's campaign believes he can score points on issues like health care, the federal deficit and tax cuts. His campaign often claims Bush has no domestic record to run on.

Kerry also is trying to counter the notion that he will raise taxes, which Bush claims frequently on the campaign trail. The charge is also levied against Kerry by Bush's surrogates and in the president's campaign ads. In the second debate with Bush last Friday in St. Louis, Kerry pledged not to raise taxes on people making $200,000 or less.

Kerry's campaign bases its charge that "the middle class is paying the bigger share of America's tax burden" on a study by the Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the nonpartisan Urban Institute and the liberal Brookings Institution. The study found that middle class Americans saw their share of the federal tax burden increase from 18.5 percent to 19.5 percent under Bush.

Analysis by Liz Sidoti, Associated Press writer.