World | USA
McCain pursues middle ground
More than four decades ago outside this tiny Appalachian town, President Johnson began his War on Poverty. In the 1980s, President Reagan scoffed that poverty had won that war.
- By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
- Published: 00:45 April 25, 2008
Inez, Kentucky: More than four decades ago outside this tiny Appalachian town, President Johnson began his War on Poverty. In the 1980s, President Reagan scoffed that poverty had won that war.
John McCain tried to position himself somewhere between Johnson and Reagan in Inez on Wednesday, styling himself as a compassionate conservative but stressing his campaign against "wasteful" government spending.
"I wouldn't be back here today if government had fulfilled the promises that Lyndon Johnson made 44 years ago," McCain told reporters, as his campaign bus rolled through the green hills of Kentucky. "The moral of the story is government isn't always the answer."
McCain discussed proposals for fighting poverty in places such as Inez. The community is the county seat of Martin County, where 46 per cent of adults have not finished high school, the median household income is less than $22,800 and 30.5 per cent of the population lives below the poverty level.
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