Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/candidates-seek-economic-leadership-role-as-election-nears Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Two days before the third presidential election, the presidential contenders spotlighted the economy as John McCain distanced himself from President Bush's financial policies and Barack Obama introduced a new economic rescue plan. Kwame Holman reports on the latest from the campaign trail. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. KWAME HOLMAN: Sarah Palin and John McCain took the stage before a large and enthusiastic crowd in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this morning. Their message was upbeat, despite polls showing the Republicans are falling further behind Democrats Obama and Biden.McCain focused on his own credentials and on distancing himself from eight years of the Bush administration. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-Ariz.): We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight, waiting for our luck to change. The hour is late; our troubles are getting worse; our enemies watch.We have to act immediately. We have to change direction now. And we have to fight.If I'm elected president, I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money on top of the $700 billion we just gave the Treasury secretary, as Senator Obama proposes. He can't spend that much without raising your taxes or digging us further into debt. I'm going to make government live on a budget just like you do. KWAME HOLMAN: A new ABC News-Washington Post poll shows McCain trailing Obama by 10 points, a gap no candidate in modern history has overcome this close to an election. But McCain declared the presidential race is far from over. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: We have 22 days to go. We're 6 points down. The national media has written us off.Senator Obama — Senator Obama is measuring the drapes.You know what they forgot? They forgot to let you decide.My friends, we've got them just where we want them. KWAME HOLMAN: In the ABC poll, 59 percent of respondents said the Republicans were campaigning negatively instead of addressing issues. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: I know you're worried. America is a great country, but we're in a moment of national crisis that will determine our future.Will we continue to lead the world's economies or will we be overtaken? Will the world become safer or more dangerous? Will our military remain the strongest in the world? Will our children and grandchildren's future be brighter than ours?My answer to you is yes. Yes, we will lead.