John McCain believes we’re better off economically today than we were eight years ago.

The American people know that’s not true — they’re feeling the effects of high gas prices, lost jobs, and a housing crisis. Voters continually rank the economy as their biggest concern.

So this week we’re planning to release our first national television ad of the presidential race to show the American people just how wrong John McCain is on the economy. We’re also strengthening our local organizing efforts to make sure the American people really know how little John McCain understands the economy.

We need $500,000 to help pay for ads like the one we plan to air this week, fund organizers in your state and build a national infrastructure to help Hillary or Barack win the White House.

Can you help us raise $500,000? If you can, then millions of Americans will get to see and hear the real John McCain in his own words — and we’ll be building for victory in November.

Click here to see our first ad of the presidential race:

John McCain is on the record as saying the economy is something he really doesn’t understand as well as he should. It shows.

Unemployment is up. Gas and food prices are up. Inflation is on the rise. The housing market is in a slump. The pundits are saying we’re in the worst economic mess in decades. But John McCain keeps defending his friend George Bush, saying everything is just fine.

Providing tax cuts for the wealthy, allowing oil and gas companies to make huge windfall profits and turning a blind eye to the problems in the home lending market — these are John McCain’s solutions. American families can’t afford four more years of failed Bush economic policies.

Your support today allows us to get this spot on the air across the country. We want to do this right — please take a moment now to watch the ad and then make a contribution:

http://www.democrats.org/support

John McCain and the Republican Party hope we’ll forget about the mismanagement of the last eight years. They’re working hard to distract Americans from getting to know the real John McCain, and the Republican spin machine is working overtime.

While John McCain is out trying to reintroduce himself to the American people, we want to make sure voters have all the facts — and have the chance to know the real John McCain.

Your support to help us raise $500,000 means we can start distributing the ad on national television this week, while putting additional resources into our 50-state strategy.

We’ll make sure Americans hear John McCain in his own words. And the more we raise, the more voters we can reach with this and other spots.

Thanks for your support,

Howard Dean