Today, the McCain campaign lets Sarah Palin carry a message for the first time since her nomination as John McCain’s running mate. Their latest ad, “Better Off”, uses clips from Palin’s acceptance speech to attack Barack Obama on the economy:

GOVERNOR PALIN: How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?

ANNCR: Good question.

GOVERNOR PALIN: The Democratic nominee for President supports plans to raise income taxes, and raise payroll taxes, and raise investment income taxes. How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?

ANNCR: The answer: we won’t.

Team McCain has managed to erode Obama’s lead on economic policy by continuing to attack his positions and votes on taxes and spending. Obama likes to cry foul at this, saying that his tax hikes would only affect the top 5% of American earners. That’s true, as far as direct impact, but Obama plans plenty of tax increases that would have an indirect and yet significant impact on the American economy, including a hike of capital-gains taxes that would cut off job creation and send a teetering economy further into a recession.

Future ads should make that more specific.  Talk about how taxing investment means fewer jobs, and how payroll taxes mean fewer jobs, and how vastly increased government spending means fewer resources for the private sector — and fewer jobs.  We also need more spots on how a kitchen-sink energy policy creates jobs and keeps American wealth inside America, which McCain discussed at the last presidential debate.