MELISSA BLOCK, host: This is All Things Considered from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.</s>Senator BARACK OBAMA (Democrat, Illinois; Democratic Presidential Candidate): Today, we meet at a moment of great uncertainty in America.</s>Senator JOHN MCCAIN (Republican, Arizona; Republican Presidential Candidate): I don't have to tell you that we are facing the greatest financial crisis of our lifetime.</s>MELISSA BLOCK, host: On the campaign trail today, the economy again dominated an increasingly heated debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. Both candidates promised to help homeowners who can't keep up with their mortgages. In Ohio, Obama said the McCain plan is the wrong way to do it.</s>Senator BARACK OBAMA (Democrat, Illinois; Democratic Presidential Candidate): Senator McCain actually wants the government to pay the full face value of mortgages on the books even though they're not worth that much anymore. So banks wouldn't take a loss, but taxpayers would take a loss. It's a plan that would guarantee that you, the American taxpayers, would lose.</s>MELISSA BLOCK, host: And in Wisconsin, McCain fired back.</s>Senator JOHN MCCAIN (Republican, Arizona; Republican Presidential Candidate): He is opposed to us helping the homeowners of America. Do you want to help the homeowners of America, or do you want to help Wall Street? That's the question here. And I want to help the homeowners of Wisconsin and all over this country.
The economy has taken center stage again with both John McCain and Barack Obama promising to help homeowners. In Ohio, Obama criticized McCain's plan to buy mortgages. In Wisconsin, McCain said Obama was opposed to helping homeowners.