Missouri
The last two weeks had brought talk that Barack Obama just might win in Florida and Georgia against John McCain, based on a few recent polls, particularly polls done by Public Policy Polling (PPP), a Democratic polling outfit.
But polls done by both Rasmussen and Strategic Vision in Florida show McCain with a seven and eight point lead respectively:
FLORIDA - Rasmussen
48% John McCain
41% Barack Obama
FLORIDA - Strategic Vision
49% John McCain
41% Barack Obama
In Georgia, an Insider Advantage poll two weeks ago had McCain only up by one point with Bob Barr in the equation, but now two polls which include Bob Barr show McCain with strong leads in Georgia:
GEORGIA - Rasmussen
53% John McCain
43% Barack Obama
1 % Bob Barr
GEORGIA - Strategic Vision
51% John McCain
43% Barack Obama
3 % Bob Barr
This would seem to indicate that the dire scenarios some in the media were painting of a John McCain collapse across the nation was wishful thinking on their part. McCain is still very strong in the areas where the GOP ususally wins, and he has put places like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire in play. We'll see if the polls keep coming back McCain's way as the euphoria over Obama's clinching of the Democratic Nomination subsides.
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Here is complete video of Sen. John McCain speaking to Hispanic Leaders today at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in Washington, D.C. McCain made opening remarks and then took extensive questions from the audience. He was interrupted by hecklers numerous times, but kept his cool and continued answering questions.
PART 1 - Brief Intro.
PART 2 - McCain Opening Remarks
PART 3 - McCain Opening Remarks
PART 4 - McCain Opening Remarks Conclude; Q & A Begins
PART 5 - Q & A
PART 6 - Q & A
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Sen. John McCain predicted that he would win the General Election with a comeback victory in the last 48 hours of the Campaign! McCain has been down and out before, having been given up for dead during the GOP Primary Campaign late last summer. Polls have moved in Obama's direction the past three weeks, and many believe Obama will win in a cakewalk. But McCain is essentially saying, "Not so fast."
John McCain predicted the general election race would come down to the buzzer Friday, declaring himself the underdog but quipping that he’d ride to victory in the last “48 hours.”
The comment came as new polls show Barack Obama leading nationally and in several key swing states.
McCain may be hoping to reprise his nomination fight, in which he revived his flailing campaign just as primaries began.
“I’m the underdog. I’m behind,” the presumptive GOP nominee told reporters in Ohio
“I’ve got to catch up and get ahead. And I expect to do that about 48 hours before the general election,” he said with a laugh.
On a day of heavy focus on the so-called “Unity” rally with Obama and Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, McCain also fired off accusations at his general election rival.
He criticized Obama for opting out of public financing and refusing to join him for a series of town hall meetings.
“I would meet him anywhere, anytime,” he said. “I have kept days open.”
McCain later added that the meetings are “very, very unlikely.”
McCain is showing the grit and determination that kept him alive during 5 1/2 years of imprisonment in Vietnam. He does not give up. Americans like a person who stays calm and confident under pressure. McCain has a chance once again to demonstrate the strength of his character. If Americans like what they see, his prediction just may come true.
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Sen. John McCain told reporters today that joint Town Hall Meetings with Sen. Barack Obama are now "very, very unlikely." McCain refused to describe Obama as arrogant or elitist, repeating his standard statement that he will treat Obama with the respect he deserves as the nominee of his party.
John McCain said he believes joint town-hall meetings with Barack Obama are now "very, very unlikely."
Speaking to reporters on his "Straight Talk Express" bus Friday, McCain said he'll keep asking.
"I think there are some events where we are, organizations that we're supposed to both be speaking to and I would hope that maybe he would join me at those," McCain said. "But it doesn't seem that-we haven't gotten any more responses from his campaign, so I'm told."
McCain said he would not portray Obama as arrogant or an elitist in the general election campaign.
"As the campaigning goes forward I will treat him with respect that the nominee of the party has earned," he said. "And it's not respectful for me to say that he is an elitist or, I am not saying that."
McCain said he references Obama's "bitter" comments because "that is not my view of the small towns in Pennsylvania that he was talking about."
"So we just have a very different opinion," he said. "That does mean to me that he is an elitist. It just means that he has a very different view of what his fundamentals of the heartland of America.''
McCain, who has been reaching out to conservative voters in recent days, said a meeting Sunday with Franklin Graham is not part of that effort.
"No, he is a man whose family is respected, incredibly respected, and I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to meet with him," he said. "I think the Graham family really transcends politics in America. Billy Graham was an adviser to every president, and so I'm not sure that there is any---there certainly is no political aspect to of the meeting that I will have.''
OK Sen. McCain. I'll say it for you -- Barack Obama is an arrogant elitist! He thrives on creating an illusion of one thing when the reality is another. He talks about loving the town-hall format, but refuses to face you in that format. Sen. McCain cannot continue to be low-key about Obama's dishonest nature. He needs to give Americans some "straight talk" about Barack Obama.
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Here is a new ad by the John McCain Campaign entitled "Purpose," highlighting McCain's commitment to lead America to achieve a "new national purpose" - Energy Security.
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Here is a report by Fox News' Major Garrett on the reactions of both John McCain and Barack Obama to the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the D.C. Ban on handguns. The report also does some fact checking on Obama's claim that he has "consistently" supported an individual right to gun ownership, showing that he had supported the D.C. Ban earlier this year, and has supported a total ban on handguns in the past, as well as refusing to support legislation in Illinois that would have protected gunowners who used a gun to protect themselves from an intruder in their own home.
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Here is video of Sen. John McCain on his campaign bus conducting an impromptu press conference with reporters. He comments on the Supreme Court decision striking down the D.C. Gun Ban and hits Barack Obama for his changing positions on the issue.
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Fox News reports on Sen. John McCain's reaction to the Supreme Court decision today which struck down the D.C. Gun Ban, and upheld the 2nd Amendment right of Americans to "keep and bear arms":
UPDATE: Hot Air has what went down at today's Team McCain conference call with the media on this decision.
John McCain issued the following statement regarding Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down Washington, D.C.’s handgun ban:
“Today’s decision is a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom in the United States. For this first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers. I applaud this decision as well as the overturning of the District of Columbias ban on handguns and limitations on the ability to use firearms for self-defense.
“Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today. Today’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller makes clear that other municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the constitutional rights of Americans. Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right — sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly.
“This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms. But today, the Supreme Court ended forever the specious argument that the Second Amendment did not confer an individual right to keep and bear arms.”
Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr also weighed in on the Supreme Court decision:
The ruling “will go down as one of the Supreme Court’s most important rulings on behalf of liberty.”
“Today’s decision marks a new era for gun rights in America … By protecting an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, the Second Amendment ensures that all Americans are able to participate in sporting activities, hunt, and protect themselves and their families.
“Where crime rates are high, a gun may be the only means for law-abiding citizens to safeguard themselves and their families … Lawful gun ownership deters an untold number of crimes every year.
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Jim Geraghty, of The Campaign Spot, is one of the best political writers around. He has discovered a gem in Barack Obama's book The Audacity of Hope (title taken from a now under-the-bus Jeremiah Wright), where Obama waxed eloquent about how much he loves "Town Hall Meetings." This is the same Obama who is now avoiding standing side-by-side with John McCain at Town Hall Meetings across America! Here's Geraghty's taken on this:
Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, p. 101-102:
"One of my favorite tasks of being a senator is hosting town hall meetings. I held thirty-nine of them my first year in the Senate, all across Illinois, in tiny rural towns like Anna and prosperous suburbs like Naperville, in back churches in the South Side and a college in Rock Island... For the next hour or so, I answer to the people who sent me to Washington... My time with them is like a dip in a cool stream. I feel cleansed afterward, glad for the work I have chosen."
Hmm. Somehow, Senator Obama no longer wants to feel cleansed by those dips in cool streams.
Obama on Friday rejected McCain's proposal for 10 joint town-hall appearances, question-and-answer gatherings before small audiences that the Republican senator tends to favor. The Democrat has performed best at massive, emotional rallies drawing tens of thousands of people.
Obama has offered to meet McCain in five joint appearances between now and the Nov. 4 election, but only one of those would be town hall-style and it would be on the July 4th Independence Day holiday, when few Americans would be watching. McCain called the offer "a very disappointing response."
If Obama can do thirty-nine town hall meetings in a year, why can't he do more than one between now and Election Day?
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The CBS News Horserace Blog has Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty moving into the top spot on their GOP VP rankings. They say the "buzz" surrounding Pawlenty has never been higher. They rank Florida Gov. Charlie Crist as No. 2 on the list, with Mitt Romney, Bobby Jindal and Rob Portman rounding out the top five. You can go here for the entire Top 10.
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