Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain battled fiercely on Wednesday in their liveliest and most contentious debate, with McCain attacking Obama's tax plan, campaign tone and relationship with a 1960s radical. The presidential rivals complained about the negativity of each other's campaigns during a tense and frequently testy debate that featured repeated discussion of "Joe the plumber", a small business owner Obama met in Ohio. McCain called on Obama to explain his relationship with 1960s radical William Ayers, who served with Obama on a community board in Chicago. Obama said he was simply an acquaintance.
"Mr. Ayers is not involved in my campaign. He has never been involved in this campaign. And he will not advise me in the White House," Obama said.
McCain, 72, an Arizona senator, entered the debate under intense pressure to give a strong performance that could turn around a presidential race moving decisively in Obama's favor after weeks of economic turmoil and plunging stock markets. Opinion polls three weeks before the November 4 election show more voters say they trust Obama's leadership on the economy, which has dominated the campaign trail discussion and dwarfed McCain's expertise in foreign and military policy.
McCain repeatedly criticized Obama throughout the debate, turning in a more aggressive performance than in the first two showdowns. McCain rebuked Obama for frequently claiming that he is too close to the policies of President George W. Bush.
"Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago," McCain said in their final debate, at Hofstra University in New York.
Obama, 47, said he sometimes had trouble spotting a difference between the two.
"If I occasionally have mistaken your policies for George Bush's policies, it's because on the core economic issues that matter to the American people, on tax policy, on energy policy, on spending priorities you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush," Obama said.
Both candidates admitted the campaign's tone was "tough" and accused the other of fomenting the negativity. McCain said Obama had spent more money on negative ads than any candidate in history, while Obama noted a recent study said 100 percent of McCain's ads had been negative.
"It's gotten pretty tough, and I regret some of the negative aspects of both campaigns. But the fact is that it has taken many turns which I think are unacceptable," McCain said.
He demanded Obama renounce the comments of Georgia Rep. John Lewis, a leader in the US civil rights movement, who recently linked McCain to 1960s segregationist leader George Wallace.
"That, to me, was so hurtful," McCain said.
Obama said Lewis's link between McCain and Wallace was inappropriate "and we immediately put out a statement saying that we don't think that comparison is appropriate."
Several recent opinion polls have shown McCain's attacks on Obama's character have largely backfired, increasing unfavorable opinions about McCain among voters looking for solutions on the economy. But the two candidates spent long stretches battling over the grievances about their campaigns and not discussing the economy. Obama complained about the focus.
"The American people have become so cynical about our politics, because all they see is a tit-for-tat and back and forth," Obama said.
The candidates fought over their tax plans and promised to help working Americans like "Joe the plumber," an Ohio plumber Obama met over the weekend. McCain criticized Obama's proposal to raise taxes on those who make more than $250,000 a year, saying it would hurt small business owners like Joe the plumber.
"Why would you want to raise anybody's taxes right now?" McCain asked Obama. "We need to encourage businesses."
Obama said his plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans and raise them on only a small slice of the most high-income Americans, while McCain would give tax breaks to oil and gas companies.
"We both want to cut taxes," Obama, an Illinois senator, said. "The difference is who we want to cut taxes for."
The debate focused on domestic policy and the economy. Obama and McCain were seated at a table with moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News instead of standing at podiums as in the first debate.
Showing posts with label Presidential Debate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presidential Debate. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Final Presidential Debate on Tap for Tonight
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain square off in their final Presidential Debate tonite. John McCain is hoping a strong performance can begin to turn around a White House race that is slowly slipping away. Three weeks before the November 4 election, McCain is running out of chances to reverse his slide in national opinion polls and gain ground on a surging Obama.
The encounter at Hofstra University in New York, will be the third and final debate between the presidential contenders and their final opportunity to reach a television audience of 60 million or more.
"You can do yourself a lot of good when you have a debate with that many people watching," South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson said.
The debate comes as new opinion polls show Obama gaining strength nationally and in battleground states after weeks of economic turmoil and plunging stock markets, with more voters saying they trust Obama's leadership on the economy. A Reuters/CSPAN/Zogby poll gave Obama a 4-point edge over McCain, but other national polls showed a larger margin for the Illinois senator. A CBS News/New York Times poll that showed Obama leading by 14 percentage points was the fifth survey this week to register Obama's lead in double-digits.
The bad poll news heightened the debate stakes for McCain, who unveiled a package of measures on Tuesday to help investors, particularly older Americans, who have seen their retirement savings decimated by stock market losses. But McCain also said he was not finished talking about Obama's service on a community board in Chicago with former 1960s radical William Ayers. The Arizona senator said he was likely to talk about Ayers during the debate.
Ayers was not discussed in the last debate, although McCain had been talking about him on the campaign trail. After the last debate, Obama noted McCain's reluctance to discuss the issue with him directly.
"I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised that I didn't have the guts to do that," McCain said in an interview with KMOX radio in St. Louis, Missouri. "I think he's probably assured that it's going to come up this time."
Several recent polls have shown McCain's attacks on Obama's character largely backfired, increasing unfavorable opinions about McCain among voters looking for solutions on the economy.
"There is no question the negative campaigning just isn't working," pollster John Zogby said. "To make an impact in this debate, McCain needs to be proactive and be very specific about the way he would lead an economic recovery."
Both candidates spent time on Tuesday cramming for the showdown. Obama holed up at a secluded resort on Lake Erie in the battleground state of Ohio, while McCain rehearsed at a stage complex in New York's theater district. At a New York fundraiser with running mate Sarah Palin on Tuesday night, McCain quipped to cheering supporters: "I want to do about half as good as Sarah did against poor old Joe Biden."
Polls showed most voters thought Biden, a Delaware senator and the Democratic vice presidential nominee, outperformed the first-term Alaska governor in their lone debate. The presidential debate will focus on domestic policy and the economy. Obama and McCain will be seated at a table with moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News instead of standing at podiums as in the first debate.
That could provoke more direct exchanges than in the first two encounters, which did little to recast the presidential race. McCain needs a sharper performance to build momentum for the final 2 1/2 weeks on the campaign trail.
"He has time to come back in this race," Dawson said of McCain. "Every day is a lifetime in American politics. But he has to get started."
The encounter at Hofstra University in New York, will be the third and final debate between the presidential contenders and their final opportunity to reach a television audience of 60 million or more.
"You can do yourself a lot of good when you have a debate with that many people watching," South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson said.
The debate comes as new opinion polls show Obama gaining strength nationally and in battleground states after weeks of economic turmoil and plunging stock markets, with more voters saying they trust Obama's leadership on the economy. A Reuters/CSPAN/Zogby poll gave Obama a 4-point edge over McCain, but other national polls showed a larger margin for the Illinois senator. A CBS News/New York Times poll that showed Obama leading by 14 percentage points was the fifth survey this week to register Obama's lead in double-digits.
The bad poll news heightened the debate stakes for McCain, who unveiled a package of measures on Tuesday to help investors, particularly older Americans, who have seen their retirement savings decimated by stock market losses. But McCain also said he was not finished talking about Obama's service on a community board in Chicago with former 1960s radical William Ayers. The Arizona senator said he was likely to talk about Ayers during the debate.
Ayers was not discussed in the last debate, although McCain had been talking about him on the campaign trail. After the last debate, Obama noted McCain's reluctance to discuss the issue with him directly.
"I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised that I didn't have the guts to do that," McCain said in an interview with KMOX radio in St. Louis, Missouri. "I think he's probably assured that it's going to come up this time."
Several recent polls have shown McCain's attacks on Obama's character largely backfired, increasing unfavorable opinions about McCain among voters looking for solutions on the economy.
"There is no question the negative campaigning just isn't working," pollster John Zogby said. "To make an impact in this debate, McCain needs to be proactive and be very specific about the way he would lead an economic recovery."
Both candidates spent time on Tuesday cramming for the showdown. Obama holed up at a secluded resort on Lake Erie in the battleground state of Ohio, while McCain rehearsed at a stage complex in New York's theater district. At a New York fundraiser with running mate Sarah Palin on Tuesday night, McCain quipped to cheering supporters: "I want to do about half as good as Sarah did against poor old Joe Biden."
Polls showed most voters thought Biden, a Delaware senator and the Democratic vice presidential nominee, outperformed the first-term Alaska governor in their lone debate. The presidential debate will focus on domestic policy and the economy. Obama and McCain will be seated at a table with moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News instead of standing at podiums as in the first debate.
That could provoke more direct exchanges than in the first two encounters, which did little to recast the presidential race. McCain needs a sharper performance to build momentum for the final 2 1/2 weeks on the campaign trail.
"He has time to come back in this race," Dawson said of McCain. "Every day is a lifetime in American politics. But he has to get started."
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
So Who Won the McCain Obama Debate?
So Who Won the McCain Obama Debate?
Neither candidate made any major gaffes, stumbles or snafus during the second presidential debate so it is safe to say that neither candidate won hands down. There were no fireworks, no major water cooler moments. Even though the debaters traded testy jabs over the economy, the Drudge Report went so far as to label the debate "boring." At first glance, it might seem this duel was a draw. Nevertheless, there is a growing consensus among the pundits that McCain lost the debate, not because of what he did but because of what he didn't do: He didn't create the game-changing moment his campaign needed to alter the trajectory of the race.
With McCain lagging in the polls, Politico's Alexander Burns sums up why Obama gets the "W" next to his name: Obama didn't deliver a knockout punch tonight. But he denied his opponent the chance to rescramble the campaign, and that was enough. The day goes to him.
The Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post all concur, in their own way. This snoozefest created a winner because no one won at all.
There were a few in the media who focused more on the apparent tie. Mark Halperin at Time gave McCain a B and Obama a B+. Of McCain, he wrote: The Republican nominee was by turns aggressive, sensitive, conservative and conversational. Successfully presented a negative case against Obama with an upbeat, optimistic smile. Ultimately though, Halperin echoed the general consensus: Obama played it typically cautious and safe, and thus avoided major blunders, knowing if he commits no errors for the next 30 days, he will be the next president of the United States.
Even if you don't put much stock in the talking heads, consider what nonmedia types said. Each candidate stood his ground, looking comfortable in the townhall setting, yet the instapolls showed the same opinion: Obama won.
In the CBS poll, 40% of uncommitted voters said Obama won. 26% said John McCain won, while 34% said it was a tie.
Over at CNN, Obama fared even better in the poll: 54% said he did a better job, 30% gave it to McCain. Despite those numbers, this isn't all bad news for McCain. The CBS poll did have a silver lining respondents still see McCain as more prepared for the job (83% to 58%). The other good news for the Arizona senator: there is about a month left in the campaign. That's enough time for him to find the game-changer he is looking for.
Neither candidate made any major gaffes, stumbles or snafus during the second presidential debate so it is safe to say that neither candidate won hands down. There were no fireworks, no major water cooler moments. Even though the debaters traded testy jabs over the economy, the Drudge Report went so far as to label the debate "boring." At first glance, it might seem this duel was a draw. Nevertheless, there is a growing consensus among the pundits that McCain lost the debate, not because of what he did but because of what he didn't do: He didn't create the game-changing moment his campaign needed to alter the trajectory of the race.
With McCain lagging in the polls, Politico's Alexander Burns sums up why Obama gets the "W" next to his name: Obama didn't deliver a knockout punch tonight. But he denied his opponent the chance to rescramble the campaign, and that was enough. The day goes to him.
The Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post all concur, in their own way. This snoozefest created a winner because no one won at all.
There were a few in the media who focused more on the apparent tie. Mark Halperin at Time gave McCain a B and Obama a B+. Of McCain, he wrote: The Republican nominee was by turns aggressive, sensitive, conservative and conversational. Successfully presented a negative case against Obama with an upbeat, optimistic smile. Ultimately though, Halperin echoed the general consensus: Obama played it typically cautious and safe, and thus avoided major blunders, knowing if he commits no errors for the next 30 days, he will be the next president of the United States.
Even if you don't put much stock in the talking heads, consider what nonmedia types said. Each candidate stood his ground, looking comfortable in the townhall setting, yet the instapolls showed the same opinion: Obama won.
In the CBS poll, 40% of uncommitted voters said Obama won. 26% said John McCain won, while 34% said it was a tie.
Over at CNN, Obama fared even better in the poll: 54% said he did a better job, 30% gave it to McCain. Despite those numbers, this isn't all bad news for McCain. The CBS poll did have a silver lining respondents still see McCain as more prepared for the job (83% to 58%). The other good news for the Arizona senator: there is about a month left in the campaign. That's enough time for him to find the game-changer he is looking for.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Obama and McCain Battle it out in Debate
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain duked it out over taxation, healthcare and the best way to help struggling American workers on Tuesday during a sometimes tense presidential debate the broad differences in their economic approaches. With Americans reeling under what Obama called the worst crisis since the Great Depression, the rivals in the November 4 presidential election differed frequently and showed occasional flashes of the rancor that marked their recent rhetoric on the campaign trail.
"Americans are angry, they're upset and they're a little fearful," McCain said in the second of three presidential debates, at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. "We don't have trust and confidence in our institutions."
The Arizona senator, criticized for not being responsive on economic issues, was under pressure to turn in a strong performance that would stop his slide in the polls and halt Obama's momentum that has blossomed during the economic crisis. Two quick polls taken immediately after the debate, by CBS News and CNN, both judged Obama the winner.
McCain, 72, proposed a program that would buy mortgages from homeowners facing financial problems and replace those mortgages with new, fixed-rate mortgages. His campaign said it would cost roughly $300 billion. Obama said McCain and Republicans had supported the deregulation of the financial industry that led to the crisis. He said middle-class workers, not just Wall Street, needed a rescue package that would include tax cuts.
"We are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and a lot of you, I think, are worried about your jobs, your pensions, your retirement accounts," he said.
The debate broke little new ground and featured familiar themes for both candidates. McCain portrayed Obama as an eager supporter of higher taxes who was unwilling to buck his own party, but Obama said McCain's policies would help the wealthy and strand workers at the bottom of the economic ladder.
"Nailing down Senator Obama's various tax proposals is like nailing Jello to the wall," McCain said.
Obama, 47, responded with a crack about McCain's campaign bus. "I think the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one," he said, explaining his plan would only tax those making more than $250,000 a year and most small businesses would not be affected.
Both candidates vowed to focus on making the United States energy independent. McCain said nuclear power was a clean source of energy that would be key to battling climate change and mocked Obama.
"Senator Obama says that it has to be safe or disposable or something like that," he said. Obama said he approved of nuclear power as one element of a broader energy plan.
Obama has solidified his national lead in polls and gained an edge in crucial battleground states in recent weeks as the Wall Street crisis focused attention on the economy, an area where polls show voters prefer the Illinois senator's leadership. The economic turmoil continued on Tuesday, with stocks tumbling for the second consecutive day in a sign the $700 billion bailout of US financial institutions did not ease market concerns about the economy.
Asked about a possible Treasury secretary in their administrations, both candidates mentioned Omaha's legendary investor Warren Buffett, a supporter of Obama. Foreign policy was the topic in the final third of the debate, and the two candidates clashed sharply over the Iraq war. Obama was an early critic of the war, while McCain has been a staunch supporter and urged the "surge" strategy to increase American troops.
"Senator Obama would have brought our troops home in defeat. I will bring them home in victory and in honor," McCain said.
Obama said the focus on Iraq had distracted the United States from the threat in Afghanistan, and he defended his willingness to strike against terrorists in Pakistan without approval from Islamabad despite McCain's criticism.
"We have fundamental differences about the use of military power," McCain said.
McCain said Russia may be an "evil empire," the term applied to the old Soviet Union by President Ronald Reagan, while Obama said it had engaged in some evil behavior and "they still have nationalist impulses that I think are very dangerous." The debate was conducted in a looser town hall format where questions were asked by the audience, a favorite setting for McCain and a staple of his campaigns in the battle for the party nomination this year and in 2000.
About 100 undecided Nashville voters identified by the Gallup polling company posed the questions. The candidates talked directly to the audience and were free to roam the stage. With only four weeks to go until the election, the two candidates will meet for one final debate on October 15.
"Americans are angry, they're upset and they're a little fearful," McCain said in the second of three presidential debates, at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. "We don't have trust and confidence in our institutions."
The Arizona senator, criticized for not being responsive on economic issues, was under pressure to turn in a strong performance that would stop his slide in the polls and halt Obama's momentum that has blossomed during the economic crisis. Two quick polls taken immediately after the debate, by CBS News and CNN, both judged Obama the winner.
McCain, 72, proposed a program that would buy mortgages from homeowners facing financial problems and replace those mortgages with new, fixed-rate mortgages. His campaign said it would cost roughly $300 billion. Obama said McCain and Republicans had supported the deregulation of the financial industry that led to the crisis. He said middle-class workers, not just Wall Street, needed a rescue package that would include tax cuts.
"We are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and a lot of you, I think, are worried about your jobs, your pensions, your retirement accounts," he said.
The debate broke little new ground and featured familiar themes for both candidates. McCain portrayed Obama as an eager supporter of higher taxes who was unwilling to buck his own party, but Obama said McCain's policies would help the wealthy and strand workers at the bottom of the economic ladder.
"Nailing down Senator Obama's various tax proposals is like nailing Jello to the wall," McCain said.
Obama, 47, responded with a crack about McCain's campaign bus. "I think the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one," he said, explaining his plan would only tax those making more than $250,000 a year and most small businesses would not be affected.
Both candidates vowed to focus on making the United States energy independent. McCain said nuclear power was a clean source of energy that would be key to battling climate change and mocked Obama.
"Senator Obama says that it has to be safe or disposable or something like that," he said. Obama said he approved of nuclear power as one element of a broader energy plan.
Obama has solidified his national lead in polls and gained an edge in crucial battleground states in recent weeks as the Wall Street crisis focused attention on the economy, an area where polls show voters prefer the Illinois senator's leadership. The economic turmoil continued on Tuesday, with stocks tumbling for the second consecutive day in a sign the $700 billion bailout of US financial institutions did not ease market concerns about the economy.
Asked about a possible Treasury secretary in their administrations, both candidates mentioned Omaha's legendary investor Warren Buffett, a supporter of Obama. Foreign policy was the topic in the final third of the debate, and the two candidates clashed sharply over the Iraq war. Obama was an early critic of the war, while McCain has been a staunch supporter and urged the "surge" strategy to increase American troops.
"Senator Obama would have brought our troops home in defeat. I will bring them home in victory and in honor," McCain said.
Obama said the focus on Iraq had distracted the United States from the threat in Afghanistan, and he defended his willingness to strike against terrorists in Pakistan without approval from Islamabad despite McCain's criticism.
"We have fundamental differences about the use of military power," McCain said.
McCain said Russia may be an "evil empire," the term applied to the old Soviet Union by President Ronald Reagan, while Obama said it had engaged in some evil behavior and "they still have nationalist impulses that I think are very dangerous." The debate was conducted in a looser town hall format where questions were asked by the audience, a favorite setting for McCain and a staple of his campaigns in the battle for the party nomination this year and in 2000.
About 100 undecided Nashville voters identified by the Gallup polling company posed the questions. The candidates talked directly to the audience and were free to roam the stage. With only four weeks to go until the election, the two candidates will meet for one final debate on October 15.
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