This is the Presidential Campaign Thread.

Barack Obama Vs. John McCain.

Edited November 6, 200817 yr by Toups

GOP to file fundraising complaint against Obama

Associated Press/AP Online

WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee plans to file a fundraising complaint against Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign Monday, alleging it has accepted donations that exceed federal limits as well as illegal contributions from foreigners.

RNC officials acknowledged Sunday that they do not have a list of foreign donors to Obama's campaign. Instead, the complaint is based largely on media reports, including one from the conservative Web site Newsmax.

The complaint asks the Federal Elections Commission to audit Obama's campaign fund, RNC chief counsel Sean Cairncross said in a conference call with reporters.

Cairncross said little is known about many of Obama's donors because the campaign is not required to disclose detailed information about people who give less than $200.

The Obama campaign, which is not accepting public funds, has raised more than $468 million. About half has come from small donors, a point of pride for the Obama campaign. The Obama campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081005/pl_nm/us_usa_politics

Obama accuses McCain of smear campaign

By Mark EganSun Oct 5, 3:16 PM ET

Democrat Barack Obama counterattacked on Sunday against a new Republican tactic by saying rival John McCain was more interested in a smear campaign than fixing the U.S. economy.

With McCain losing ground in opinion polls, a campaign strategist was quoted as saying the Republican presidential candidate needed to "turn the page" on the economic issue and make the election about Obama's experience and character.

That effort started on Saturday when Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists" in reference to his acquaintance with Bill Ayers, a former member of the Vietnam War-era militant Weather Underground.

Obama responded at the Republicans at a rally attended by more than 20,000 people in Asheville, North Carolina, a swing state where the Democratic presidential candidate was preparing for his second debate with McCain on Tuesday.

"Senator McCain and his operatives are gambling that he can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance," Obama said. "They'd rather try to tear our campaign down than lift this country up."

"It's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas and running out of time," he said a month before the November 4 election.

Obama's improvement in the polls was fueled by the public's perception that he can best handle the ailing economy. The Illinois senator tried to keep the focus on the economy and used the "turn the page" quote as a way of keeping the issue alive.

"We're facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and John McCain wants us to 'turn the page?'" he said in the Asheville remarks.

"Well, I know the policies he's supported these past eight years and wants to continue are pretty hard to defend. I can understand why Senator McCain would want to 'turn the page' and ignore this economy."

Then he poked fun at Palin's folksy way of speaking by saying: "We're not going to let John McCain distract us. We're not going to let him hoodwink ya, and bamboozle ya, we're not going to let him run the okie doke on ya."

NEW ADS

The Obama campaign released a new ad hitting McCain as erratic during the past two weeks of economic crisis, a reference that could be interpreted as subtle reminder of McCain's age. The Arizona senator, age 72, would be the oldest person elected president for the first time.

But McCain's supporters and his campaign did not back down. They pushed the issue of Obama's character on the Sunday television talk shows and defended linking Obama with Ayers.

"The last four weeks of this election will be about whether the American people are willing to turn our economy and national security over to Barack Obama, a man with little record, questionable judgment, and ties to radical figures like unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said.

Ayers was one of the leaders of the Weather Underground when it was involved in a series of bombings in the 1960s, when Obama was 8 years old. Obama met him in the 1990s when first starting his political career in Chicago and the two served on a board together.

Obama has said he knows Ayers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, only slightly and has denounced his actions with the Weather Underground.

Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida said on ABC's "This Week" it was not what Obama did when he was 8 but "what occurred when he was 35 - 38 years old and was initiating his political campaign."

"It's about his judgment and who he associated with during those years and right on into his political campaign," he said.

"It is fair game," Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who supports McCain, said on "Fox News Sunday."

But Democrats responded that the Republicans were just trying to trivialize the race and take the spotlight off McCain and the economy."

"How ridiculous," Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri said on Fox. "American people deserve so much better."

"You have seen a 26-year Senate veteran morph into an angry, desperate candidate in the last few weeks, especially in the last few days," Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio told ABC. "And it just kind of makes me sad ... that John McCain and Sarah Palin are resorting to these tactics."

(Writing by David Wiessler; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Wow. I find this very saddening.

I could understand where McCain would dislike the people that held him captive and tortured him. Just the individuals who tortured him. Not the entire race! What happened to McCain is absolutely horrible and I would never, ever wish that on anyone. But it does not give him a free pass to say derogatory remarks about cretain races. And this is the man that you (plural usage) want as the President of the United States which is known as the melting pot? This is ridiculous.

When did this Presidential race stop being about the issues?

Just for shits and giggles, I will tell you where I stand on some important issues. Equal rights for all men and women regardless of religion, sexual orientation and age. Get the unemployment rate down so I can get a job which I blame Bush for taking care of that matter for me. Healthcare for every man, woman and child. Funding for domestic programs like education and fuel assistance. Getting out of Iraq and getting treatment for every soldier. Going into Afghanistan when we have the intel and get the bastard. Wake up Republicans, he's not in Iraq.

It's for these reasons why I will vote for Obama.

Obama ad links McCain to Keating scandal

Associated Press/AP Online

By CHARLES BABINGTON

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Democrat Barack Obama, reacting to Republican charges about his links to a 1960s radical, fired back late Sunday with a Web video about John McCain's role in the Keating Five scandal from the early 1990s.

The short video, being e-mailed to millions of Obama supporters, summarizes a 13-minute Web "documentary" that the campaign plans to distribute Monday, spokesman Tommy Vietor said. He said McCain's involvement with convicted thrift owner Charles Keating "is a window into McCain's economic past, present and future."

The video release capped a day of complaints and warnings from Obama supporters. They said McCain was inviting a harsh examination of his past by having his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, repeatedly criticize Obama's association with Bill Ayers, a founder of the Vietnam-era radical group, the Weather Underground.

Palin said Obama sees America as so imperfect "that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." She was referring to Ayers, whose strongest tie to Obama appears to be a 1995 meet-the-candidate event he hosted early in Obama's political career.

Weather Underground members were blamed for several bombings when Obama was a child. Obama has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a Chicago Democrat and Obama supporter, warned against McCain's strategy on CNN's "Late Edition" Sunday.

"If we are going to go down this road - you know, Barack Obama was eight years old, somehow responsible for Bill Ayers," he said. "At 58, John McCain was associating with Charles Keating."

"If we really want to talk who is associating with who, we will," Emanuel said. "The American people will lose in that transaction."

A short time later, speaking to thousands of people in Asheville, N.C., Obama said McCain and his aides "are gambling that he can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance. They'd rather try to tear our campaign down than lift this country up. It's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time."

Noting the nation's serious economic problems, Obama said: "Yet instead of addressing these crises, Senator McCain's campaign has announced that they plan to turn the page on the discussion about our economy and spend the final weeks of this campaign launching Swiftboat-style attacks on me."

Just months into his Senate career, in the late 1980s, McCain made what he has called "the worst mistake of my life." He participated in two meetings with banking regulators on behalf of Keating, a friend, campaign contributor and S&L financier who was later convicted of securities fraud.

The Senate ethics committee investigated five senators' relationships with Keating. It cited McCain for a lesser role than the others, but faulted his "poor judgment."

Also Sunday, Obama unveiled a TV ad on the economy that says McCain was "erratic in a crisis." Some see that as a reminder of McCain's age, 72.

The day's events seemed to point to rising rhetorical heat in the campaign's final month. McCain adviser Greg Strimple recently predicted "a very aggressive last 30 days" of the campaign.

"We are looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for Americans," he said in a conference call with reporters.

---

Associated Press reporters Stephen Ohlemacher and Mike Baker contributed to this report.

---

On the Net: Obama ad: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/thisyear-ad/ .

Wow. I find this very saddening.

I could understand where McCain would dislike the people that held him captive and tortured him. Just the individuals who tortured him. Not the entire race! What happened to McCain is absolutely horrible and I would never, ever wish that on anyone. But it does not give him a free pass to say derogatory remarks about cretain races. And this is the man that you (plural usage) want as the President of the United States which is known as the melting pot? This is ridiculous.

When did this Presidential race stop being about the issues?

Just for shits and giggles, I will tell you where I stand on some important issues. Equal rights for all men and women regardless of religion, sexual orientation and age. Get the unemployment rate down so I can get a job which I blame Bush for taking care of that matter for me. Healthcare for every man, woman and child. Funding for domestic programs like education and fuel assistance. Getting out of Iraq and getting treatment for every soldier. Going into Afghanistan when we have the intel and get the bastard. Wake up Republicans, he's not in Iraq.

It's for these reasons why I will vote for Obama.

ICAM! That's exactly my stance on all the issues! Never mind that fact that if we stop butting into other countries, they may just quit ramping up their nuke programs ('cause I'm sure they thought we'd be invading them next) and chill with the whole 'death to America" talk. Just a thought.

So I'm catching up from yesterday evening....

What "very same exact crap" that I said, are you referring to? So you think McCain is a racist for hating the people that beat him for 5 years?

Probably..but we'll see..I'm going to be tuning into Hannity's America at 9:00. He has a special show unveiling a new part of Obama's past..

I simply can't believe this [!@#$%^&*]. How can you justify McCain's racists remarks against these people? IA that it's horrible that he was held captive, but the entire race is not guilty of that against the man. To have the balls to stand up here and try to condone his behavior is just.....unbelievable. Honestly, I simply don't have the words to say what I'm feeling right now.

I understand you're a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, but there are things you can take a stand against with your candidate. It seems to me that racism would be one of those things!

The simple fact that Hannity is having a special show on Obama's "past" just proves what we have been saying in this thread over the last few weeks. Your ticket can not win the election on the issues. They have to use smear tactics and fear politics to get people over to their side. How can that make you feel good, Casey? How can you sit there and support this juvenile stupid [!@#$%^&*] when you have been one of the loudest voices (up until a couple weeks ago anyway) for discussion of the issues? I'd really like to hear what you have to say for yourself and your party.

It almost is. And if the only thing he can hang his hat on is hatred and personal destruction, he never should have won the Republican nomination in the first place.

No wonder people are turning away from that party. If this is the leadership they have at the top........

True.

I find it sickening.

The fact that it is apparently ok to hate an entire race of people because of what some sick, digusting bastards did to you.....that show how closed-minded some people are.

I guess all black people should go back and start hating all white people for what happened during slavery. Stupid, isn't it? But apparently because it's John McCain, he has that right to be racist, and the rest of us just have to deal with it and move on. But, what do some of us spend our time doing? Telling everyone how Obama is a Muslim and bringing up William Ayers. So apparently it's wrong to have ties with a terrorist WHEN YOU WERE 8 [!@#$%^&*] YEARS OLD but it's fine to hate a people because of what some sickos did to you.

That is truly some of the saddess crap I have ever heard in my life.

Roman, ICAM. It's just [!@#$%^&*] horrendous that someone in his position can get away saying some stupid [!@#$%^&*] like that and people like Casey will defend him! I think that's even worse. And I'll even go further by saying someone that would defend McCain for what he said thereby makes his supporters racsists by collusion. That's the way I'm feeling about this fucked up [!@#$%^&*] right now.

Wow Casey. I can't believe you actually said that. Actually no, I can. Because it's obvious that McCain and/or Palin's ties to questionable organizations, nor the comments they make or people they do/may/might have associated with are off limits are not worth discussing.

Everything about Obama is worth discussing, criticizing and all the people he may have spoken to, associated with, sat on boards with, went to church with, knew or basically walked by is worth scrutinizing.

How dare you give credence to McCain hating the North Vietnamese. Not everyone is responsible for what happened to McCain. And he should be able to put those horrible people responsible for torturing him in a different category from those who had nothing to do with it.

The positions you take on issues scare me. You challenge people to "debate the facts," yet you bring up mud to sling. You get make sly comments, generalizations and criticisms to other posters here and cry martyr when you are called out on it. You excusing McCain's hatred of the Vietnamese and saying it's ok because well it's John McCain.

You scare me. Slinging mis-information, continuing to spread false information and making false accusations....I'm afraid for all who you share your information with. I pray they are smart enough to fact check and realize that not everything that someone says is true.

Wow...just wow....

Adam

Great post.

Here are more Republicans piling on the attack against Obama:

GOP Assails Obama For Negativity

And this quote from Diane Feinstein is so true:

"He's leading in most of the battleground states. And this is going to be a month, I think, of character assassination. And so the Republican position is to try to assassinate Barack Obama's character and try to place him in a position where the trust that he has built dissipates, the credibility that he has dissipates.

"I hope it isn't successful," she said, "and we must not let it be successful. Too much is at stake in this election. And you know, it's a hard thing for me to listen to this when you know the major problems that this nation faces.

That's what we ought to be talking about, not slamming one's character like this," Feinstein said.

<sigh>

Edited October 6, 200817 yr by Greg's GL

Can ya'll get this?

Anti Palin Rally in her own state

http://www.ebonyjet.com/multimedia/gallery..._web/index.html

Edited October 6, 200817 yr by MoTheGreat

Can ya'll get this?

Anti Palin Rally in her own state

http://www.ebonyjet.com/multimedia/gallery..._web/index.html

Yeah, I could see it, Mo. Thanks for posting it!

This is something fun to check out.

7-Elevens across the country are holding their "7-Election '08" campaign. When you visit a 7-11 and get a cup of coffee, you have option to choose either an Obama or McCain cup. Those results are tallied locally and nationwide.

At my local store, McCain is up 50-48. Even though we don't drink coffee, we got a couple of Obama cups yesterday while picking up some beer.

Here's a link to the 7-Election website. To see the national tally thus far, click on the "results" tab on the left of the screen. Currently, Obama is up 57% - 43%.

The website claims that "7-Election" voters have predicted the last two presidential campaigns.

7-Election 2008

The simple fact that Hannity is having a special show on Obama's "past" just proves what we have been saying in this thread over the last few weeks. Your ticket can not win the election on the issues. They have to use smear tactics and fear politics to get people over to their side.

I hope it blows up in their face. I was never a member of any party until this election. The last election the Republican party turned me completely off with their reprehensible "Swiftboat" tactics and I knew they would start to pile it on Obama in the last month. So predictable. I wish someone on TV would have a special show on McCain's "past" - based on that article in Rolling Stone, I am now very worried of the possibility of this person becoming the POTUS.

Edited October 6, 200817 yr by Darcy

I hope it blows up in their face. I was never a member of any party until this election. The last election the Republican party turned me completely off with their reprehensible "Swiftboat" tactics and I knew they would start to pile it on Obama in the last month. So predictable. I wish someone on TV would have a special show on McCain's "past" - based on that article in Rolling Stone, I am now very worried of the possibility of this person becoming the POTUS.

The Rolling Stone article was scary, eh? Thanks to UCLAN for the heads up on it.

IA that McCain's past should be the subject of some in-depth TV personality - perhaps Olbermann - and see what the reaction is, Darcy. I guarantee you that McCain's supporters will be howling from the rooftops about "the liberal media" and how the show "has nothing to do with the election".

I think someone like Olbermann should go for it, though. Palin says that "the heels are on and the gloves are off" so I say Obama should take the gloves off and grab an axe for their asses!

Within the body of this article you will see that McCain is proposing higher Medicare premiums for wealthier seniors. How is that any different from taxing wealthier people? The same people outraged with Obama's tax plan ought to be outraged by McCain's healthcare plan.

The Wall Street Journal

• OCTOBER 6, 2008

McCain Plans Federal Health Cuts

Medicare, Medicaid Spending Would Be Reduced to Offset Proposed Tax Credit

By LAURA MECKLER

John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs.

The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan "budget neutral," as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn't given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn't dispute the analysts' estimate.

In the months since Sen. McCain introduced his health plan, statements made by his campaign have implied that the new tax credits he is proposing to help Americans buy health insurance would be paid for with other tax increases.

But Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Sen. McCain's senior policy adviser, said Sunday that the campaign has always planned to fund the tax credits, in part, with savings from Medicare and Medicaid. Those government health-care programs serve seniors, poor families and the disabled. Medicare spending for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 is estimated at $457.5 billion.

Mr. Holtz-Eakin said the Medicare and Medicaid changes would improve the programs and eliminate fraud, but he didn't detail where the cuts would come from. "It's about giving them the benefit package that has been promised to them by law at lower cost," he said.

Both Sen. McCain and his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama, have recently sought to refocus on health care. The issue once ranked at the top of voters' domestic concerns, but has in recent months been eclipsed by energy and the economy.

Sen. McCain charges that the Obama plan, which would create a government-run marketplace in which people could buy coverage, would lead to government-run health care. Sen. Obama charges that Sen. McCain's plan would leave many people unable to get insurance.

Sen. Obama's campaign turned up the volume in a major push on health care over the weekend with two days of attacks from the stump, four new television advertisements, a series of health-care events across the country and fliers to voters' homes in swing states

Sen. Obama is focused on Sen. McCain's plan to offer a new tax credit of $2,500 per person and $5,000 per family toward insurance premiums. This would allow people to buy health coverage on the open market, where they may have more choices and might look for a better bargain.

In exchange, the government would begin taxing the value of health benefits people get through work. If an employer spends $10,000 to buy a worker health insurance, the worker would pay taxes on that money.

"It's a shell game," Sen. Obama told an outdoor rally of 28,000 people Sunday in Asheville, N.C. "Sen. McCain gives you a tax credit with one hand -- but raises your taxes with the other."

Sen. McCain's plan actually would lower taxes for most people. But that means the plan wouldn't pay for itself, because it cuts certain taxes more than it raises others.

The federal government imposes two taxes on wages, generally: an income tax, which funds the government's general operations, and the payroll tax, paid for by employers and employees, which funds Social Security and Medicare. If Sen. McCain were to apply both of these to the value of health benefits, he could fully pay for his new tax credits. That is what aides have in the past suggested he would do.

In April, when Sen. McCain gave a major speech about his health plan, Mr. Holtz-Eakin, the senior policy adviser, said the tax provisions alone were budget neutral -- meaning that health benefits would have to be subject to both income and payroll taxes.

Campaign officials have regularly implied since then that the tax plan was a wash. In the vice-presidential debate last week, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin described Sen. McCain's proposed tax credits and said: "That's budget neutral. That doesn't cost the government anything, as opposed to Barack Obama's plan to mandate health-care coverage and have this universal, government-run program."

Mr. Holtz-Eakin said the campaign never intended to apply the payroll tax to health benefits. That means that most people would see a net tax cut, contrary to Sen. Obama's assertions. Only those with very rich benefits packages are likely to see a net increase in taxes. But it also means that Sen. McCain must fill a huge budget hole -- which the campaign says will come from cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank, estimates that the McCain plan would cost the government $1.3 trillion over 10 years. The plan would allow as many as five million more people to have insurance, it estimates.

Mr. Holtz-Eakin said the plan is accurately described as budget neutral because it assumes enough savings in Medicare and Medicaid spending to make up the difference. He said the savings would come from eliminating Medicare fraud and by reforming payment policies to lower the overall cost of care. He said the new tax credits will help some low-income people avoid joining Medicaid. The campaign also proposes increasing Medicare premiums for wealthier seniors.

Sen. Obama also would rely on some Medicare savings to pay for his health-care plan, which would offer subsidies to help consumers pay for premiums. The Tax Policy Center estimates that his plan would cost $1.6 trillion over 10 years and cover 34 million more people.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122315505846605217.html

Within the body of this article you will see that McCain is proposing higher Medicare premiums for wealthier seniors. How is that any different from taxing wealthier people? The same people outraged with Obama's tax plan ought to be outraged by McCain's healthcare plan.

Hmmmm. Interesting. Is this "class warfare" as has been argued by McCain supporters of Obama's tax plan?

McCain is going to raise Medicare premiums for weathier seniors, but he's also planning spending cuts to that program and Medicaid. Since mostly poorer Americans are dependent on Medicaid for some basic care, what will they do then? More of them are going to have to get private insurance to make up the difference. Since McCain's plan will also tax individual contributions to their health plans through their employer in order to give them a "tax credit", they will end up losing more.

For those on Medicaid that are not employed? They're fucked.

Anyway....back to the Medicare issue. Yes, it does sound like "class warfare" as defined by others earlier in the thread. At least it does to me.

So, this is just freaking me out this morning. Wasn't the bailout supposed to help? It seems as though it's making it worse!

Wall Street Sinks More Than 500 Points

$700B Bailout Fails To Ease Worries As Dow Jones Drops Below 10,000 For First Time In 4 Years

Edited October 6, 200817 yr by Greg's GL