podesta_email_01642.txt

podesta-emails 7,843 words email

P22 P19 P18 V15 P17

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*Main Topics: *Energy, McSame, Surrogates *Summary of Shift:* Energy policy is at the forefront. McCain admits that tire inflation is an efficacious method for saving fuel. McCain's major surrogates emphasize McCain's all of the above approach for energy policy while deriding Obama's perceived opposition to nuclear and drilling. In the last few days, McCain has placed several ads in attempt to reclaim his lost maverick position. Pundits remain doubtful of this approach. The Olympic torch arrives in Beijing with President Bush soon to follow. Firefighting in Northern California continues after a helicopter crash. Highlights: 1. Surrogates expend energy on energy a. MSNBC: Giuliani: "John is quite specific about what he'll do and we know it from his record" b. CNN: Giuliani talks Iraq oil revenues and touts McCain's energy plans c. MSNBC: Fiorina attacks Obama on 2005 Energy bill, outlines McCain's plan d. MSNBC: Fiorina defends McCain on energy, senate record and against Dowd e. FNC: Rep. Eric Cantor stumps for McCain's energy plans f. MSNBC: Pfotenhauer attacks Obama's energy plan 2. ABC: McCain's new strategy emphasizes style over substance 3. CNN: The battle over who's the maverick: McCain's status scrutinized 4. McSame a. CNN: Begala highlights importance of framing election as "McCain is same as Bush" b. CNN: Those who don't like Bush don't seem to be equating dislike with McCain c. O'Reilly looks at whether McCain is throwing Bush under the bus and if this is effective 5. CNN: McCain's tricky balancing act, trying to not appear too negative 6. CNN: Carly Fiorina's effectiveness as a surrogate for McCain examined Highlights, No Clips: 7. REIHAN SALAM: McCain really needs to get back to brass tacks and figure out how to connect with those blue collar working class voters. Go from beyond their cultural comfort with him, go to, 'I understand where you're coming from and here are policies that are going to work for you guys.' 8. CNN: The Cafferty File asks viewers the importance of the President of the United States knowing how to use the internet 9. MSNBC - OLBERMANN: After nearly a week, which he, his surrogates and the RNC spent mocking Obama for suggesting in response to a question tire inflation is a way to improve mileage and save lots of gas, Senator McCain has come out and endorsed tire inflation as a way to improve mileage and save lots of gas. Clips: Highlight #1 *Giuliani: "John is Quite Specific About What He'll Do and We Know it From His Record" *(MSNBC 08/06/08 6:13pm) DAVID GREGORY: . . . this is still a single digit race. Barack Obama has maintained a lead and yet . . . his poll numbers still remain in the forties . . . why do you think Barack Obama is not doing better? . . . RUDY GIULIANI: I think he's not doing better because I think there's a major question about him that the American people are going to have to answer. And that is his experience . . . probably the least experience in the last 100 years . . . we need a person there who has been tested before and we know can handle these things and gives real answers to things . . . John is quite specific about what he'll do and we know it from his record. [ . . . ] GREGORY: When Sen. McCain talks about the energy crisis in this country, this has been a crisis that Republicans have failed, effectively, to find an answer to in all the time that George Bush has been president. GIULIANI: This isn't about Republicans or Democrats, it's about who's going to be President of the United States. John McCain has been in favor . . . of cap and trade . . . before Barack Obama was even in the state legislature. So John has a long history here of supporting the things that he's talking about now . . . it's the difference between a man who has taken positions, I think usually correct but sometimes even wrong . . . and a person who doesn't seem to be able to do it . . . GREGORY: . . .what is the particular risk of Obama as President . . .? GIULIANI: . . . this country would be a country that's at drift . . . a big increase on taxes . . . a tax on the rich is a tax on the economy . . . [ . . . ] GREGORY: Let's talk about taxes and let's talk about the fact that Sen. McCain is offering himself to the country . . . as the "original maverick," he's the guy that stands up to power, he would stand up to George Bush. But you raised the issue of tax cuts just a minute ago. As recently as 2004, John McCain had a very different position, and this is what he said on *Meet the Press* . . . JOHN MCCAIN: I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportionate amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would, uh, clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit. GREGORY: . . . critics would say the maverick who is John McCain back in 2000, maybe even 2004, that's not the John McCain of today. He's switched his position n tax increases and tax cuts. GIULIANI: John is still in a different place on cap and trade than the Republican Party. He was in a different place on Iraq, he was criticizing the administrations policy in Iraq, two, three and four years ago. Turns out he was absolutely right with the surge policy that the President adopted. I think on this tax issue that John realizes that this is not the time to be raising taxes, when the economy is in the situation that it's in. And then competitively it's not the time to do it, when just about all of Europe has a lower corporate tax rates than we do and we're competing for business . . . GREGORY: But John McCain as recently as 2004 opposed the Bush tax cut. He changed that position. He talked about servicing the deficit. The deficit has ballooned since then. He is now in sync with George Bush on the position of tax cuts and he's using that as a hammer against Obama, when he's where Obama was effectively four years ago. GIULIANI: I think that given the realities of our economy, John McCain is correct in saying that we shouldn't be raising taxes right now. But when you look at John McCain's overall record including his whole position on energy, climate change, John McCain has always taken the position that he thought was right, even when he thought it put him at odds with the administration. GREGORY: But whether it's the war, whether its taxes, is he too close to George Bush to earn the maverick label today, as he did in 2000? GIULIANI: If you ask Republicans, I think that was one of the major concerns with John, that he was too independent. I don' think you can use it against him. I mean, the fact that John has been an independent person, making his own decisions about things, where he agrees with President Bush, he's there 100% but where he disagrees, as he did on the war, he was a major critic until they actually changed positions and we went with the surge. GREGORY: Well, let's talk about that. Obviously Sen. McCain did express concerns about the implementation of the war; he backed the war. Is it a mistake politically for him to spend so much time debating the wisdom or the success of the surge when so many Americans are still asking questions about why we went to war in Iraq in the first place. That's the decision that remains unpopular. GIULIANI: I think what it displays about John McCain, whether you agree with him or not on the war or on the surge, and I do . . . I think it displays the fact that he can take a position. I think Sen. Obama has much more trouble doing that . . . the issue right now is the economy and it's energy. But I think you see that same difference. John McCain is willing to say, "These are my positions on energy." . . . GREGORY: Let me ask you about VP candidates. Romney has been mentioned . . . is that a good choice for McCain? GIULIANI: I think John has to make his own choice . . . GREGORY: . . . in some of the advertisements, Sen. McCain has been relying on images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton . . . Paris Hilton has come out with a response of her own . . . [Paris response ad plays] GREGORY: Was it a smart idea for McCain to pick a fight with Paris Hilton? GIULIANI: [laughs] I think she was kind of diplomatic about�if anything, I think she's supporting John McCain . . . *Giuliani Talks Iraq Oil Revenues and Touts McCain's Energy Plans* (CNN 08/06/08 4:34pm) WOLF BLITZER: [�] Shocking general accounting office report that just came out, how much money the Iraqis are taking in, thanks to the large -- the high price of oil. [�] and the GAO says that money is in the bank. They're spending a tiny, tiny bit of it. The United States is still spending about $12 billion a month. Here's the question, are American taxpayers right now being played for suckers? RUDY GUILIANI: Well, I think the reality is that that's an opportunity. An opportunity for us to work with Iraq to get them to use that money, or more of that money for their own infrastructure, to kind of push them in that direction. It's kind of silly, though, for Barack Obama to suggest that's the cause of our energy crisis. [�] BLITZER: There's a lot of oil and they could make that oil available to the United States at a discount price. GIULIANI: That would be very nice and that would help. It would also if Barack Obama would support offshore drilling, it would help if he would support nuclear power. It would help if he had a really comprehensive program instead of saying no to basically everything. It's kind of like deflecting. BLITZER: But you're a politician. People hear, the Iraqi's have $80 billion, simply lying around. They're making a windfall on all this oil they're exporting. The United States is still footing the bill basically for everything they need. GIULIANI: A great opportunity for us to lean on them more to foot more of the bill. [�] BLIZTER: Should they start paying the United States back, the $700 billion dollars the United States taxpayers have spent since the war started? GIULIANI: Personally? I think the better way to handle this is for them to take over a much larger percentage of the expenses that are taking place right now. I think that would be a very sensible thing to do. There's a good opportunity for rearrangement of that. It doesn't make sense, though [�] BLITZER: The Sons of Iraq, the Sunni former insurgents, about 90,000 of them, they're now on the U.S. government payroll. We're paying them every month, according to general Petraeus, about $200 million a year. The United States is paying them to be quiet, to be supportive. Why aren't the Iraqi's paying them? GIULIANI: Maybe they should. Maybe this is a good opportunity to move that over to their side of the ledger and have them pick up more of the expenses. In a way, it shows things are working in Iraq. Let's take advantage of that. But the point that I'm making it, it really is an example of demagoguery to try to make that cause of our issue with credit. BLITZER: Well, he's not trying to make it the cause, but he's saying it's one issue that could certainly help the U.S. if the Iraqi's made that oil available, either for free or at a discount? GIULIANI: It kind of gets them off the hook for the bigger issues, where he's basically been obstructionist, offshore drilling and nuclear power. BLITZER: Should Senator McCain, he spoke out about this GAO report today, should Senator McCain be speaking out and telling the Iraqi's, you know what, this is simply unacceptable. GUILIANI: I think it's something that should become part of the dealings between US and Iraq. I think Iraq should take over more of the responsibility for this. But as I said before, I think it's really insulting the intelligence of the American people to kind of make it part of our energy crisis when there are far bigger issues involved. [�] Sure. The guy who voted for the big subsidies for the oil companies was Barack Obama. John McCain voted against it when they had a chance to vote. This is, again, part of the sort of faint strategy, this sort of push things off. BLITZER: You're referring to the 2006 legislation which President Bush pushed for, McCain opposed, Obama supported it because it did have what he called environmentally sound proposals. GIULIANI: But john McCain was in favor of environmental approach to oil and gas before Barack Obama, I think in the state legislature, going back to the 1990s. This is an issue which I think john McCain is winning the battle. He's winning it on energy in general which is why I think Barack Obama is doing this kind of demagoguery. BLITZER: I guess one of the biggest criticisms Obama's making of McCain is the system is broken right now. *There's been no serious effort over the past 30 years to find -- to make America energy independent, to wean the addiction from middle east oil off. He said of the past 30 years, McCain has been in Washington for 26. And he says McCain has done nothing to ease this problem on the United States.* GIULIANI: Well, actually, he's the one that's opposing the things that would in fact give us some degree of energy diversity, energy independence. It's true, for the last 30 years we haven't licensed a nuclear power plant. France is 80% nuclear. China is building 40 new nuclear power plants. McCain proposes to build 45 nuclear plants, Obama is still thinking about it. He's the one who actually wants to take us back to the past. McCain has talked about opening up offshore drilling. Obama opposes that, he's the one who would keep us exactly where we are now. *And John has shown the independence to disagree with the President when he disagrees and agrees with him when he does. So I think, actually on this issue, this is the reason why the polls are so close and McCain is gaining. I think john McCain is outlining an energy policy that would break us from the past, and I think Obama is talking about the same old thing, basically Dr. No.* BLITZER: I'll ask you the same question I asked Mitt Romney yesterday. Is there anything in the 26 years he's been in Washington that you can point to senator McCain that has taken the lead in trying to achieve energy independence? GIULIANI: Sure. He may be certainly the first republican, one of the first senators to be in favor of cap on trade. Going back to the 1990 s. along with senator Lieberman, he helped craft the legislation that's been proposed several times. John has taken the lead in energy over and over again. Again, before Barack Obama I think was in the state legislature. BLITZER: At least you had an answer for that. When I asked Mitt Romney yesterday, he said he's not a historian. [�] *Fiorina Attacks Obama on 2005 Energy Bill, Outlines McCain's Plan *(MSNBC 08/06/08 1:03pm) ANDREA MITCHELL: John McCain is going nuclear on the war between his energy policy and Barack Obama's by slamming Obama's position on nuclear energy. JOHN MCCAIN: Barack Obama has said that expanding our nuclear power plants, quote, "doesn't make sense for America," unquote. He also says no to nuclear storage and no to reprocessing. I could not disagree more. Nuclear power isn't enough and drilling isn't enough. And we need to do all this and more. It's time that the congress went back to Washington and went about the people's business. [ . . . ] MITCHELL: . . . let's talk about Sen. McCain and his energy plan and what he said. This is what Barack Obama . . . said about McCain's energy plan . . . BARACK OBAMA: Sen. McCain's energy plan reads like another Christmas list for oil and gas lobbyists. It's no wonder because many of his top advisors are former oil and gas lobbyists. The price he paid for his party's nomination has been to reverse himself on position after position. And now he embraces the failed Bush policies of the last eight years. The politics that helped break. That doesn't meet my definition of a maverick. MITCHELL: John McCain has been describing himself as a maverick in his latest ads. Perhaps that quotation, that part of the speech today . . . has caused you to convert and jump ship? CARLY FIORINA: No. I find that whole segment you just played kind of unbelievable. First of all, it was Barack Obama who voted for the 2005 Bush/Cheney Energy Bill which was packed with giveaways to big oil companies over two and a half billion dollars with. John McCain voted against� MITCHELL: A lot of folks say that isn't the case when you fact check that bill. The bill had a lot for, for, uh, alternative energy but not that much for oil and gas. FIORINA: Yes, but it absolutely had some things for alternative energy but it also had over $2.5 billion worth of giveaways for big oil. Barack Obama voted for that bill. John McCain voted against it. John McCain's record as a maverick is long and clear. He has stood up against his party on many occasions. Not just the Bush and Cheney energy bill. Uh, let's see, immigration reform, campaign finance reform, he stood up against Bush-Cheney on the prosecution of the Iraq War. The list goes on and on. And by the way, it was John McCain who first called or stopping the fill of the strategic petroleum reserve. Barack Obama was against it then. It was John McCain who called for a gas tax holiday to give Ameicans relief. Barack Obama was against it then, continues to be against it� MITCHELL: A lot of folks say that was a gimmick Carly. FIORINA: You know, it's interesting to me that everyone is decrying the price that Americans are paying at the pump. Barack Obama has even suggested that we need a second stimulus package because the first one was eaten up by prices at the pump. And yet, the way to give Americans direct relief at the pump is to give them a gas tax relief. Barack Obama's against it. He's against nuclear energy. John McCain is absolutely right. He's against offshore drilling. The reality is� MITCHELL: Well, actually, Barack Obama has a much more . . . you might called it nuanced position on nuclear energy. He has been a big supporter of nuclear energy back in Illinois. Exelon, as you know, is headquartered in Illinois. Some people have criticized him as being too in much in favor of nuclear energy. It's not that clear cut . . . FIORINA: I guess I don't really�it's interesting then that he would attack John McCain for supporting nuclear energy. I frankly don't know what a nuanced approach to energy is. I think what John McCain is saying, in very clear cut fashion, is we need to do all of the above. If we are going to free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil, we must invest in alternative energy sources. We must invest in green technologies. Absolutely. We must also invest in nuclear power. We must also invest in drilling. We must invest in clean coal, we must invest in natural gas. We have to do all of the above in order to achieve energy independence. *Fiorina Defends McCain on Energy, Senate Record and Against Dowd *(MSNBC 08/06/08) MITCHELL: You mentioned the 2005 bill. The 2005 bill had more than $18 billion dollars in incentives to the nuclear power industry. John McCain has talked about 45 new nuclear plants by 2030. The 2005 bill gave all these incentives to the nuclear power industry. And although the price of oil has gone up and up and up, nuclear power ought to be more competitive but there are so many insurance and liscencing problems. Not a single plant has been started or given a green light despite what was put in that bill three years ago . . . isn't it going to take a lot longer than John McCain is suggesting to get anywhere near 45 new nuclear plants in this country? FIORINA: Well, I think it will start with a decision and leadership and the will in Washington to say we must achieve energy independence and nuclear power is part of the solution and right now, we don't have that. A President John McCain would give us that. 45 nuclear power plants is not only critically important to helping us achieve energy independence but it's worth about 700,000 jobs. In other words, John McCain's energy plan is not just about weaning ourselves from foreign oil. It's also an important part of getting this economy going again and making sure that we're creating jobs. And frankly, that's why I find it so, um, odd that Barack Obama is claiming that he has an energy plan, when, in essence what he's done is been against virtually everything. Against offshore drilling, against nuclear power. Yes, alternative energies and green technologies are an important part of the solution but for him to suggest� MITCHELL: He has certainly moderated his position on offshore drilling, as had John McCain earlier. Let me show you what one of the potential running mates had to say, just last night on CNN . . . when Wolf asked Mitt Romney what proposals, what legislative accomplishments McCain has produced . . . WOLF BLITZER: Can you cite one legislative accomplishment that Sen. McCain produced during those 26 years in Washington in order to achieve energy independence? MITT ROMNEY: Well, I'm not a historian that goes through all of the pieces of legislation that John McCain has worked on. MITCHELL: Carly, don't you think that Romney could have had a better response as a surrogate for John McCain than that he's not a historian? It's sort of reminds people of that old clip of Dwight Eisenhower when asked what Richard Nixon had accomplished when he was his running mate. FIORINA: You know I found the question frankly a little odd because I think the point of the energy debate going on right now with the American people is what must we do now given where we are. The reason� MITCHELL: Isn't John McCain's record in 26 years in the senate also one of the issues people will be using to decide whether or not to support him? FIORINA: Absolutely. And I think John McCain's record of 26 years is an incredibly rich one; not only of legislative accomplishment, but also of reaching his hand across the aisle and achieving those accomplishments in a bipartisan way. And I cited just a few minutes ago many examples of that, whether it was immigration reform or whether it was taking on Jack Abramoff and making sure the corruption that was going on in his own Republican party was uncovered and punished. I think if the suggestion is that somehow let's put John McCain's legislative record up against Barak Obama's that is a comparison that we would welcome in the McCain campaign. MITCHELL: Now John McCain has got the new ad which talks about him as a maverick; the ad that came out yesterday I guess Maureen Dowd in today's New York Times says that this is not the John McCain that people remember; she speaks of McCain's green-eyed monster quote, "John McCain is pea-green with envy" and she says that's the only explanation for why a man that prides himself on honor; a man that vowed not to take the low road in the campaign, having been mugged by W. and Rove and South Carolina in 2000 is engaging in a festival of juvenilia; talking, of course, about Paris Hilton and other ads. What's your response to a lot of the criticism of John McCain; somebody is saying you know, John we hardly knew ya. You're not the John McCain of 2000 and you've been rough and tough in this campaign season. FIORINA: First of all, Maureen Dowd, of course, always has a way with words; uh, secondly I think that comparing the Paris Hilton ad to some of what went on around John McCain and his family in South Carolina in the year 2000, is frankly ridiculous. Third, I think the ads that John McCain has put out have been humorous, they have been honorable, there is no question that Barack Obama is a celebrity, and there is also no question that is legitimate to ask whether he is ready to lead, so I think we're proud of the campaign we're running and I would just point out that John McCain didn't make it through the primaries in 2000, and today, as we speak, this race is running neck and neck. So something that John McCain is doing is working a resonating with the American people who ultimately, with all respect to Maureen Dowd, are going to be the ones that decide this election. *Rep. Eric Cantor Stumps For McCain's Energy Plans* (FNC 08/06/08 5:28pm) REP ERIC CANTOR: [�] If the question is about Barack Obama's attacks on John McCain and whether, somehow his plan was based on suggestions from energy lobbyists, I think again, that shows a lack of understanding of what the American people are going through. I mean, right now there is a lot of hurt out there. Gasoline prices are way too high, families are buckling up under the pressure of paying 60, 70, 80 dollars every time they come into a gas station. John McCain has got in place a plan called the Lexington project, which is a comprehensive plan to relieve the pain at the pump, and to get us on the path towards energy independence which will eliminate our reliance on foreign oil, especially from regimes that are hostile to us. *Pfotenhauer Attacks Obama's Energy Plan *(MSNBC 08/06/08 11:13am) CONTESSA BREWER: John McCain dismisses Barack Obama as just a celebrity, like Paris Hilton. Oh, and Paris Hilton doesn't like that . . . [Paris response ad plays] BREWER: John McCain says he thinks the ad was HA-larious, but is any of this back and forth helping America, for instance, solve the energy crisis? . . . what did you think of Paris Hilton's spoof ad? NANCY PFOTENHAUER: Well, I thought it was pretty funny. You know, it's interesting to note that she must be part of the 70% of American people who support John McCain's all of the above approach to solving the energy crisis that we're facing and obviously the contrast here is that Sen. Obama, well both candidates support alternative energy, hydro, wind, electric, alternative fuels and are really very supportive of those aspects of a long term plan but only Sen. McCain has the foresight to support increased domestic production in oil and natural gas and nuclear power. BREWER: Nancy, you just said that both candidates believe in exploring these alternative energies. So, why is the McCain campaign trying so hard to make Obama's full energy plan about inflating the tires properly? PFOTENHAUER: This is the aspect of, what'd we do right now? How do we solve our problem in the short to mid-term, not just the long term? These alternative sources we believe all need to be part of the solution, if you will. But in the short term, it's just plain irresponsible to not support increased domestic production in oil, natural gas and to take the steps to support nuclear power. That's a zero emission clean source of energy. Even Patrick Moore, the cofounder of Greenpeace supports it. That's the kind of thing that needs to be done. So there's a big chunk missing from Sen. Obama's approach and I think it shows very poor judgment on his part. BREWER: Op-ed columnist, Maureen Dowd wrote in *The New York Times* today, "The Arizona senator who built his reputation on being a brave proponent of big solutions is running a schoolyard campaign about tire gauges and Paris Hilton, childishly accusing his opponent of being too serious, too popular and not patriotic enough." Is there a danger here in trying to entertain voters and belittling what people think is a really important campaign about really important issues? PFOTENHAUER: You can chalk this up as one more time I disagree with Ms. Dowd. Which wou�I don't think I've ever agreed with her so that's not too remarkable. But the American people hear John McCain every day talk about real solutions to the challenges that we're facing. And you can talk about the energy aspect of what we're facing and he's got the all of the above approach that the American people support and that's warranted by the challenges that we face. Or we can talk about the economy overall where you've got Sen. McCain talking about keeping taxes low and keeping federal spending low and pursuing free trade and you've got Sen. Obama raising taxes in a weak economy, massive increases in federal spending and really, the most pretentious candidate, major candidate for president that I've witnessed in a long time. Highlight #2 *McCain's New Strategy Emphasizes Style over Substance *(MSNBC 08/06/08 6:31pm) KATIE COURIC: 90 days now 'til America elects a new president and Democrat Barack Obama is holding on to a small lead over Republican John McCain . . . DEAN REYNOLDS: With John McCain increasingly on offense and Barack Obama more and more on defense, the two candidates appear to be fighting each other to a standstill in their attempts to brand the other guy as the wrong choice. While our poll says that registered voters want the candidates to be focusing more on domestic issues than foreign affairs. JOHN MCCAIN: It's time to get America's economy moving again. BARACK OBAMA: It's time to get a plan for ending the age of oil in our time. REYNOLDS: 7 out of 10 of them believe the candidates are not addressing the issues that matter most to them. And that could be because they're hearing as much or more about persona than policy. [ . . .] REYNOLDS: As for McCain, he's making a determined effort to make Obama's popularity and enhanced world status into laugh lines. McCain's campaign has been playing offense much more aggressively than Obama and emphasizing style a bit more than ever over substance. [ . . . ] REYNOLDS: Today at Marshall University for example, McCain spent three times as long talking to the Thundering Herd football team as he did talking issues to workers a cabinet making company. The man who rides the Straight Talk Express took no questions from reporters. Some Republicans wonder about the new approach. McCain's own mother said that using Paris Hilton in this controversial ad to insult Obama was, quote, "kind of stupid." ["Celeb" plays] REYNOLDS: And now it appears mother knows best. [Paris response ad plays] [ . . . ] REYNOLDS: Well, the McCain campaign said, and I think this was tongue in cheek, that the Paris Hilton idea of taking suggestions from both candidates proves that her energy plan is better than Barack Obama's . . . COURIC: It keeps getting weirder and weirder . . . Highlight #3 *The Battle Over Who's The Maverick, McCain's Status Scrutinized *(CNN 08/06/08 7:44pm) KITTY PILGRIM: The sort of Maverick, everyone looking to take credit for the maverick credential, it's because Americans are presumably are so dissatisfied with policy. KEITH RICHBURG: I think the Republican brand, this year, is toxic for a lot of people. So McCain has to get back to what he lost last week when he got mired in the Britney Spears/Paris Hilton ad. *He's got to get back to saying, I'm not partisan, I'm a solutions guy, I can reach across the aisle. He lost that a little bit, I think, and he's trying to reclaim that.* PILGRIM: It's been kind of bitter back and forth all week. MICHAEL GOODWIN: But I think for Obama [�] it does reflect something that most of the discussions in the last week or so have been on McCain's turf. They've been about energy where, the drilling issue, where McCain clearly has an advantage. They've been about Iraq. *So I think Obama's looking to get back into his comfortable turf which is, this is George Bush's third term [�] trying to link him to Bush again.* ED ROLLINS: There are two big issue which McCain was out of sync with his own party. One was the tax issue, one of two republicans to vote against Bush's tax cuts which is heresy in the Republican party. And the immigration, where he basically formed his alliance with Kennedy. But everything else, I think he's been, he's got an 85 percent conservative voting record over his long career. But those are two big fundamental issues to which have switched on. PILGRIM: But Ed, the voting record, many people won't bother to examine. They'll just sort of take these. ROLLINS: Well, he's enjoyed the impression of being, I'm not beholden to anybody, I stand up here, I'm independent. And that's an interesting place to be. Highlight #4 *Begala Highlights Importance of Framing Election As "McCain Is Same As Bush"* (CNN 08/06/08 5:30pm) ALEX CASTELLANOS: [�] John McCain has an advantage, he's been around a long time, I think Paul's writing a book about this. And so, we've seen him tested. So in a moment of stress for the country, when you need presidential leadership, you have a sense hey, I know this guy. And that's why McCain can change positions on an issue and say, you know, well we still know who this guy is. Barack Obama is a little bit like that bright shiny packaging on a Christmas present, we get all excited at first but eventually you want to know what's inside and we still don't. PAUL BEGALA: [�] I think his campaign has to show the core of John McCain. Alex is right, *McCain has a core, it's called George W. Bush. At his core McCain is a third term of Bush. If Obama's campaign will do more to define that core of McCain as Bush, then I think he's got a better chance of winning the election.* WOLF BLITZER: But he's disagreed with Bush on a lot of substantive issues. *BEGALA: Not a lot, 91 percent of the time over the Bush presidency, 91 percent of the time. Now if a guy bats right-handed 91 percent of the time do we call him a left-handed hitter? No. 91 percent of the time, I mean, come on.* [�] BLITZER: That's one of the main arguments of the Obama campaign, if you've like the eight years of Bush vote for McCain. CASTELLANOS: Sure, they'd much rather run against George Bush than John McCain, because John McCain is hard to beat. Look, there recently was survey in which they tested Barack Obama running against George Bush, and Barack Obama running against John McCain. You know what, John McCain was in a much, dead heat in that race against Barack Obama. Bush was losing by about 20 points, why, because the American people understand John McCain's a maverick, he's different, he speaks his own mind, and that's the difference. BLITZER: Do you agree that the Republicans lucked out that McCain is their nominee? BEGALA: He's by far their strongest nominee, but this is why it's all the more important for the Obama campaign to define McCain. If this campaign becomes only a referendum of Barack Obama, that's bad for Barack, he needs to make it a referendum of John McCain and George Bush. *Those Who Don't Like Bush Don't Seem To Be Equating Dislike with McCain*(CNN 08/06/08 7:05pm) BILL SCHNEIDER: Every forecasting model for this election predicts a democratic landslide. Strange then, when you ask voters to choose between Barack Obama and John McCain, the polls show a very close race. Imagine if President Bush were running for re-election or if Dick Cheney were running to succeed him? Can you say blowout? John McCain is a republican but he's not part of the Bush administration, as he takes pains to make clear. MCCAIN: We've disagreed over the conduct of the war in Iraq and the treatment of detainees. Over out of control government spending and budget gimmicks. Over energy policy and climate change. *SCHNEIDER: A whopping 3/4 's of Americans believe things are going badly in the country. Voters who feel that way have a very low opinion of President Bush, but their displeasure does not seem to extend to McCain. They kind of like him.* Barack Obama is new, he's young, he's relatively inexperienced. A lot of viewers see Obama as risky business. [�] Obama is promising change, the downside to change is risk. If you want change, you have to take risks. [�] *O'Reilly Looks At Whether McCain is Throwing Bush Under the Bus and If This Is Effective* (FNC 08/06/08 8:04pm) BILL O'REILY: Is John McCain throwing the Bush administration under the bus? [�] *With President Bush way down in the polls the Obama campaign is doing everything it can to link the President with Senator McCain. That could be an effective strategy.* So the McCain people have a new ad, saying this [ad shown]. [�] The question for tonight is about McCain's strategy, is it smart for him to openly say Washington is broken and by implication criticize Mr. Bush's leadership. I don't think that is smart for a number of reasons. First, some conservatives still like the President and are skeptical about McCain and that's not the way to win them over. *Second, McCain's emphasis should be on solving vexing problems not assigning blame for what has gone wrong. That's what Obama is doing. Independent voters, the ones that will decide the next election, want hope not blame. McCain should be giving voters as much hope as possible, while at the same time emphasizing the inexperience of his opponent. Again, this election is about Barack Obama, yes or no on him. All McCain has to do is provide a steady alternative, be a secure presence.* [�] DICK MORRIS: [�] First, let me do a factual correction on the Obama ad. The reason McCain didn't support tax cuts for a hundred million households was they didn't pay any taxes. Those are people that pay zero taxes. O'REILLY: But Obama is going to give them money back. MORRIS: Ok, but it's hard to cut what they don't pay. I believe this is the best ad McCain has run. And I think it's a big mistake for Obama to answer. So I disagree with you on both counts. *On the first part, McCain has got to prove he's not Bush's third term.* He's got a 27 percent approval rating, Bush does. And you need 50 percent of the vote. And he's going to get the 27 percent, those are die-hard republicans, whatever he does. *What he's got to do is to show that he is not Bush and that he can reach out to the other party.* That's why I believe the greatest move for McCain would be to put Joe Lieberman on his ticket for vice president. [�] *And I think McCain has recaptured the maverick role that he played in 2000, when everyone saw him running against George Bush. And by talking about tobacco companies, and oil companies, and drug companies, he's hitting that populist message. Two wings to the Republican Party, the country club and the populist. And he's aligning with the populist against Bush, which is essentially the country club.* [�] *People are going to eventually split the difference. They're going to say yeah, he's not George Bush but he's not a total maverick in the middle. And that's going to be enough for McCain to get the votes that Obama alienates.* [�] You need to kick Bush to show that you're independent. And when you say we're worse than we were four years ago, and Washington is broken, that's a great way of telling the voters I'm kicking Bush, you can trust me to be as good as Obama. Highlight #5 *McCain's Tricky Balancing Act, Trying to Not Appear Too Negative* (CNN 08/06/08 4:25pm) WOLF BLITZER: [�] Our brand new CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows many of you think they'll both be risky. 57 percent for Obama, 54 percent for McCain. But McCain's campaign would surely like those numbers to change in McCain's favor. ED HENRY: While Barack Obama is trying to build himself as the candidate of change, John McCain is trying to seize that mantle back. A new one, two punch from John McCain. JOHN MCCAIN: The cost of everything is going up and in the face of this Washington is on vacation. HENRY: First McCain is on the attack, charging government is broken and Barack Obama is too inexperienced to fix it. MCCAIN: My opponent, Senator Obama, opposes both storage and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, he opposes offshore drilling immediately, and he's out of touch. HENRY: At the same time McCain is trying to present a positive agenda, making the case he has better plans to improve the economy and solve the energy problem. MCCAIN: We need to crack down on those who've abused our credit market and caused this housing decline. We need to take action to support American businesses so that we can stop jobs from going overseas. HENRY: A tricky balancing act for McCain, who may come across as too negative. He's walking that same fine line in a new ad that again charges Obama is a celebrity, but with a forward looking twist. [Ad shown] This ad is toned down, no images of Paris Hilton who was in last weeks ad and prompted so much outrage in the Obama camp. Nevertheless, the previous celebrity ad has sparked a humorous response from none other than Paris Hilton. [Paris Hilton response ad shown] Trying to go positive and negative at the same time may be a tough balancing act for McCain. Whenever he attacks Washington, Obama reminds audiences that Senator McCain has been in Washington for 26 years. The challenge for McCain is to restore his old reputation as a maverick, not an insider. Highlight #6 *Carly Fiorina's Effectiveness As a Surrogate for McCain Examined* (CNN 08/06/08 8:49pm) CAMPBELL BROWN: [�] Carly Fiorina wants women to vote for John McCain. [�] Fiorina had her own trouble staying on message. DANA BASH: It's barely 8am, Carly Fiorina has already flown into Georgia, she's in a hurry. [�] 18 months ago John McCain asked her to advice him on economics, but her urgent task this day, selling McCain to women voters. A roll tailor-made for Fiorina. She was the first female CEO of a high-tech company, Hewlett Packard. She has lots of female fans. [�] Fiorina is using her star power to draw women to listen about McCain. CARLY FIORINA: So I have known him since 2000. In his Senate office, women have both higher positions and are higher paid on average than the men in his office. BASH: She talks about women's issues you don't hear much elsewhere. FIORINA: He was a co-sponsor of the women's equal opportunity act. [�] BASH: She is a newcomer to politics, mistakes happen. [�] She recently told reporters that women ask her why doesn't health insurance cover birth control if it covers Viagra. It caught McCain by surprise. [�] Fiorina insists her point, that women want a say in choices in health coverage is valid. [�] Looking back, do you think it would have been better, given what happened, to talk about meditation and valium as opposed to use the Viagra word in this political situation. FIORINA: Well, I in some ways, I'm quite surprised it caused such a flab. I mean, all you have to do is watch your network, CNN, and see endless ads, ad after ad after ad, for what we are euphemistically calling male enhancement. But, I understand, it was perhaps too memorable an example. BASH: But it's not just the Viagra dustup. In Ohio recently, Fiorina said that "McCain has never signed on to efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade." But the fact is that McCain calls for Roe v. Wade's reversal right on his website. Your critics say, well, you're doing that to try to lure women voters, even thought it doesn't really represent Senator McCain's position. FIORINA: The reality is we have had seven years of a republican Congress and a republican President, and Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land. [�] BASH: [�] Fiorina tells us about searching for Hillary Clinton voters, skeptical of Barack Obama. She recently met some. FIORINA: They sent me a message on my website one day, and they said we really want to talk to you. BASH: But if this former CEO knows anything it's data, and polls show that women are breaking for Obama not McCain. Still, she's off to hunt for McCain voters and avoid controversy. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0cXy6Tkg8s> -- Evan Whitbeck Tracker/Media Analyst Progressive Accountability Office [email protected] 202-609-7677 (w) 360-480-0786 (c) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. 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