podesta_email_00340.txt

podesta-emails 4,673 words email

P17 V11 D6 P22 P20

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- mQQBBGBjDtIBH6DJa80zDBgR+VqlYGaXu5bEJg9HEgAtJeCLuThdhXfl5Zs32RyB I1QjIlttvngepHQozmglBDmi2FZ4S+wWhZv10bZCoyXPIPwwq6TylwPv8+buxuff B6tYil3VAB9XKGPyPjKrlXn1fz76VMpuTOs7OGYR8xDidw9EHfBvmb+sQyrU1FOW aPHxba5lK6hAo/KYFpTnimsmsz0Cvo1sZAV/EFIkfagiGTL2J/NhINfGPScpj8LB bYelVN/NU4c6Ws1ivWbfcGvqU4lymoJgJo/l9HiV6X2bdVyuB24O3xeyhTnD7laf epykwxODVfAt4qLC3J478MSSmTXS8zMumaQMNR1tUUYtHCJC0xAKbsFukzbfoRDv m2zFCCVxeYHvByxstuzg0SurlPyuiFiy2cENek5+W8Sjt95nEiQ4suBldswpz1Kv n71t7vd7zst49xxExB+tD+vmY7GXIds43Rb05dqksQuo2yCeuCbY5RBiMHX3d4nU 041jHBsv5wY24j0N6bpAsm/s0T0Mt7IO6UaN33I712oPlclTweYTAesW3jDpeQ7A ioi0CMjWZnRpUxorcFmzL/Cc/fPqgAtnAL5GIUuEOqUf8AlKmzsKcnKZ7L2d8mxG QqN16nlAiUuUpchQNMr+tAa1L5S1uK/fu6thVlSSk7KMQyJfVpwLy6068a1WmNj4 yxo9HaSeQNXh3cui+61qb9wlrkwlaiouw9+bpCmR0V8+XpWma/D/TEz9tg5vkfNo eG4t+FUQ7QgrrvIkDNFcRyTUO9cJHB+kcp2NgCcpCwan3wnuzKka9AWFAitpoAwx L6BX0L8kg/LzRPhkQnMOrj/tuu9hZrui4woqURhWLiYi2aZe7WCkuoqR/qMGP6qP EQRcvndTWkQo6K9BdCH4ZjRqcGbY1wFt/qgAxhi+uSo2IWiM1fRI4eRCGifpBtYK Dw44W9uPAu4cgVnAUzESEeW0bft5XXxAqpvyMBIdv3YqfVfOElZdKbteEu4YuOao FLpbk4ajCxO4Fzc9AugJ8iQOAoaekJWA7TjWJ6CbJe8w3thpznP0w6jNG8ZleZ6a jHckyGlx5wzQTRLVT5+wK6edFlxKmSd93jkLWWCbrc0Dsa39OkSTDmZPoZgKGRhp Yc0C4jePYreTGI6p7/H3AFv84o0fjHt5fn4GpT1Xgfg+1X/wmIv7iNQtljCjAqhD 6XN+QiOAYAloAym8lOm9zOoCDv1TSDpmeyeP0rNV95OozsmFAUaKSUcUFBUfq9FL uyr+rJZQw2DPfq2wE75PtOyJiZH7zljCh12fp5yrNx6L7HSqwwuG7vGO4f0ltYOZ dPKzaEhCOO7o108RexdNABEBAAG0Rldpa2lMZWFrcyBFZGl0b3JpYWwgT2ZmaWNl IEhpZ2ggU2VjdXJpdHkgQ29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbiBLZXkgKDIwMjEtMjAyNCmJBDEE EwEKACcFAmBjDtICGwMFCQWjmoAFCwkIBwMFFQoJCAsFFgIDAQACHgECF4AACgkQ nG3NFyg+RUzRbh+eMSKgMYOdoz70u4RKTvev4KyqCAlwji+1RomnW7qsAK+l1s6b ugOhOs8zYv2ZSy6lv5JgWITRZogvB69JP94+Juphol6LIImC9X3P/bcBLw7VCdNA mP0XQ4OlleLZWXUEW9EqR4QyM0RkPMoxXObfRgtGHKIkjZYXyGhUOd7MxRM8DBzN yieFf3CjZNADQnNBk/ZWRdJrpq8J1W0dNKI7IUW2yCyfdgnPAkX/lyIqw4ht5UxF VGrva3PoepPir0TeKP3M0BMxpsxYSVOdwcsnkMzMlQ7TOJlsEdtKQwxjV6a1vH+t k4TpR4aG8fS7ZtGzxcxPylhndiiRVwdYitr5nKeBP69aWH9uLcpIzplXm4DcusUc Bo8KHz+qlIjs03k8hRfqYhUGB96nK6TJ0xS7tN83WUFQXk29fWkXjQSp1Z5dNCcT sWQBTxWxwYyEI8iGErH2xnok3HTyMItdCGEVBBhGOs1uCHX3W3yW2CooWLC/8Pia qgss3V7m4SHSfl4pDeZJcAPiH3Fm00wlGUslVSziatXW3499f2QdSyNDw6Qc+chK hUFflmAaavtpTqXPk+Lzvtw5SSW+iRGmEQICKzD2chpy05mW5v6QUy+G29nchGDD rrfpId2Gy1VoyBx8FAto4+6BOWVijrOj9Boz7098huotDQgNoEnidvVdsqP+P1RR QJekr97idAV28i7iEOLd99d6qI5xRqc3/QsV+y2ZnnyKB10uQNVPLgUkQljqN0wP XmdVer+0X+aeTHUd1d64fcc6M0cpYefNNRCsTsgbnWD+x0rjS9RMo+Uosy41+IxJ 6qIBhNrMK6fEmQoZG3qTRPYYrDoaJdDJERN2E5yLxP2SPI0rWNjMSoPEA/gk5L91 m6bToM/0VkEJNJkpxU5fq5834s3PleW39ZdpI0HpBDGeEypo/t9oGDY3Pd7JrMOF zOTohxTyu4w2Ql7jgs+7KbO9PH0Fx5dTDmDq66jKIkkC7DI0QtMQclnmWWtn14BS KTSZoZekWESVYhORwmPEf32EPiC9t8zDRglXzPGmJAPISSQz+Cc9o1ipoSIkoCCh 2MWoSbn3KFA53vgsYd0vS/+Nw5aUksSleorFns2yFgp/w5Ygv0D007k6u3DqyRLB W5y6tJLvbC1ME7jCBoLW6nFEVxgDo727pqOpMVjGGx5zcEokPIRDMkW/lXjw+fTy c6misESDCAWbgzniG/iyt77Kz711unpOhw5aemI9LpOq17AiIbjzSZYt6b1Aq7Wr aB+C1yws2ivIl9ZYK911A1m69yuUg0DPK+uyL7Z86XC7hI8B0IY1MM/MbmFiDo6H dkfwUckE74sxxeJrFZKkBbkEAQRgYw7SAR+gvktRnaUrj/84Pu0oYVe49nPEcy/7 5Fs6LvAwAj+JcAQPW3uy7D7fuGFEQguasfRrhWY5R87+g5ria6qQT2/Sf19Tpngs d0Dd9DJ1MMTaA1pc5F7PQgoOVKo68fDXfjr76n1NchfCzQbozS1HoM8ys3WnKAw+ Neae9oymp2t9FB3B+To4nsvsOM9KM06ZfBILO9NtzbWhzaAyWwSrMOFFJfpyxZAQ 8VbucNDHkPJjhxuafreC9q2f316RlwdS+XjDggRY6xD77fHtzYea04UWuZidc5zL VpsuZR1nObXOgE+4s8LU5p6fo7jL0CRxvfFnDhSQg2Z617flsdjYAJ2JR4apg3Es G46xWl8xf7t227/0nXaCIMJI7g09FeOOsfCmBaf/ebfiXXnQbK2zCbbDYXbrYgw6 ESkSTt940lHtynnVmQBvZqSXY93MeKjSaQk1VKyobngqaDAIIzHxNCR941McGD7F qHHM2YMTgi6XXaDThNC6u5msI1l/24PPvrxkJxjPSGsNlCbXL2wqaDgrP6LvCP9O uooR9dVRxaZXcKQjeVGxrcRtoTSSyZimfjEercwi9RKHt42O5akPsXaOzeVjmvD9 EB5jrKBe/aAOHgHJEIgJhUNARJ9+dXm7GofpvtN/5RE6qlx11QGvoENHIgawGjGX Jy5oyRBS+e+KHcgVqbmV9bvIXdwiC4BDGxkXtjc75hTaGhnDpu69+Cq016cfsh+0 XaRnHRdh0SZfcYdEqqjn9CTILfNuiEpZm6hYOlrfgYQe1I13rgrnSV+EfVCOLF4L P9ejcf3eCvNhIhEjsBNEUDOFAA6J5+YqZvFYtjk3efpM2jCg6XTLZWaI8kCuADMu yrQxGrM8yIGvBndrlmmljUqlc8/Nq9rcLVFDsVqb9wOZjrCIJ7GEUD6bRuolmRPE SLrpP5mDS+wetdhLn5ME1e9JeVkiSVSFIGsumZTNUaT0a90L4yNj5gBE40dvFplW 7TLeNE/ewDQk5LiIrfWuTUn3CqpjIOXxsZFLjieNgofX1nSeLjy3tnJwuTYQlVJO 3CbqH1k6cOIvE9XShnnuxmiSoav4uZIXnLZFQRT9v8UPIuedp7TO8Vjl0xRTajCL PdTk21e7fYriax62IssYcsbbo5G5auEdPO04H/+v/hxmRsGIr3XYvSi4ZWXKASxy a/jHFu9zEqmy0EBzFzpmSx+FrzpMKPkoU7RbxzMgZwIYEBk66Hh6gxllL0JmWjV0 iqmJMtOERE4NgYgumQT3dTxKuFtywmFxBTe80BhGlfUbjBtiSrULq59np4ztwlRT wDEAVDoZbN57aEXhQ8jjF2RlHtqGXhFMrg9fALHaRQARAQABiQQZBBgBCgAPBQJg Yw7SAhsMBQkFo5qAAAoJEJxtzRcoPkVMdigfoK4oBYoxVoWUBCUekCg/alVGyEHa ekvFmd3LYSKX/WklAY7cAgL/1UlLIFXbq9jpGXJUmLZBkzXkOylF9FIXNNTFAmBM 3TRjfPv91D8EhrHJW0SlECN+riBLtfIQV9Y1BUlQthxFPtB1G1fGrv4XR9Y4TsRj VSo78cNMQY6/89Kc00ip7tdLeFUHtKcJs+5EfDQgagf8pSfF/TWnYZOMN2mAPRRf fh3SkFXeuM7PU/X0B6FJNXefGJbmfJBOXFbaSRnkacTOE9caftRKN1LHBAr8/RPk pc9p6y9RBc/+6rLuLRZpn2W3m3kwzb4scDtHHFXXQBNC1ytrqdwxU7kcaJEPOFfC XIdKfXw9AQll620qPFmVIPH5qfoZzjk4iTH06Yiq7PI4OgDis6bZKHKyyzFisOkh DXiTuuDnzgcu0U4gzL+bkxJ2QRdiyZdKJJMswbm5JDpX6PLsrzPmN314lKIHQx3t NNXkbfHL/PxuoUtWLKg7/I3PNnOgNnDqCgqpHJuhU1AZeIkvewHsYu+urT67tnpJ AK1Z4CgRxpgbYA4YEV1rWVAPHX1u1okcg85rc5FHK8zh46zQY1wzUTWubAcxqp9K 1IqjXDDkMgIX2Z2fOA1plJSwugUCbFjn4sbT0t0YuiEFMPMB42ZCjcCyA1yysfAd DYAmSer1bq47tyTFQwP+2ZnvW/9p3yJ4oYWzwMzadR3T0K4sgXRC2Us9nPL9k2K5 TRwZ07wE2CyMpUv+hZ4ja13A/1ynJZDZGKys+pmBNrO6abxTGohM8LIWjS+YBPIq trxh8jxzgLazKvMGmaA6KaOGwS8vhfPfxZsu2TJaRPrZMa/HpZ2aEHwxXRy4nm9G Kx1eFNJO6Ues5T7KlRtl8gflI5wZCCD/4T5rto3SfG0s0jr3iAVb3NCn9Q73kiph PSwHuRxcm+hWNszjJg3/W+Fr8fdXAh5i0JzMNscuFAQNHgfhLigenq+BpCnZzXya 01kqX24AdoSIbH++vvgE0Bjj6mzuRrH5VJ1Qg9nQ+yMjBWZADljtp3CARUbNkiIg tUJ8IJHCGVwXZBqY4qeJc3h/RiwWM2UIFfBZ+E06QPznmVLSkwvvop3zkr4eYNez cIKUju8vRdW6sxaaxC/GECDlP0Wo6lH0uChpE3NJ1daoXIeymajmYxNt+drz7+pd jMqjDtNA2rgUrjptUgJK8ZLdOQ4WCrPY5pP9ZXAO7+mK7S3u9CTywSJmQpypd8hv 8Bu8jKZdoxOJXxj8CphK951eNOLYxTOxBUNB8J2lgKbmLIyPvBvbS1l1lCM5oHlw WXGlp70pspj3kaX4mOiFaWMKHhOLb+er8yh8jspM184= =5a6T -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- *Main Topics: *McCain's health, McEconomics, McHypocrite, McLobbyists, media bias, horse race *Summary of Shift: *This evening's major McCain coverage rotated around the growth the senator had removed today, with some pundits pointing out that's bad news for McCain. Department of Homeland Security officials 'amp up' anti-terror vigilance after a little-known jihadist group produces a video threat on the Olympics. $40 million American dollars went to an unnecessary prison in Iraq that contractors never finished. Scott McClellan's admission that the White House gave talking points to FNC pundits remains a source of discussion and controversy. A new report states that the next president will inherit a $482B budget deficit. Highlights 1) CNN: McCain speaks to the press about energy and his health 2) Surrogates hit the airwaves to tout McCain's economic plan a. CNN: Pfotenhauer talks deficit reduction opposite Obama adviser b. MSNBC: She insists, McCain is telling Americans the truth c. MSNBC: Donatelli highlights differences on candidate tax plans d. CBS: Fiorina on McCain and small business 3) McHypocrisy a. CNN: 'Will the real John McCain please stand up?' CNN compares McCain's anti-lobbyist rhetoric with the candidate's lobbyist ties b. MSNBC: McCain's rhetoric on supporting the troops does not match his record 4) Horse race a. MSNBC: New poll shows McCain ahead, importance questionable b. MSNBC: Press is more critical of Obama c. MSNBC: Veep search continues No clips 1) CNN: Dana Bash says McCain is still trying to deduce how heavily he is scrutinized, the recent PR around his skin removal suggests 2) CNN: Carol Costello compares Barack Obama's and John McCain's stance on affirmative action 3) CNN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta reminds viewers that McCain is more likely to contract melanoma again than someone who has not had it previously 4) FNC: Bill O'Reilly compares John McCain's and Barack Obama's last week as part of his 'Reality Check' segment, with McCain looking the fool 5) CNN: Gloria Borger says anytime you raise the health issue, you raise the age issue 6) CNN: Dana Bash points out the irony that McCain addressed reporters from an oil derrick in CA, where the governor opposes drilling 7) FNC: Patricia Murphy says that McCain won't actually decrease the deficit Clips Highlight #1 *McCain Speaks on Impending Biopsy, Energy and Drilling *(CNN 07/28/08 3:05pm) JOHN MCCAIN: ... oil production at a high level, including off-shore drilling. Now, in briefings that I've had with the oil producers, there are some instances within a matter of months they could be getting additional oil. In some cases, it would be a matter of a year. In some cases, it could take longer than that, depending on the location and whether you use existing rigs or you have to install new rigs. But there's abundant resources in the view of the people who are in the business that could be exploited within a period of months. So off-shore drilling is something we have to do. I'm sorry that Senator Obama opposes it. Nuclear power is not only vital, I think, to clean energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but nuclear power also is a way to employ hundreds of thousands of Americans. We can build 45 new nuclear power plants by the year 2030. It would employ some 700,000 people. So Senator Obama opposes off-shore drilling. He opposes reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. He opposes storage of spent nuclear fuel. And so he is the Dr. No of the America's energy future. And he also opposes a gas tax holiday as a gimmick. So I'm very pleased to be here. Again, we'll be talking about energy and the economy and continue to do so. And, by the way, I -- as I do every three months, visited my dermatologist this morning. She said that I was doing fine, took a small little nick from my cheek, as she does regularly, and that will be and will be biopsied, just to make sure that everything is fine. But I want to, again, urge all Americans to wear sunscreen, particularly this summer. Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Wear sunscreen. And if you ever have any slight discoloration, please go to your dermatologist or your doctor and get it checked up on. Melanoma is a preventable occurrence. It really is. It's one of the most preventable occurrences. But, remember, a lot of the damage that people receive from the sun when they're young sometimes comes back later in life. And that's the end of my lecture from the American Dermatology Association today. Thank you all very much. Thank you. QUESTION: Senator, your doctor was confident that there was nothing major? MCCAIN: Absolutely. Highlight #2 *Nancy Pfotenhauer's Responses on Deficit Questions Leave Wolf Blitzer Unsatisfied *(CNN 07/28/08 4:30pm) WOLF BLITZER: […] among other things that the Obama campaign, Nancy, said today, Senator McCain is proposing to continue the same Bush economic policies that put our economy on this dangerous path and that will drive America even deeper into debt. What is he going to do differently than President Bush has done all these years to reduce this enormous deficit? NANCY PFOTENHAUER: Well, spending, spending, spending. Senator McCain has been a leader in the U.S. senate and Laura knows this, trying to hold the line on federal spending. What wasn't discussed earlier is the fact that Barack Obama has midwifed this as much as anyone else. BLITZER: I want to hear what McCain is going to do to cut the deficit. PFOTENHAUER: Certainly, Senator McCain has proposed do a top to bottom review of the federal government and all spending programs. There will be consolidation and elimination. He's proposed to eliminate pork barrel spending and Senator Obama proposed about $900 million of that in a brief period of time that he's been in the U.S. Senate, that's I mean by he's part of the problem— BLITZER: You know, Nancy that, pork barrel spending is something significant but a relatively tiny percentage of the federal budget. PFOTENHAUER: It's important to stop that, though, Wolf. In addition to that, *Senator McCain is going to put in place spending disciplines like a constitutionally viable line item veto, enhanced ability to stop this tremendous spending growth by forcing congress to enroll each provision separately so he could veto each provision.* Keep in mind how we got here, an energy bill, a farm bill, a highway bill that is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. [cross-talk] BLITZER: You're neglecting to mention about $700 billion spent on the war in Iraq, money that could have been spent here at home. PFOTENHAUER: Well, and it's important to focus on why where that money would go in the future, since both candidates are agreeing there's going to be a troop drawdown, if you will, one important distinction between Senator McCain and Senator Obama, Senator McCain said since this war has been financed with deficit spending, as the troop drawdown occurs every penny of that needs to go to deficit reduction. Senator Obama has done nothing but lip service on deficit reduction. *Senator McCain has said, "I will balance this budget by the end of my first term."* […] BLITZER: Let me let Nancy respond to the one serious accusation you made against Senator McCain. He opposed the bush tax cuts in 2001, opposed them in 2003, and now says they have to be made permanent, forever. That's going to increase the budget deficit, if you were to eliminate some of those tax cuts that presumably would reduce the budget deficit, right, Nancy? PFOTENHAUER: Keep in mind; keep in mind he opposed the tax cuts because he said they needed to be accompanied with spending reductions. If they had been accompanied by spending reductions, we would not be in the situation that we're in right now. Also, keep in mind that, for most of the last eight years, revenues have been running at about 18.8% of GDP. That is slightly above historic historical averages. I will agree with Laura on one thing, that the economic downturn has now become part of, if you will, this equation and therefore, revenues are sliding but I would argue that that's because the market has recognized a couple of things. One, Senator Obama, who is a potential president of the United States, he's not going to get there, but he's a potential president of the United States, is actively promising tax increases on income, on cap gains, on increasing the amount of wages subject to the payroll taxes, lower corporate tax rates, won't lower the corporate tax rate. BLITZER: Unfortunately we have to leave it there.* I will add one thing, Nancy, when he opposed the tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, he also said they were skewed toward the wealthy. He didn't like that and also said at the time of war you don't start cutting taxes, that's what he said at the time but he's got a different sense right now*. We have to leave it right there, a good discussion, serious discussion. *I'm still not hearing a lot from either one of you about how this budget deficit is about to be cut*, but we'll leave that for the next occasion, Nancy, and Laura, thanks to you. *Pfotenhauer Supports McCain's New Attack Ad and Touts His Econ Platform*(MSNBC, 07/28/08, 12:20pm) CONTESSA BREWER: The Obama campaign points out Nancy, that Barack Obama went to visit the wounded troops in Iraq and he didn't bring cameras, do you think that ad reflects well on your candidate? NANCY PFOTENHAUER: I think it showcases the differences between these two gentlemen*. Senator McCain, for his whole life, not just his time in the senate, but obviously his time in the military has shown that he loves his country and puts it first at the cost of political or personal well being.*And with Senator Obama, I think his actions in canceling a scheduled visit with wounded troops just calls into question kind of his judgment and his priorities, frankly. And that carries over, not just from when he has had to say about foreign policy and you almost have to check your watch to see what he's saying today, because most of his statements have an expiration date. But if you translate it over into the domestic policy front, things like energy where he refuses to embrace easy answers to increasing our domestic production in order to ease the pain for Americans who are facing higher energy prices, he won't embrace drilling, he won't embrace natural gas. BREWER: Because the experts say that even if we open up all the offshore drilling it really won't do anything to wean us off our foreign dependence. And that is why Barack Obama says he doesn't support a Federal gas tax holiday. That being said, when you have John McCain in another ad, basically blaming Barack Obama for high gas prices, again, McCain wants to be the straight shooter. Do you think these kind of campaign ads line up with a straight shooter? PFOTENHAUER: *He's telling the American people the truth. *When you look at Senator Obama's energy plan, let's just talk about that for right now, he has no plan to increase domestic production. That is reckless and irresponsible given the situation that we're facing. He doesn't endorse drilling, he doesn't endorse natural gas, he wants to tax coal, he doesn't even have a real role for nuclear power which is embraced by at least 8 other countries. It's safe and it's clean. so, he has this real piecemeal, pie in the sky plan on energy that does nothing to help people now or in five years. BREWER: I know American families want to hear what the candidates have to say about their economic future, what they're going to do. […] So taxes aren't off the table, but Frank Donatelli says, no, no, never taxes. Which is it? PFOTENHAUER: What Senator McCain's plan shows is that he's going to reduce taxes and keep them low on capital formation or the job producing sector of the economy and lower federal spending. And that's really one of the key difference. Senator Obama's plan calls for dramatically increasing taxes in income, raising the cap on wages subject to the payroll tax. He's going to let the cap gains tax bump back up and he's going to do nothing for our corporate tax rate, and that really hinders our international competitiveness at the same time he's increasing taxes, and he's increasing spending by about a trillion dollars. So higher taxes and higher spending, recipe for a recession. *Frank Donatelli Supports McCain's New Attack Ad and His Economic Strategies * (MSNBC, 07/28/08, 10:30am) CONTESSA BREWER: What's your response to what Obama's campaign says, that this new ad is inappropriate and dishonorable? FRANK DONATELLI: You know, it's funny. This is about the fifth different reason that you just heard from the gentleman as to why he canceled his trip. This is first that we've heard that there's an individual that wanted to come along that they wanted to bring and the defense department wouldn't let them. They never mentioned that before. And they're also trying the defense department under the bus, for heaven's sakes. It comes back to a question of judgment, Contessa. They didn't have time to do this, but they had time to visit a couple hundred thousand citizens of the world. […] BREWER: Let's talk about the judgment on the economy. It now appears that Barack Obama is ready to focus on the economy, of course, McCain last week at the time when Barack Obama was overseas he was -- McCain was in grocery stores, looking at the prices of eggs and that now very famous photo-op. do you think that he has settled on an economic message that resonates with voters? DONATELLI: Yes, absolutely. In a time of economic weakness, no higher taxes. You never, ever raise taxes when the economy is weak. *Senator Obama has promised to raise every single tax. Senator McCain is going to keep taxes low.* Secondly, energy prices. Senator Obama does not have a plan. All he favors is having energy prices go higher and higher. Senator McCain believes in more domestic oil and gas supplies, which will eventually moderate the price. Very clear difference between the two candidates. *CBS Evening News Examines McCain's Economic and Energy Plans* (NBC, 07/28/08, 6:55pm) CHIP REID: John McCain has also surrounded himself with some of the best minds in business, including Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HewlettPackard, and Meg Whitman, former head of Ebay. Today they briefed reporters on the importance of cutting taxes on business to create jobs. CARLY FIORINA: Small business is the engine of growth in this economy. REID: McCain says he'll balance the budget by the end of his first term, but critics wonder how that's possible givin his support for extending all of the Bush tax cuts. As important as jobs and taxes are, polls show it's the price of gas that really gets voters mad. That's where McCain kept his focus today as he toured an oil field in California. MCCAIN: So offshore drilling is something we have to do. REID: McCain says he now supports increased offshore drilling, as do 73 percent of Americans, because he says more oil supplies will bring prices down. He says it's time for Obama to get on board. MCCAIN: He is the doctor no of America's energy future. REID: But Obama says offshore drilling harms the environment, and looks to the past not the future. […] There are now so many economic challenges confronting the nation that as one key senator put it today, whoever is the next president will have a very, very sobering first week. Highlight #3 *John McCain's Lobbyists Under Scrutiny* (CNN 07/28/08 8:46pm) JOE JOHNS: John McCain and the lobbyists is a story that won't go way. That is partly because the democrats like to talk about it so much. When you're following the lobbying game, it's all about money and who gets access to power. To hear John McCain tell it, he's your guy in Washington fighting against the unchecked influence of big businesses and their lobbyists. JOHN MCCAIN: The workers and entrepreneurs of America are taken for granted by their government while the lobbyists and special pleaders are seldom turned away. JOHNS: Those lobbyists often kick in top dollar to gain top access to the highest corridors of power, right? Sure. *How does that McCain rhetoric square with this: a fancy 2006 soiree of the little known, but well-respected International Republican Institute in Washington, the video from the group's own website shows the chairman of AT&T, which had just donated $200,000 to the institute introducing none other than John McCain, who was still chairman of the institute's board. Remember, at the time, McCain was fresh off of the term as the chairman of the senate committee that regulates telephone companies like AT&T.* AT&T says there were no strings attached to the donation but that's not always the point. LARRY SABATO: Access this is name of the game. It's getting in the door to see your candidate so you can make your case. Sometimes you don't even need to see the candidate, just talk to staff members, the people who influence the candidate's decision. JOHNS: Okay, so which is it? *Will the real John McCain please stand up? Is he the scourge of a system in Washington that rewards lobbyists and their wealthy bosses or is he the guy who hob-knobs with and therefore might somehow be influenced by the very interest he says he's trying to root out? Answer: both.* Smart politicians know tough talk on lobbyists sounds good to the public. The reality is players at this level can't live without them. SABATO: They know they work with lobbyists, *they have staffers who have been lobbyists*, they are going to depend on lobbyists for a lot of information for the decisions they make if they get elected. So absolutely,*there's a lot of hypocrisy involved *. JOHNS: The group, IRI that held the event McCain attended gets just about all its money from the federal government to do things like promote democracy around the world and help governments run more efficiently. It's a cause McCain believes in. A former IRI staffer who also worked for the last McCain presidential campaign says that while the IRI event may have brought McCain and the lobbyist together, there was never any kind of a quid pro quo. TODD HARRIS: The important question is are those lobbyists getting anything, any special favors or privileges for their donations? In the case of Senator McCain *in general* and IRI specifically, there's never been a single time someone gave money and said, 'This is what I want in exchange.' CAMPBELL BROWN: […] I have to ask, with all this talk about clearing out the lobbyist, McCain has also gotten a lot of criticism over his campaign manager, Rick Davis who was a former lobbyist. JOHNS: That's right and there are some other former lobbyists as well, you know; a variety of people. *You might even need a scorecard to keep up with all of them.* The democrats say McCain is tainted by this. The republicans say he's completely above it. He's put in—actually—a conflicts policy to try to tell people who are actually paid by the campaign that they can't work actively as a lobbyist but this story tends to dog him […]. […] CAMPBELL BROWN: […] *McCain, after he became the Republican nominee, said he was gonna take this dramatic step, purging his campaign staff of anyone with lobbyist ties. Several staffers did leave, but […] Rick Davis, his campaign manager: former lobbyist, still there; Charlie Black: former lobbyist now, still in a senior advisor position. I mean, a lot of parsing. You're either okay with lobbyists, or you're not, right?* *McCain Voting Hypocrisy: Record Shows Lack of Support in Voting for Veterans and Troops* (MSNBC 07/28/08 8:20pm) KEITH OLBERMANN: […] The latest McCain campaign ad made an even more outlandish claim quote, "John McCain is always there for our troops." Except when he isn't. As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid noted in mid 2007, McCain only showed up for four of the past 14 Senate votes on Iraq. So far this year he's shown for none. Not even the resolution honoring the sacrifice made by the fallen. *In looking at just part of McCain's record of supporting the troops since the war in Iraq began, in April 2003 he tabled a motion to provide over a billion dollars of national guard and reserve equipment. October 2003, he tabled then an amendment to provide an additional 322 million dollars for safety equipment for U.S. troops in Iraq. March 2004, he voted against eliminating abusive tax loopholes that would have increased veteran's medical care by 1.8 billion dollars. March 20006, he voted against closing corporate tax loopholes that would have increased veteran's medical services by 1.5 billion dollars. April 2006, he voted against providing an extra 430 million dollars for veteran outpatient care. May, 2006 he voted against 20 million dollars for veteran healthcare facilities. March 2007, he didn't bother to vote on a resolution to start redeploying troops from Iraq by March 2008. September 2007, he voted against Senator Webb's amendment that would specify minimum rest periods for troops in between deployments. And in May 2008 he first spoke out against Senator Webb's GI bill and then didn't bother to show up to vote on it. But none of that stopped him from accepting President Bush's praise when the bill ultimately passed.* […] If you go after your opponent for not supporting the troops, when your own record is pretty clearly indicative that you do not support the troops, do you not provoke people to look at your own record like we just did? RACHEL MADDOW: I've long said, and you've been saying this too, that there is a fascinating candidacy for the presidency happening right now, if people could just pay attention to it for a hot minute. *John McCain can't hold the press's interest for long enough to get this kind of scrutiny in very many media venues.* His campaign is counting on, and I think they've been right to count on so far, the idea that if you kind of squint and don't focus too much, the fact that he is a veteran can sort of substitute for the idea that he has done right by veterans as a politician, that he's done right by veterans and by the troops as a Senator. *But the fact is, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans of America they gave John McCain a D for his voting record, they gave Barack Obama a B+. Disabled American Veterans gave John McCain just a 20 percent voting record, they gave Barack Obama an 80 percent voting record. There's a difference between being a veteran and supporting veterans as a politician, he's just counting on people not being able to tell the difference.* Highlight #4 *New Poll Shows McCain Ahead of Obama, But Does It Count?* (MSNBC 07/28/08 5:40pm) MIKE BARNACLE: *Whenever these polls are released, and they're released almost on an hourly basis now, there are always two things that are pointed out. One is, Barack Obama seems unable, thus far, to crack 50 percent in the polls. And yet John McCain seems unable, thus far, to crack 45 in the polls.* What do you make of that? WAYNE SLATER: Let me say something that may be a little counterintuitive, and that's that *we got a poll that shows John McCain ahead. As Michelle said, it's the first time in any poll we've seen in this campaign. But I really think it's not good news for John McCain. It's not bad news to be ahead, but it's not good news.* *Basically, people know who John McCain is, he hasn't made the sale. He can't go above 45 at least so far.* Barack Obama is still largely unknown, in the larger sense of things, and he hasn't completely made the sale, but I think the opportunity for growth is there with Barack Obama. To go back to the cliché we've heard again and again, this is Barack Obama's race to lose. A referendum on his race. If he stays ahead, as in other polls, then I think he wins. *Media Bias Investigated: More Negative Obama Coverage, Press Takes It Easy on McCain* (MSNBC 07/28/08 6:07pm) RACHEL MADDOW: There is such thing as bad press. Much has been made in the past couple of weeks about the disproportionate media coverage that Obama is getting as compared to John McCain. Indeed, Andrew Tindle's online Tindle report found that Obama was getting almost twice as much network news coverage as McCain. But now George Mason University has looked into not just how much the networks are saying about each candidate, but what they're saying, and it turns out that 72 percent of the opinionated statements on Obama on network coverage were negative*. The networks were 15 points kinder, more favorable to John McCain then they were to Obama. It's not just the quantity of coverage, it's the quality. And that means, I think, I'm not sure that John McCain's campaign has much to complain about in terms of their press coverage right now.* DAVID GREGORY: Are you surprised that McCain's still getting the buzz, the glow from 2000? MADDOW: *He's just not getting very much attention at all. And the coverage that he is getting is sort of rounding him up in sort of a nice, hazy, soft focused way based on his 2000 impression. People just aren't taking a hard look at him and they're not being tough on him.* *McCain's Vice Presidential Candidate Options Down to a Shortlist* (NBC Nightly News, 07/28/08, 7:11pm) BRIAN WILLIAMS: And back home, the U.S. political clock is ticking down towards this summer's party conventions. By the time they take to the stage, Obama and McCain will have running mates selected. We're getting awfully close to selection time for both of them, you can tell that from the amount of speculation that's flying around Washington. DAVID GREGORY: For Obama and McCain it's the most presidential decision of the race, and by all accounts they are closing in on a number two. […] Republican sources close to McCain say he appears to be down to a shortlist of three. Mitt Romney, former Congressman and Bush administration official Rob Portman, and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty with whom McCain is said to have good chemistry. But might McCain try someone more unconventional, like the pro-abortion rights former governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge? The base wouldn't like it but those swing voters, those white independent women, those Hillary supporters who may decide this election, I think they'd like Tom Ridge and I think the two of them would play really strong. A lot of the buzz now is not just who but when. This is a decision that can change the dynamic of a campaign. -- Jacob Roberts PAO 208.420.3470 (c) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. To post to this group, send to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] E-mail [email protected] with questions or concerns This is a list of individuals. It is not affiliated with any group or organization. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---