podesta-emails
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*Main Topics: *Nuclear Power Plants, Energy Attacks, Romney Interviews, New
Ads, Tire Gauges
*
Summary:* Major presidential campaign coverage revolved around the
candidates energy plans as both sides continue to wage attacks on their
counter's positions. McCain spoke at nuclear power plants at Sturgis, SD
last night and in Michigan today where he hit Obama on his lack of support
for nuclear power and offshore drilling. McCain is now proposing building 45
new plants by 2030. In a testament to the McCain campaign's research
department and advance team, the Senator spoke about the importance of
nuclear energy at a plant famed for its near meltdown in the 60s. Tire gauge
controversy also dominated discussion as well as new ads by McCain claiming
to be "the original Maverick" and from Paris Hilton, who comically responded
to McCain's use of her image in a previous ad. Non-campaign headlines
included tornado's ravaging Chicago, Hurricane Edouard ended up being weaker
than expected, the price of oil drops $2.24, stocks went up, aftershocks in
China, the Feds caught computer identity thieves accused of stealing 40
million American internet users identities, and hundreds of undiscovered
gorillas were found in the Congo.
*Highlights: *
1. CNN: McCain Pushes Nuclear Power, Offshore Drilling, and Calls For
Congress To Return to Session
2. McCain's Poor Choice Today
a. MSNBC: McCain's Made a Poor Choice With "China Syndrome" Plant
b. MSNBC: McCain Jumps From Figurative to Literal Meltdown
3. ABC: McCain's Nuclear Power Ambitions and His Attacks on Obama on ABC
Nightly News
4. Romney Interviews
a. CNN: Romney Discusses Energy and Nuclear Power Solutions, Name
Calling, and Dick Cheney
b. MSNBC: Romney Wrong on McCain's CAFE Standards Record
5. MSNBC: Donatelli Outlines McCain's Energy Plan, Attacks Obama's
6. FNC: The Original Maverick? New McCain Ad Tries to Distance Himself
From President Bush
7. MSNBC: Carney: "'Broken' Recalls McCain's Record As a So-Called
Maverick in Washington
8. Tire Gauge Controversy
a. CNN: The Tire Gauge The Political Prop of the Week
b. MSNBC: Holtz-Eakin Defends Tire Gauges and McCain's Energy Policy
*No YouTube:*
1) MSNBC - MIKE BARNICLE: Naked wife jokes may work in Sturgis but
probably won't help him win over these evangelicals.
2) MSNBC - RACHAEL MADDOW: Barack Obama creates large crowds when he
gives speeches, John McCain's campaign has just figured out where there's
going to be a large crowd for another reason and hope to slip their
candidate in between other acts.
3) MSNBC: Olbermann plays Paris Hilton response ad
4) MSNBC: Pat Buchanan and Eugene Robinson debate who played the race
card first
*Clips:*
*Highlight #1*
*McCain Pushes Nuclear Power, Offshore Drilling, and Calls For Congress To
Return to Session* (CNN 08/05/08 5:05pm)
WOLF BLITZER: Raw and unfiltered, John McCain speaking in Michigan today
after touring a nuclear plant in Newport. He talked about why nuclear power
should play a big part in the solution to America's energy problems.
JOHN MCCAIN: Solving our national energy crisis requires, as I mentioned in
all of the above approach, and that will require aggressive development of
alternative energies like wind, solar, tide, and bio-fuels. It also requires
expanding additional sources of energy such as offshore drilling. And I
notice that, it's confusing now information from Senator Obama as to whether
he actually supports offshore drilling or not. The fact is, we have to drill
here and we have to drill now and we have to drill immediately. And it has
to be done as quickly as possible and I believe that it's vital that we move
forward with that regardless of what we do on other energy issues. Senator
Obama has said that expanding our nuclear power plants quote, "doesn't make
sense for America." He also says no to nuclear storage and no to
reprocessing. I could not disagree more. My experience with nuclear power
goes back many years to being stationed on board the USS Enterprise, the
first nuclear powered aircraft. Aircraft carrier. I knew it was safe then,
and I know it's safe now. And I propose a plan to build 45 new nuclear
plants before the year 2030 and that would provide 700,000 jobs for American
workers. And that means new jobs, and if we really want to enable
technologies of tomorrow like plug-in electric cars, we need electricity to
plug into. Now, we all know that nuclear power isn't enough and drilling
isn't enough. And we need to do all this and more. And it's time that the
Congress came back to Washington and went about the people's business. They
just went on a five-week vacation without even in the slightest way,
addressing this nation's energy needs. People are paying $4.00/gallon for
gas are sick and tired of a Congress that won't act in their behalf. So I'm
urging Senator Obama to urge the democratic leaders of Congress to call
Congress back into session. Come back from their vacation and act on our
energy challenges. When I'm President of the United States I'll call them
back into session and I'll keep calling them back until they act on behalf
of the interests of the American people and this compelling national
security issue. And it's time we got serious about energy independence. Our
nation is sending 700 billion dollars a year to countries that don't like us
very much and some of that money ends up in the hands of terrorist
organizations. We're going to achieve energy independence and we're going to
get it done, and we're going to use every available resource at our
disposal. That means the Lexington Project, which I have been talking about
now for a long, long period of time. I hope that the Congress of the United
States will come back into session address offshore drilling, which is
absolutely vital, address nuclear power, and all of the other approaches
that are very necessary to achieve energy independence.
*
Highlight #2*
*McCain's Made a Poor Choice With "China Syndrome" Plant* (MSNBC 08/05/08
6:06pm)
RACHAEL MADDOW: My headline tonight is Nuclear Misfire in Michigan . . . the
McCain campaign's patented message scrambling technique is unfortunately
back at work in this nuclear reactor photo op today. Remember that movie
China Syndrome, about a catastrophic nuclear reactor meltdown? The phrase
"China syndrome" was coined when the Enrico Fermi nuclear site that John
McCain went to for his photo op today partially melted down in 1966. That
nuclear accident also inspired a non-fiction thriller called "We Almost Lost
Detroit." Not exactly what you want to make Americans think of when they
think of your energy plan. It wasn't too long ago that McCain was planning
on running as the eco-Republican green candidate who was explicitly not a
proponent of nukes. Now he's running as the drill everywhere, build nuclear
reactors everywhere candidate and the whole "We Almost Lost Detroit"
reminder too was probably a bad political move for McCain.
DAVID GREGORY: But you've got a situation, Rachael, where both candidates
now want to be on the record with almost everything. They want to be as
comprehensive as possible when it comes to an energy plan because they're
looking at the polls like everybody else.
MADDOW: Sure, and they now that every single time any American goes to the
gas station, they're thinking about what can be done at a federal level to
bring gas prices down. McCain . . . has come a long way in terms of the
things that he's for and against on energy policy. I just think that his
stagecraft needs a little work before he tours the China syndrome plant.
*McCain Jumps From Figurative to Literal Meltdown* (MSNBC 08/05/08 8:40pm)
KEITH OLBERMANN: Nothing like having one word sum up an entire day on the
campaign trail. For John McCain the word was meltdown. Yes, the vernacular
kind but the literal kind too . . . John McCain goes nuclear. At the famed
biker festival in Sturgis, South Dakota, Sen. McCain launched an attack
about energy independence, at least originally and then kind of got lost in
some of the more complicated sentences.
JOHN MCCAIN: Is there anybody is that's tired of paying four dollars a du—a
bu—bucks, four dollars a gallon for gasoline? Is there anybody that's sick
and tired of it? Is there anybody that wants to become energy independent?
Well I'm telling you right now, we're sending $700 billion over year and
your congress just went on vacation for five weeks. Tell 'em to come back
and get to work. Tell 'em to get to work! [cheering] When I'm President of
the United States, I'm not going to let them go on vacation. They're going
to become energy independent and we're not going to pay $4 a gallon for gas
because we're going to drill offshore and we're going to drill now. And
we're going to drill here and we're going to drill now. [bikes revving] My
opponent doesn't want to drill, he doesn't want nuclear power. He wants you
to inflate your tires. [booing] My friends, we need a commander in chief, we
need a commander in chief who'll end the war in Iraq but will win it the
right way and that's by winning it.
OLBERMANN: You let me know when you come up with that wrong way of winning a
war by winning it. And while we explained to the senator last night how the
Bush administration and NASCAR both insist that tire inflation really does
save huge quantities of gas, Sen. Obama responded to McCain on his own
today.
BARACK OBAMA: It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant. [laughter]
You know? I mean, they think it's funny that they're making fun of something
that's actually true. They need to do their homework . . .
OLBERMANN: McCain meanwhile highlighted part of his energy plan, subsidies
for more nuclear plants, touring a nuclear plant today, the first
presidential candidate in recent memory to do so. Most apparently
considering them politically radioactive. McCain's showpiece for safe
nuclear energy? The Enrico Fermi 2 plant, half an hour from Detroit, half an
hour from Ann Arbor, half an hour from Toledo, where a nuclear regulatory
commission alert occurred after a leak forced a plant shutdown and
cancellation of nearby afterschool activities. This following 2001's quote,
"catastrophic bearing failure" of the emergency diesel generator there and
the 1999 security violation at Fermi where someone got a loaded handgun
inside. So why not tour Enrico Fermi Plant 1? Well, they shut that down in
1972 and enough liquid sodium still remains that just this May, it started a
fire there which the NRC had to check for radioactivity. That and of
course, Enrico Fermi 1 is best known for its actual, partial meltdown from
1966, chronicled in a best-seller called, "We Almost Lost Detroit." . . .
*Highlight #3*
*McCain's Nuclear Power Ambitions and His Attacks on Obama on ABC Nightly
News* (ABC 08/05/08 6:10pm)
CHARLES GIBSON: For the second day in a row the presidential candidates were
talking about energy while campaigning in battleground states. […]
Meanwhile, John McCain was in Michigan calling for construction of 45 new
nuclear power plants by the year 2030. […]
RON CLAIBORNE: John McCain toured the 20 year old Fermi Nuclear facility
near Detroit today, a campaign swing meant to highlight his call to building
dozens of new atomic power plants in the U.S. […] McCain believes nuclear
power is a viable way to produce electricity and decrease America's reliance
on foreign oil. Some energy experts agree.
CHRIS LARSEN: The 40 or so power plants is consistent with some of our
analysis in what would be required in the next 20 to 30 years in order to
provide electricity at a reasonable cost.
CLAIBORNE: McCain also attacked Barack Obama today for, as McCain said,
opposing expanding the use of nuclear power. […] Actually, Obama does not
oppose more nuclear power plants, he favors going forward only if it can be
done safely. McCain says it is safe now. […] The McCain campaign believes
it is scoring points by hitting Obama hard on the energy issue, trying to
brand him as opposed to nuclear power and offshore oil drilling, and
ridiculing Obama for saying that inflating your tires will improve gas
mileage. […] McCain and Obama believe energy has become a cutting issue. And
both sides will continue pounding away at each other.
*
Highlight #4*
*Romney Discusses Energy and Nuclear Power Solutions, Name Calling, and Dick
Cheney* (CNN 08/05/08 5:34pm)
WOLF BLITZER: […] In the past couple of days Senator Obama has been making
this very serious charge against Senator McCain. […] Can you site one
legislative accomplishment that Senator 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 John McCain has worked on, but lets talk about one piece of
legislation that's pretty relevant and that's the Bush energy plan which
Barack Obama voted in favor of and John McCain looked at it and said it's so
larded up with tax breaks and special incentives to oil companies and gas
companies. John McCain voted no on that piece of legislation. They have very
different perspectives. John McCain has laid out his plan to get energy
independence and it includes nuclear power and it includes drilling
offshore. Both of those things are opposed by Barack Obama and there's no
way America can become energy independent and energy prices can come down
without nuclear power and more drilling as well as all the alternative
sources that both men agree on.
BLITZER: He also proposes, Senator McCain, a cut in the overall corporate
tax structure in the United States and that would, in effect, represent a
billion dollar a year bonanza, if not more, for EXXON Mobil and some of the
other big oil companies. Should there be an exemption for the big oil
companies who are producing record profits every quarter so they don't
benefit from yet more tax breaks?
ROMNEY: You know, um, there's a real question that we have in this country
as to whether we're going to believe in free market systems, and the way the
markets work, free enterprise. Or whether, instead, we want to have
government run economies and we can pick winners and losers and say that
certain companies are making too much money. And then by the way, if
companies don't do well, should government pay them money so they do better?
This is where it all leads. You know, I don't like the fact that big oil is
making the kind of money they're making, I don't think a lot of people are
excited about it. At the same time, I'm not sure you want to jump in there
and change the rules after many many investors, retirees, pension funds, and
so forth have invested in companies like EXXON Mobil. Do you say, hey guess
what guys, we're taking away those dividends that you invested for? So, in
my view, you put down the law, you follow the rule of law, and you also
lower the tax rates on small corporations, on all corporations to make
America more competitive. We have tax rates, corporate tax rates, well
higher than Europe, almost as high as Japan's which is the highest in the
world. It's killing jobs here, John McCain's right.
BLITZER: Senator McCain in that ad that caused a lot of controversy the
other day, he compared Senator Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
Just yesterday, you said Senator Obama was like quote " an internet date".
Here's the question, is it appropriate to use these kind of comparisons
against the democratic presidential nominee, in effect, is it appropriate to
be name calling the democratic presidential candidate?
ROMNEY: Well, the name calling is on both sides of course, politics is a,
well let's say it's not tiddlewinks by any means. And in many cases, you
want to describe something in a way people remember. I thought that John
McCain's ad was humorous and right on target. And in fact, we've watched
Barack Obama give some wonderful speeches talking about hope and audacity,
but what he hasn't done is talk about what he would do to solve the problems
of America and now that Americans are actually listening to him talk about
energy and finding that he opposes offshore drilling, and he opposes nuclear
power, and he says that we can end our problems with energy with inflating
our tires, more appropriately, and tuning up our engines, people say wow,
this guy's not ready for primetime.
BLITZER: Do you regret calling him, saying he's like an internet date?
ROMNEY: No, it's like an internet date in that it sounded very good
initially, when people look at him and hear him speak they say, wow this
guy's great. But then you get to know him a little better and you say you
know, what you really see behind the surface is not exactly what people had
hoped for.
BLITZER: The Democratic National Committee, they've got a website basically
saying that all of the Republican vice-presidential potential candidates out
there represent the next Dick Cheney. […] You're on that short list, by all
accounts, to be the vice-presidential running mate for Senator McCain. What
do you think about Dick Cheney?
ROMNEY: You know, Dick Cheney is a fine person who has served this country
with distinction. I don't agree with him on every issue, I don't agree with
most republicans on every single issue. My guess is a lot of people who are
being considered by John McCain as V.P. material are people who are very
independent. Probably of John McCain, but also of Dick Cheney or George
Bush. Just because we're republican doesn't mean we see all issues the same
way and suggesting that we're all like Dick Cheney or we're all like George
Bush is a nice effort on their part, but I frankly don't think it'll fly.
BLITZER: He's been Vice-President now for almost 8 years, earlier he was
the Defense Secretary, he served in Congress, served as a White House Chief
of Staff under then President Gerald Ford. Should he be invited to speak at
this Republican Convention in St. Paul, because we're getting word he's not
going to be there.
ROMNEY: Yeah, I have no idea who's going to be speaking at the convention.
BLITZER: But should he be? Should he speaking, should he be invited, given
his public service over the years?
ROMNEY: I don't know, I don't know if he particularly cares, and I don't
know if it makes a big difference. Frankly, what really makes a difference
in a presidential election is who the presidential nominee is not who the
vice president or who the vice presidential nominee is. A lot of folks are
putting a lot of attention on these short lists, and who's on it and who's
not, but you know what? It's going to come down to John McCain and Barack
Obama. We're going to listen to their positions on issues, we're going to
see them in debates, and on the basis of those two men, head to head,
America's going to choose the next president, and they're going to want
someone who can lead and has the experience of leading in difficult times.
John McCain has been a leader all his life, Barack Obama hasn't had that
experience yet. I'd like him to get it before we consider him for higher
office.
BLITZER: Wouldn't it be insulting? Wouldn't it be a slap in the face of Dick
Cheney if he weren't allowed to speak at the convention?
ROMNEY: Well, if Dick Cheney didn't want to speak at the convention it
certainly wouldn't be a slap, and I don't know that anyone is suggesting
that he will or won't speak. I just don't think it makes a big difference
one way or another.
*Romney Wrong on McCain's CAFE Standards Record* (MSNBC 08/05/08
BARNICLE: . . . one of the great discussions in this country . . . has to do
with energy . . . yesterday . . . Barack Obama gave a speech on . . . his
energy proposals. What are yours? Not as a candidate . . . as a guy who
knows a lot about energy . . . about putting together business plans. . .
ROMNEY: . . . you're going to have to pursue every possible source of new
energy that America can find and at the same time . . . of energy efficiency
we can achieve . . . more nuclear power. . . more drilling . . . more
natural gas . . .liquefied coal . . . And . . . wind power, solar power. . .
pursue them to the max and invest in new technologies, create incentives for
enterprises to develop these new technologies. . . that happens to be John
McCain's proposal, he wants to become energy independent . . . to pursue all
of those avenues. Barack Obama says, no to nuclear power . . . offshore
drilling and those two are essential if we're going to become seriously
independent of our dependence on foreign oil.
BARNICLE: . . . in some . . . Americans' minds that if we engage in
offshore oil drilling that the price of gas will come down within 2 or 3
weeks . . .So what'd you do about getting the price of gas in a manageable
range in a relatively short period of time?
ROMNEY: . . . announcing . . . offshore drilling and going after some of the
reserves that are available would have an immediate effect on price because
the expectations of those that trade in oil futures would be that more
supply is going to come on the market down the road . . . most of the impact
is going to be longer term . . . and substantial. And what you have to do to
affect global and US oil prices substantially is to have the largest
consuming nation, that's us, lay out a course that says we're going to do
what's necessary to get off of foreign oil. Just doing that . . . would have
the effect of lowering gasoline prices almost immediately.
BARNICLE: . . . it's rare to see the word conservation right up top in John
McCain's plan . . . yet . . . you're about to go off to China for the
Olympics . . . a nation that's becoming increasingly greedy for energy
sources along with nations like India. What can we do as Americans to
conserve energy without risking our lifestyle? Or are we just too spoiled to
conserve?
ROMNEY: Now actually, I think that you're going to see in this country . . .
a far greater effort to become energy efficient than we've ever seen before
and that's going to be in our automobiles. . . . John McCain has in fact
been a supporter of the CAFE fuel standard tightening and that has had . . .
or can have a major impact on our use of gasoline and oil products. . . it's
going to have to be in our homes and energy usage in our homes. From the
type of furnaces we use to heat our homes . . . air conditioning and our
insulation systems. Probably the least expensive and most immediate impact
we can have on energy prices . . . is by taking advantage of new energy
efficiencies. That's something that I think John McCain will pursue with the
same kind of aggressiveness he will pursue every source of additional
energy. And that combination is what gets us to a point where we can say,
"Thanks very much but we don't need your oil" to the Middle East.
BARNICLE: . . . a lot of Americans are fearful for the future and . . . are
hurting economically, gas prices in particular . . . in 1980 Ronald Reagan
ran against Jimmy Carter and phrased the question that Americans responded
to . . . "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?". . . Do
you think we're worse off today than we were four years ago?
ROMNEY: … with regards to the threat of . . . jihad I think we're in a
better position in Iraq thanks to the virtue of the surge which John McCain
pushed for a long time . . . with regards to the economy, the credit crisis,
the mortgage crisis . . . the higher prices of gasoline have made the
American family less well off . . . that's why you have John McCain standing
up and saying, look, I'm an independent minded guy, I'm a maverick, I've
fought for what I believe in from the very beginning . . . job number one in
that regard is to get us off our dependence on foreign oil . . . he's not
taking anything off the table . . . it's a very stark contrast with Barack
Obama . . .
BARNICLE: Nothing off the table including raising taxes?
ROMNEY: Well, raising taxes doesn't … provide more sources of energy . . .
that's one place where John McCain is saying no, I'm not going to raise
taxes . . . he's also, look, to try and help families during the summer time
saying we should have taken off the federal gas tax during the summer . . .
*Highlight #5*
*Donatelli Outlines McCain's Energy Plan, Attacks Obama's *(MSNBC 08/05/08
4:30pm)
DAVID SHUSTER: The McCain campaign has repeatedly ridiculed Barack Obama's
calls for conservation going so far as to hand out tire gauges to mock
Obama. It was noted that Americans can save gas by keeping their tires
properly inflated. Frank Donatelli's chairman of the RNC and spokesman for
the McCain campaign. Frank, the Bush Administration's own highway department
said that if more American's would properly inflate our tires and tune our
engines we'd save about 800,000 barrels a day. Isn't that more than we'd
get from John McCain's new offshore drilling plan?
FRANK DONATELLI: Absolutely not. Look, no one is saying, David, that
conservation isn't a good idea. But we need a plan that's balanced; we need
a plan that addresses the long term and the short term solutions. Senator
Obama's plan does not give us an additional drop of domestic oil, coal or
nuclear, period.
SHUSTER: But you would acknowledge that John McCain's plan doesn't produce
any new oil for at least seven years.
DONATELLI: I would not acknowledge that at all. Uh, experts tell us that
in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, where there's already infrastructure you
could additional oil online pretty quickly. In addition to that
SHUSTER: Right, you can get it online but the refining capacity isn't there,
right?
DONATELLI: Well, I mean you solve one problem at a time. We're also in
favor of additional, well you have to do more in terms of our refining
capacity also, but look, in the long term we have to make a commitment to do
something about domestic energy supplies. Once we do that, the psychology
of the markets will change. Even if it takes several years as far as
drilling off the east and west coast, we have to begin now if we're going to
fill the middle before we get into the long-term, where maybe alternative
energy fuels might make a difference. But McCain has a plan.
SHUSTER: I want to get into the new ad that the McCain campaign is running.
Here's part of it.
["Broken" plays]
SHUSTER: Hey Frank, how's John McCain going to battle big oil?
DONATELLI: He will vote in the best interests to the United States on every
piece of legislation. David, he has always done that.
SHUSTER: How's he going to battle big oil specifically?
DONATELLI: He will not give them specific subsidies like Senator Obama
voted for in the 2005 bill. All he's going to do is he's going to strike
SHUSTER: I mean, he's giving them corporate tax breaks. Corporate tax
breaks worth 3.8 billion dollars. Now granted, John McCain believes we
should give every corporation tax breaks, so it is misleading to suggest, as
Obama does, that somehow John McCain is singling out Exxon Mobile for tax
breaks, but the fact of the matter is, don't you agree, that his corporate
tax plan would lower the tax rate that a company like Exxon mobile's going
to pay by nearly 3.8 billion dollars for big oil.
DONATELLI: David, as you pointed out, lower taxes for corporations are lower
taxes for all corporations, not just oil, and we do that because at some
point taxes are too high, it discourages work and incentive and it lowers
our economic growth. We have the highest corporate tax rate in the world.
If Senator McCain advocates lowering the corporate tax rate, it's because he
believes that our economy needs to be kicked in gear. We need to create
jobs and the private sector does that, the government does not do that.
SHUSTER: Frank, one more quick question. At the start of the ad, we heard
the ad say that we are worse off than we were four years ago. But during
this campaign, John McCain said that we've made great progress
economically. So what is it, great progress, or worse off?
DONATELLI: Like most economic statistics, it's a mixed bag. Clearly in terms
of the short term, in terms of inflation and in terms of unemployment, we
are not in a good situation. On the other hand, there are statistics
showing that we have made progress in certain areas. So it's a mixed bag.
But f or right now, the economy is soft, we're teetering on the brink of a
potential downturn. The last thing, David, that we need to do now is do
what Senator Obama says, and raise virtually every tax known to man. What
we need to do is keep taxes low, and that will eventually strengthen our
economy.
SHUSTER: Frank Donatelli's the spokesman for the McCain campaign, one of the
pros who can hit 'em back just as hard as we throw them at him.
*Highlight #6*
*The Original Maverick? New McCain Ad Tries to Distance Himself From
President Bush* (FNC 08/05/08 7:34pm)
SHEPARD SMITH: McCain's out with a brand new ad today calling himself the
original Maverick. […] Is that a response to Obama's claim that McCain's
running for president for Bush's third term.
CARL CAMERON: Yes and no. McCain's boasted about his independence for years.
But buying airtime is a very big step. And it's true that Obama's scuffed up
McCain's image. So, McCain's sort of trying to set the record straight. His
argument is that Obama promises change but has little record or history of
it because he's fairly new to politics. Where as McCain's managed for years
to be pushing reforms through Congress that an awful lot of people never
thought would ever get through.
SMITH: McCain's ad also says we're worse off than we were four years ago,
which economically speaking is hard to argue with, but a serious shot at
President Bush.
CAMERON: It is, McCain makes no bones about differing with the President but
aides say that when the campaigns over it'll be hard to recognize that
McCain and Bush were ever in the same party. They also say that what McCain
really thinks is that we are better off than we were 8 years ago when Bush
took over for President Clinton, but in the last four years or so, the House
Republicans and the President sort of lost control of spending. And he's
never been afraid of dissing republicans when it serves his political lens.
[…] It is true that McCain has cast an awful lot of votes in Congress in
line with his party and his President, but it's also true that McCain has
stuck his finger in the eye of the G.O.P. far more than anybody. And
certainly far more than Obama has with democrats. McCain's known for
aggravating his party and Obama's known for a fairly reliable, albeit
newcomer democrat.
*Highlight #7*
*Carney: "'Broken' Recalls McCain's Record As a So-Called Maverick in
Washington* (MSNBC 08/05/08 6:03pm)
JAY CARNEY: . . . McCain remembers who he was, his new ad is called
"Broken," and what it breaks is a streak of non-stop attacks from the McCain
campaign . . . the new ad instead recalls McCain's record as a so-called
maverick in Washington . . .
["Broken" plays]
CARNEY: . . .the attacks will not stop on Obama. They succeeded, I think, in
reinvigorating the McCain campaign and exciting Republicans and making them
believe perhaps they won't lose this race after all but the McCain campaign
will spend . . . a great deal of money reminding voters of what they thought
they liked about McCain before this campaign.
DAVID GREGORY: It is striking though, it says that you are worse off than
four years ago, not eight years ago, when he did campaign for Bush's
reelection.
CARNEY: Well, it is interesting and it's a hard situation because, as we
know, President Bush will speak at the Republican Convention. President
Bush's legacy hangs over the party and this Republican nominee and is a
distraction and a problem for John McCain in his race for the White House.
*Highlight #8*
*The Tire Gauge The Political Prop of the Week* (CNN 08/05/08 6:57pm)
JEANE MOOS: Could this be the hiss of the air going out of a political
stunt? The tire pressure gauge has become the political prop of the week, as
the McCain campaign uses it to try to deflate Senator Obama. […] This is
what Senator Obama did say as he kicked off things individuals could do save
energy.
BARACK OBAMA: Making sure your tires are properly inflated.
MOSE: Those seven words became what the McCain campaign dubbed "Obama's
energy plan". Emblazoned on tire pressure gauges they handed out on the
press plane. McCain folks even handed out tire gauges to people lining up
for an Obama rally. They're being sold on Ebay for 10 bucks. And over and
over Senator McCain used tire inflation to tred on Obama. […] Tire pressure,
tire pressure, all this talk about tire pressure is raising my blood
pressure. […] Boo, hiss is what columnist Joe Klein is saying.
JOE KLEIN: I think the McCain campaign has this weird idea that you can win
a presidential election through mockery.
MOOS: But the Automobile Association of America isn't mocking tire
inflation. On a vehicle like this, just one tire, […] could result in this.
[Losing about 8 percent of your fuel economy] After several days of
republican spin on the tire issue Obama got tired of it. […] His actual
energy plan fills page after page on his website. […] But watch your back,
tire pressure gauges can be hazardous. This guy used one to create a pipe to
smoke ganga and our AAA expert found out it's not just the gauge that's
feeling the pressure.
*Holtz-Eakin Defends Tire Gauges and McCain's Energy Policy* (MSNBC 08/05/08
2:06pm)
TAMRON HALL: . . . the offshore oil drilling, there's of course been a
compromise according to Sen. Obama, as he has described it, we saw John
McCain do the same thing but much earlier . . . did Sen. Obama . . . . wait
too long to come up with the idea on offshore oil drilling?
AUSTAN GOLDBEE: There's a political distinction there on how to make a
compromise to get a real energy bill and then there's a what will put money
in people's pockets right now and Obama's been way ahead of the curve on
that. The offshore oil drilling is not going to affect supply for 5 to 7
years . . .
JOHN HARWOOD: . . . John McCain's out with a new ad today out in
battleground states . . . John McCain returns to that maverick image he had
. . .
["Broken" ad plays]
HARWOOD: So, Austen, what'd you see,? Are you convinced? . . .
GOLDBEE: I didn't see big oil mentioned. I know he got $2 million dollars or
so from big oil when he said he was going to be in favor of opening up . . .
to offshore oil drilling . . . I'm a little puzzled why, when they got 40
million acres offshore with about 5 times the oil in it, where they're
allowed to drill now and they have chosen not to, why we would be giving
them another gift of offshore drilling acres where there's a lot less oil.
HARWOOD: So how come Doug?
DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN: Well, I mean, Sen. McCain has a comprehensive energy
policy designed to solve real problems. A real problem we have is the need
for alternatives to imported oil. He's proposed expanding domestic
production of oil, Sen. Obama's opposed. He's proposed more natural gas to
help our manufacturing and home heating costs, Sen. Obama's opposed. We're
going to use our coal, it's our most abundant energy resource, Sen. Obama
said no. He's today talking about nuclear power; 45 new plants, clean, zero
emissions, you could drive on it at three cents a mile. Sen. Obama's
opposed. So, you know, I'm confused by why Sen. Obama describes what went on
in Washington as progress. Congress failed completely. They melted down.
They left. Nothing got done. If that's his notion of progress we have a
problem . . .
HALL: . . . I'm going to ask about what a lot of folks are talking
about—this gas gauge that the McCain campaign has been passing around,
showing that Sen. Obama has the, quote/unquote, "simple idea," and even
mocking him in this ad. Some people are saying progress is not pointing
these little innuendos and this little back and forth, it is really
hammering to the folks at home the policy, the energy policy, both long term
and what can happen. Why, why use the gas gauge strategy? Especially when
even the US Highway Association says that it is a good idea to make sure
your tires're inflated, it will save you some money.
HOLTZ-EAKIN: Sen. Obama's words, his speech yesterday revealed that he
either doesn't understand the magnitude of this problem or he's just not
being straight with the American people. He proposed getting rid of ¼ of oil
imports. And the way he proposed doing it, some hybrids, a bio-fuels
objective, some more CAFÉ standards would solve about a third of that
problem. It's like throwing a gas gauge at it. It's time for real solutions.
It's time for people who will, instead of voting for the 2005 energy act
which had all the handouts for big oil, will stand up to their party, reach
across the aisle, solve problems for real people. That's what John McCain's
talking about. This isn't about where your poll numbers are. This is about
having alternatives to imported oil, it's a national security threat, it's
about having cleaner electricity because we need to solve the global warming
problem and it's about having a comprehensive ability to divorce ourselves
from the threat of international oil markets. The American people have been
held hostage far too long.
HARWOOD: Now Doug, Barack Obama was in Ohio today . . . he attacked John
McCain pretty directly by linking him to President Bush. Let's take a listen
to this . . .
BARACK OBAMA: Under Sen. McCain's plan . . . we stay in the same cycle of
dependence on oil that got us into this problem in the first place. The oil
companies have placed their bets on John McCain . . .
HARWOOD: So Doug, in your ad, John McCain says that he would take on big
oil, Barack Obama says he's in the pocket of big oil. Talk about that.
HOLTZ-EAKIN: John McCain said no to the 2005 Energy Act, which gave the big
handouts to big oil. He's proposed repealing all special tax treatment for
oil companies. What Sen. Obama is missing—
HARWOOD: He's giving them what they want on drilling right?
HOLTZ-EAKIN: He's missing the facts on the ground, which are that all the
experts say that a comprehensive approach, everything has to be in the mix,
oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power, renewables, the biomasses, the
biofuels, that's the center's Lexington project. And it is absolutely
important that Sen. Obama understand that American jobs leave this country,
jobs that have retirement benefits, health benefits, because we have the
second highest corporate tax rate and if wants to attack John McCain for
taking care of the American worker, I believe he's on the wrong side of that
issue as well.
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ℹ️ Document Details
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