McCain Asks For One More Comeback
- Republican John McCain on Wednesday implored New Hampshire voters "to come out one more time" on his behalf, as the two-time primary winner tried to stave off a general election loss with sharp criticism of Barack Obama's tax and spending plans.
"I love you. I love New Hampshire," McCain told a rally crowd in a college hockey rink. "I know I can count on you again to come from behind and take a victory and bring it all the way to Washington, D.C., next January."
McCain added: "I'm asking you to come out one more time. Get out the vote."
Although McCain won the 2000 and 2008 New Hampshire primary, recent polls have shown Obama with a lead no smaller than 7 percentage points with less than two weeks until Election Day. That has prompted speculation McCain may have to surrender the state's four electoral votes and focus elsewhere if he hopes to cobble together the 270 needed to become president.
Senior adviser Mark Salter dismissed such thinking Tuesday. He said McCain was visiting New Hampshire because "we get a charge out of it. We think we're competitive there. They get it."
The mutual affection was evident as McCain delivered his remarks at St. Anselm College, the scene of debates during both primaries. A group of eight students painted the word "M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K" across their chests and lined up next to each other atop the stands behind McCain, while others led collegiate cheers that substituted McCain's name for the college.
The campus is at the center of the state the Arizona senator reveres for its tradition of retail politicking. He held more than 100 town-hall meetings in New Hampshire during this campaign cycle and was making his fifth visit to the state since securing the GOP nomination in February.
In a state with no income tax and a Yankee aversion to government spending, McCain tried to rally his supporters with a touched-up stump speech that focused on both issues. He accused Obama of favoring socialistic tax redistribution policies.
"Apparently, as my opponent sees it, there's a strict limit to your earnings as well, and it's for the politicians to decide. The proper amount of wealth is not what you can earn, but what government will let you keep," McCain said.
McCain also derided Obama, a former constitutional law professor, as an "academic," saying, "He talks about our economy and taxes in an academic way, forgetting that the goal is not to redistribute wealth but to create it."
The Arizona senator said his Illinois colleague favors more than $1 trillion in new government spending, although Obama has said that all his spending plans are offset by budget cuts.
"We have to stop this out-of-control spending," he said.
In one final jab at Obama, McCain criticized him of planning "another stadium spectacle" by planning an outdoor rally on election night. "Acting like the election is over won't let him take away your chance to have the final say in this election," he said.
New Hampshire political trends are working against McCain. It was the only state to vote for Democrat John Kerry in 2004 after going for Republican George W. Bush in 2000. Democrats also swept both its congressional seats, the governor's office and both houses of the state Legislature in 2006.
From New Hampshire, McCain was headed to Ohio for two rallies with his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. He then was to break off and head to Florida, where Obama also is ahead in the polls.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "I love you. I love New Hampshire," McCain told a rally crowd in a college hockey rink. "I know I can count on you again to come from behind and take a victory and bring it all the way to Washington, D.C., next January."
McCain added: "I'm asking you to come out one more time. Get out the vote."
Although McCain won the 2000 and 2008 New Hampshire primary, recent polls have shown Obama with a lead no smaller than 7 percentage points with less than two weeks until Election Day. That has prompted speculation McCain may have to surrender the state's four electoral votes and focus elsewhere if he hopes to cobble together the 270 needed to become president.
Senior adviser Mark Salter dismissed such thinking Tuesday. He said McCain was visiting New Hampshire because "we get a charge out of it. We think we're competitive there. They get it."
The mutual affection was evident as McCain delivered his remarks at St. Anselm College, the scene of debates during both primaries. A group of eight students painted the word "M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K" across their chests and lined up next to each other atop the stands behind McCain, while others led collegiate cheers that substituted McCain's name for the college.
The campus is at the center of the state the Arizona senator reveres for its tradition of retail politicking. He held more than 100 town-hall meetings in New Hampshire during this campaign cycle and was making his fifth visit to the state since securing the GOP nomination in February.
In a state with no income tax and a Yankee aversion to government spending, McCain tried to rally his supporters with a touched-up stump speech that focused on both issues. He accused Obama of favoring socialistic tax redistribution policies.
"Apparently, as my opponent sees it, there's a strict limit to your earnings as well, and it's for the politicians to decide. The proper amount of wealth is not what you can earn, but what government will let you keep," McCain said.
McCain also derided Obama, a former constitutional law professor, as an "academic," saying, "He talks about our economy and taxes in an academic way, forgetting that the goal is not to redistribute wealth but to create it."
The Arizona senator said his Illinois colleague favors more than $1 trillion in new government spending, although Obama has said that all his spending plans are offset by budget cuts.
"We have to stop this out-of-control spending," he said.
In one final jab at Obama, McCain criticized him of planning "another stadium spectacle" by planning an outdoor rally on election night. "Acting like the election is over won't let him take away your chance to have the final say in this election," he said.
New Hampshire political trends are working against McCain. It was the only state to vote for Democrat John Kerry in 2004 after going for Republican George W. Bush in 2000. Democrats also swept both its congressional seats, the governor's office and both houses of the state Legislature in 2006.
From New Hampshire, McCain was headed to Ohio for two rallies with his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. He then was to break off and head to Florida, where Obama also is ahead in the polls.
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You are crazy!!!!!!!
It has already been well reported that the bill Senator Obama voted No on did not have a timetable for withdrawing soldiers from Iraq and that is why Senator Obama voted the way he did. Once could argue that holding out for a timetable to get our soldiers out of harm''s way was truly putting the soldiers first.
Charles Keating''''s Lincoln Savings. That''''s the bank that failed causing many to lose their life savings and cost US taxpayers $4.3 billion.
The nation''''s newest celeb Joe the Plumber is a fraud. A possible GOP plant, "Joe" is related to Charles Keating of The Keating 5 bank scandal that rocked John McCain!
Joe Wurzelbacher is the son of Robert Wurzelbacher - the son-in-law of Charles Keating - The Charles Keating of the Keating 5 scandal - for which Sen. John McCain was reprimanded by the Senate for his part in attempting to illegally influence government regulators, according to The Huffington Post.
Actually, Gibson or Couric (let%u2019s forget Murdoch%u2019s "hired-hand Hannity") should have already asked these questions:
1.)Why did you as mayor of Wasilla force female rape-victims reporting the crime to pay out of their own pocket for the forensic-kit and exam needed in the work-up (see NYT 9/26/08)?
2.)Was your policy of requiring rape-victims to pay for their own forensic exams a result of your publicly stated belief that even women who become pregnant as a result of rape should be required to carry that pregnancy to full term and birth?
I see no reason why Palin, as candidate for the office of Vice President of the USA, and with a 1 in 3 chance of taking over as President in the next 4 years, should continue to be shielded from answering these questions publicly.
the same McCain who for 26 years in Washington had pushed for deregulation of the very speculators, hedge-fund operators, and investment bankers responsible for this financial disaster, and
the same McCain who just a couple of weeks ago was hawking his intention as President to get rid of the last remaining protections put in place after the Great Depression.
In fact, if there%u2019s one politician in Washington who over the last 26 years has done the most to pave the way for this meltdown, that politician would have to be John McCain himself!
is too slow on his feet, too petty, and too cranky to be running the USA,
too hung up on military issues and the war in Iraq,
completely clueless about the lives and plights of his own countrymen and -women,
and completely oblivious to the fact that even his beloved military power is not sustainable if the US as a society falls behind our competitors around the world.
Obama made the most important point of the campaign when he stated that our government, our policies, and yes, our budget, must reflect our values as a people. Everything else flows from this insight.
Americans who cherish their country and want us to have a bright future, must now go out and vote in November for for Barack Obama for President.
We have to vote for Obama because he is the only candidate who will save our country, and us as Americans, from a long slide down into second rate status, one the Republican administration of George W. Bush has already sent us on, and on which John McCain with his policies will keep us on.
And now, he%u2019s making %u201CJoe the Plumber%u201D the center of his campaign. Is anyone else bothered by the fact that the McCain campaign didn%u2019t bother to check Joe out.
Turns out Joe Wurzelbacher doesn%u2019t have a license. He has not made plans to buy his boss%u2019 business. His boss didn%u2019t know he was selling his business.
His boss, who''s business he said he wanted to buy, is worth less than $100,000, not even close to $250K. Joe makes $40,000 a year and isn''t able to keep up with his own bills, so it is unlikely he will be purchasing a business anytime soon.
Sam J.Wurzelbacher has a tax lien for nearly $1200.00. A second lien has been filed in the courthouse against Wurzelbacher for $1,261 that he apparently owes St. Charles Mercy Hospital. That lien was filed in March 2007.
Additionally,now it is revealed that good ol'' Joe is a prominent figure on a local right-wing radio station.
In other words, Joe is just a shill for the GOP attack machine. He becomes more interesting when you learn that his question had nothing to do with him.
So I think we should stop calling him Joe the Plumber and refer to him as Joe the Plant. Boy the Lies and B.S. of the right wingers never fails to amuse me. They probably think that they can float **** like this without the truth being discovered! Get over it.
I am proud to be one of those contributors!
We want, and desperately need integrity back in our politics, and in our economy as well, and yes, we%u2019ve been digging deep into our pockets to help Obama achieve this goal!
In just 12 days we will have the great democratic privilege to put an end to this sickening era. The politics of ploys, stunts, slime, sleazy robocalls, and culture wars is on the ballot!
The politics of Bush/Cheney, McCain/Palin, Karl Rove/Steve Schmidt, and Rupert Murdoch%u2019s Fox News, will be defeated!
Remember, citizens! We need a massive turnout of voters, and a landslide victory, because as we can see today, the Republicans are again trying to steal this election at the polling stations, just like in 2000 and 2004.
People, with strength, courage, and dignity let us vote Obama/Biden into office in overwhelming numbers, and return honesty, decency, and integrity to American politics.
And starting Nov. 5th, let us together begin the hard work of repairing the immense damage these thieves and scoundrels from the Republican Party have done to our economy, our country, and our people.
Sarah "Spread the Wealth" Palin knows a better way!
This Innovator has single-handedly created a new Republican no-tax but spend model:
no taxes in Alaska (no sales tax, no income tax),
hundreds of millions in socialist welfare in Alaska (including thousand dollar checks to all),
including the "Bridge to Nowhere" (flip-flopping for it before she was against it!),
even hiring a D.C. lobbying firm to get millions while she was the small-town mayor of Wasilla (pop. 7,000!),
paying for this welfare socialism (spreading the wealth) by boondoggling taxpayers from the %u201Cother 49%u201D to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars of our taxes each year since taking over as Gov. of Alaska (%u201CI spend, you pay!%u201D),
and slyly covering her trail by babbling on about "government get out of my way" (%u201Cbut only after I%u2019ve fleeced you dudes of your money!%u201D) in the debate with Biden!
$4,716.49 on hair and makeup just through September,
$5,102.71 at Bloomingdale%u2019s New York,
$9,447.71 at Macy%u2019s in Minneapolis,
$49,425.74 at Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York
and a whopping $75,062.63 spending spree at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis (hey, doggone it - this "hockey mom" is goin'' upscale on us real fast!).
Then there''s the $21,012 for her three daughters'' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office as Gov. in December 2006.
The good thing about that $21,012. is that thankfully, this bill was paid by the state of Alaska, thus admirably proving Palin''s credentials as an equal-opportunity biller!
Republicans used to belittle former Sen. John Edwards'' $400 haircut, but compared to Palin, that looks like chump change!
Even "Joe" (actually Sam) the Plumber must be turning green with envy - Palin''s fashion budget for just these past few weeks is already more than four times the median salary of an American plumber ($37,514).
If elected, maybe she''ll single-handedly spend us out of this big recession Bush has us heading into! Wouldn''t she make a swell Pres.?
John McCain thinks so! Making her the V.P. candidate was his single most important decision going into this election campaign!
Does that make you confident of his judgment if elected President? Or not so much?