McCain, Obama Battle For Pennsylvania

Both Candidates Seek The Upper Hand On The Economy As They Rally Supporters In Key Battleground

(CBS/ AP)  The World Series game in Philadelphia got suspended last night. But the campaign never stops.

With just one week to go before Election Day, both presidential campaigns held morning rallies in Pennsylvania as they battle for the state's crucial 21 Electoral Votes.

Democrat Barack Obama carried on Tuesday with an outdoor rally at Widener University, outside Philadelphia, despite miserable weather. A cold, steady rain made it feel like the temperature was right around freezing.

It was the same kind of weather that halted the fifth game of the World Series in Philadelphia on Monday night between the hometown Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the first such suspension in the history of the baseball championship.

Several thousand people came out to hear Obama, his party's presidential nominee.

Obama told the shivering crowd, "I just want all of you to know that if we see this kind of dedication on Election Day, there is no way that we're not going to bring change to America."

Gone were Obama's suit and tie. He wore jeans, sneakers and a waterproof raincoat. Still, shunning an umbrella, he got soaked. Obama later changed clothes before resuming his events.

Meanwhile, Republican John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin are sweeping through the state as polls show them trailing the Democratic ticket, but McCain says it's "wonderful to fool the pundits" and is vowing to pull an upset.

McCain told supporters in Hershey, Pa., on Tuesday that, in his own words: "I'm not afraid of the fight. I'm ready for it."

McCain worked to light a fire under his supporters.

"Nothing is inevitable, we never give up," said McCain. "Let's go win this election and get this country moving again."

McCain also continued to label Obama a traditional liberal Democrat seeking to redistribute the wealth.

"Sen. Obama is running to be redistributor in chief, I'm running to be commander in chief," said McCain. "Sen. Obama is running to punish the successful, I'm running to make everyone successful."

Palin defended their campaign's harsh attacks on Obama.

"Our opponent is not being candid with you about his tax plans," said Palin. "It is not mean-spirited, and it is not negative campaigning to call out someone on their record."

Though McCain trails Obama in the polls nationally and in Pennsylvania - or maybe because of that - McCain is sounding increasingly scrappy and referring to his rival as "the most liberal candidate to ever seek the presidency."

McCain also campaigned in Pennsylvania on Monday, but today's campaign day was also complicated by wintry weather, which forced the cancellation of an outdoor event later in Quakertown. McCain was heading to North Carolina and Florida before the day was over. Palin was heading on her own to other events in Pennsylvania after the rally in Hershey.

McCain returned to the theme that he's the candidate who is ready to take office, seasoned by a military career and his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He brought up their differences over the Iraq war. McCain opposes and Obama favors a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. combat troops.

"Have you ever heard the word `victory' pass through Obama's lips?" McCain asked backers. "My friends, we're winning in Iraq."

McCain left few openings untouched, even bashing Obama for airing a 30-minute commercial Wednesday night that will delay the continuation of the World Series baseball game that was suspended on Monday night.

"No one will delay a World Series game with an infomercial when I'm president," said McCain.

Meanwhile, Obama countered that when it comes to the economy, "John McCain has stood with this president every step of the way."

He added, "The question in this election is not 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?' We know the answer to that. The real question is, 'Will this country be better off four years from now?"'

Obama is ahead in the race in Pennsylvania for its 21 electoral votes. It takes 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the presidency.

Obama's trip to Pennsylvania today and yesterday marked the first time in more than a week that he had bothered to visit a state fellow Democrat John Kerry won four years ago.

Obama's rally today was in the strategic Philadelphia suburb of Chester.

The small city is in Delaware County, a pivotal swing area of the state. Neighborhoods here range from economically depressed to working class to ritzy. Republicans hold an edge over Democrats in voter registration, and both campaigns are surging to get out the vote. Chester itself is predominantly black, but the broader county has a mostly white population.

In a show of confidence, he has spent the rest of his campaign time in the past week or more in "red" states - Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio - as he reaches for a sizable triumph.

Ahead in the polls, Obama spends little time at all defending Democratic blue states except for Pennsylvania - where McCain is pushing hard.

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Ways To Win
Calculate your own path to the presidency with our Electoral Vote prediction map.

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Later today, the Illinois senator heads to Virginia for a rally at James Madison University in Harrisonburg and then another one at night in Norfolk on his ninth trip to Virginia since he clinched the Democratic Party's nomination in June. Obama is vying to become the first Democrat for president to win the state in 44 years.

McCain and Palin are campaigning aggressively in Virginia, too. The transformation of the Washington-savvy northern Virginia region, coupled with distaste for an unpopular president, no longer makes the commonwealth reflexively Republican.

Obama's campaign exudes an air of calm and confidence. He plans to plug for votes in North Carolina, Florida and Missouri in the coming days.

Like Virginia, all of them went for Bush in 2004.

[cariboubarbi]

According to a recent poll, 61 percent of people surveyed said they%u2019d rather see Sarah Palin in a bikini than Pamela Anderson. Although 99 percent said they%u2019d rather see Pamela Anderson as vice president.



lol!

[msimamaji]

McCain''s campaign is full of mis-representations.
First of all, off-shore drilling is a *** shoot (as one Chevron official pointed out. According to a book by Antonia Juhasz, 80% all off-shore drilling attempts fail to find oil. Also the more the price of oil drops, the less economically viable off-shore drilling will be. So Obama is right when he said that drilling won''t solve our problems and he alone has the courage to tell the American people the truth.
McCain has recently ridiculed Obama''s concern about safety and environmental protection regarding nuclear power. Maybe McCain should take a trip to Belarus to see what happens when people disregard safety regulations. Then of course there the Ashley Todd hoax, which McCain shamelessly exploited. And the touted natural gas pipeline from Alaska will be stalled for years because legal disputes with Indian tribes in the Yukon.
McCain''s whole campaign is based on mass deception. He is no different than Bush, who did the same thing.

[interobserv]

While I share your sentiments in pulling for an Obama win, gopfornever, I still remember the election in Virgina when Douglas Wilder ran - he won in a nail biter - and when Tom Bradley ran for governor in California and lost! He lost because of a combination of the "Bradley Effect" and a complacent electorate! The complacnet electaorate was at work in Virginia as well.
we can''t sit around, hoping for the best. We have got to make it happen! Get your friends, neighbors, relatives, whomever out to the polls next Tuesday!!!

[wdrussell1]

So funny on Pittsburgh TV last night.
Obama campaigning at Melon Arena.
McCain campaigning at a car-wash.
...-
...-
...-

[citizenusa-2009]

Ohio, which has 20 electoral votes, never really recovered from the post-Sept. 11 recession. Long a manufacturing bastion, Ohio has lost almost 250,000 factory jobs since 2000. The unemployment rate is at 7.2 percent, well above the national average of 6.1 percent.

Take note, PA. This is how Ohio was REWARDED for voting for BUSH TWICE. The Republican machine crushed Ohio for it''s "loyalty" to the party.

[citizenusa-2009]

If you need more "enlightenment" go to U-Tube and watch and listen to "Viet Nam Vets against McCain". They liken his temper to that of a "Roman Candle", that goes off at the drop of a hat.

Do you want this man''s finger on the Red Button?

[citizenusa-2009]

..From you lips to God''s ears. Let us pray that the "swing states" don''t screw it up AGAIN...are you listening Ohio?

[citizenusa-2009]

it''''s over and obama has won.

Posted by gopfornever at 09:52 AM : Oct 28, 2008

..from your lips to God''s ears. Let us pray the "swing states" don''t screw it up again...are you listening Ohio?

[whimsy1]

The McCain campaign has now resorted to more ads that are totally untruthfull and factcheck.org has shown them to be false. Still, he proclaims day is night, night is day, lies about Senator Obama and expects us to believe he will be bi-partisan. In the 2000 primary on a town hall forum at Michigan State he defended the progressive tax from the socialist label and now he''s flip-flopped once again in his attempt to distort Senator Obama''s tax plan. As an Arizonan, I am ashamed of Senator McCain and his "Me First" campaign.

[briannorwood]

maxify55:

Please resume your medication. You are scaring us.

[grouchyjohn]

So if I''''m 40 and have $400,000.00 in my 401K and will probably have over a million. So am I guarenteed double the amount $200,000,000.00 or so? If so fine, if not I don''''t want my money being rolled into a fund and used to pay for others to retire.
I''''m planning on voting for Obama but this stuff disturbes me.

Posted by getoffmine1 at 11:05 AM : Oct 28, 2008




Why would you believe something made up by a poster on an anonymous website?

[rudy654-2009]

Posted by BlackBabyMom at 11:04 AM

Yeah, why didn''t they publish an article about when a "Christian" university did the same to an effigy of Obama? Or why didn''t Palin denounce her listeners calling for Obama''s death? Oh, but you thought that was okay.

[rudy654-2009]

So if I''''m 40 and have $400,000.00 in my 401K and will probably have over a million. So am I guarenteed double the amount $200,000,000.00 or so? If so fine, if not I don''''t want my money being rolled into a fund and used to pay for others to retire.
I''''m planning on voting for Obama but this stuff disturbes me.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by getoffmine1 at 11:05 AM

And yet if it weren''t for government coming to the rescue, you would now be saying, "What 401K?" Welfare for the rich.

[rudy654-2009]

Because I have heard similar things, just not about the double payout.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by getoffmine1 at 11:08 AM

You ought to check your facts and then quit complaining about people paying their fair share.

[grouchyjohn]

Why would you believe something made up by a poster on an anonymous website?

Posted by grouchyjohn at 11:07 AM : Oct 28, 2008

Because I have heard similar things, just not about the double payout.

Posted by getoffmine1 at 11:08 AM : Oct 28, 2008





I''ve never heard it, until I heard it here.

I''m not saying that I know everything, but I know when an anti-Obama poster posts something this ridiculous, it''s not true 99% of the time.

In other words, don''t believe it, until you research it for yourself.

[rudy654-2009]

don''''t understand what you are talking about. I make a good living and pay quite a bit in taxes. How am i not paying my fair share?


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Posted by getoffmine1 at 11:15 AM

Liar. You know what I am talking about. In the so called free market you preach, you would be up a creek right now if it weren''t for welfare keeping your azz up. Don''t get on here and pretend.

[rudy654-2009]

All the farmers in my area are supporting McCain. But of course, hardworking, they believe that all that money they get from the government in the form of huge subsidies isn''t welfare. But it is. They get that money and then pay illegals less than minimum wage with no benefits. Often, they get money for just planting a damm thing.

[grouchyjohn]

I wonder why CBS does not post a story about the Obama Supporter in California that has a manneguin hanging from a noose symbolizing Sarah Palin? Oh that is right - nothing on this site negative towards the Obama campaign.
Typical free pass again from the liberal media bent on getting Barack Obama elected.
It is terrible how the Democrat Party has become so hateful towards Women and Old People.

Posted by BlackBabyMom at 11:17 AM : Oct 28, 2008





What does that have to do with Obama or his campaign?

[sly_64]

Posted by BlackBabyMom

Yeah, the media should report on every supporter of either candidate , that does something stupid. There''s not enough time in 1000 years.

[grouchyjohn]

I am actually an Obama supporter, I don''''t trust McCain, and don''''t think Palin knows anything about economics. I have no problem paying taxes, but I don''''t think becuase I have a certin amount of money or certain things others are entitled to the same.

Posted by getoffmine1 at 11:20 AM : Oct 28, 2008




Wouldn''t the reverse ALSO be true?

Why should I pay 25% - 28% a year in taxes, while Warren Buffet pays only 17% because of all of the tax breaks that are available to him?

[windmaster12]

Lets see:

Mccain, Bush, and the rest of the GOP-

Managed to take Clinton''s surplus,
8 years later they replaced it with:

Bigger Gov''t --
Though they promised Smaller Govt-

Greater Debt-
Though they promised fiscal responsibility-

The largest Trade Deficit in history-
Outsourcing millions of US jobs

The Socialization of our Financial Institutions-
Pulled a Commie Chavez move-
With Billions in tax payer paid bailouts-
Institutional Welfare for Wall Street Incompetents-

War in Iraq and Afghanistan
Costing us 10 Billion + a month
Ridicule throughout the world--

But they did give Tax breaks and incentives to:
The upper 3% -
To Big Oil,
And the GOP Defense Conglomerates--


The Choice is Astonishingly Clear---

VOTE GOP
VOTE MCSAME

CONTINUE THE BUSH LEGACY
FOUR MORE GLORIOUS YEARS
OF GOP BS.

[brucie2006]

BlackBabyMom
I LOVE THE DENIAL? Hang a Black Man and it is racist yet Obama Supporters continue to trash WOMEN and OLD PEOPLE. McCain gets my vote over the Obama Hate Crowd.


The only trashing and smear campaigning is from McShame and Palin, such desperation. What a waste of time; proving it doesn''t work. A paper clip has more function then Palin...her interviews were terrible. When a 5th grader asked Palin the vice presidential job description...again for the 2nd time, Palin answered incorrectly.

[sly_64]

Posted by Brucie2006

I guess you like the direction the country is going in now.

[sly_64]

CBS=OBAMA
FOX=McCain

Where in the world can we go to get unbiased news.
This article and majority of the news coverage by CBS has been unfairly biased.

CBS... U suck just as bad as FOX

Stay neutral if you are going to provide news IDIOTS


Posted by wahaha1234

It''s all about money, nothing else, money. Whoever gives money to the networks, gets their support.

There is no such thing as an unbiased opinion.

[rudy654-2009]

Because that was actually a Republican that has done that.Another McCain Camp stunt,just like the Race baiting in Pittsburg.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by obiden08 at 11:28 AM

Exactly. They didn''t report that at first, but then I noticed that the jerk said that he was trying to make a point by saying that had he put up an effigy of Obama rocks would have been thrown through his window. He was deliberate.

[roberto4tex]

What we should fear is black racism. Racism by whites toward blacks have reduced in America, but now we have reverse racism from the blacks. Racism is evil no matter from whom and towards whom it is. I%u2019ve noticed many whites are scared to put McCain-Palin stickers on their cars because the blacks might burn their cars or kill them out of anger.
Barrack Hussein will not win, because of all the other ethnic voters who have experienced and seen the Racism by Blacks with their racist attitudes in society and movies. No they will not vote for Barrack Hussein, who is a racist along with Oprah, FarraKKKan, rev Wright, Michelle %u201CI hate Whiteys%u201D Obama, Spike Lee, Malcom X, black comedians, hip-hop and rap non-artists like Ludacris, etc.)
We all know that Hispanics, Asians, women, and whites just %u201CSAY%u201D they will vote for Barrack Hussein just so the blacks won%u2019t show them their angry faces, violent behaviours, and direct foul words at them.
Don%u2019t trust the socialist media polls or ACORN polls, they poll only %u201Cundecided voters%u201D which are basically just socialist democrats with no backbones.
Barrack Hussein is too shifty and he has clearly shown to be Marxist with the goal of %u201Cspreading the wealth%u201D of hard working voters.

GOD BLESS AMERICA (not God D@! AmeriKKKa)

Would Osama Bin Liden vote for Obama bin Biden?

[brucie2006]

sly_64 at 11:40 AM

No, that is why I will vote Obama. Why repeat a disasterous 8 years of Bush and the corrupt Republicons. I have more respect for Bob Barr as a conservative and a politician, then McShame.

[irmcvet97]

It''''s all about money, nothing else, money. Whoever gives money to the networks, gets their support.

There is no such thing as an unbiased opinion.


Posted by sly_64 at 11:42 AM : Oct 28, 2008


PLEASE tell us WHAT about this Article is NOT true! I''m SO sick of people telling me what to believe... I''m tired of Neocon''s PRETENDING I don''t have a Brain and THEY are responsible for TELLING me what I hear and SEE!! We KNOW what we have NOW and we KNOW that McSame is selling the same old Snake Oil... LOL

[sly_64]

Newflash, November 7th 2008

McCain Wins !!!

- Obama Reportedly ''Not Mad, Just Disappointed''

- U.S Prepares To Invade Russia, China, Iran, Spain, Canada

- Cheney Tapped To Lead New Dept. of Ongoing Illegal Activities

- McCain Upset He Doesn''t Get Launch Codes Until January

- Bush: ''I Am Vindicated''

- Gore: ''For The Love Of God Did You People Learn Nothing?''

[briannorwood]

Big question? Why is McCain campaigning in Pennsylvania?

Fact is, PA is a solid win for Obama. He''s up 11 points in the polls, and the trend is definitly not going McCain''s way.

Seems weird to me.

[irmcvet97]

It''s up to YOU America. YOU can buy the SAME tired old Trickle Down Lie or you can go back to the Policy that was in place when the Republican''s take over. McSame PROMISES you a FIGHT with the Democrats and GRIDLOCK beyond belief. Obama promises you a TAX CUT and return to the Clinton Economic Plan. Which will it be??

[brucie2006]

News flash on Nov 4th...erratic, and ill tempered McShame looses election and goes after Palin for her stupidity and troopergate indictment.

[msgwen4]

McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he''s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html

His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

McCain opposes a woman''s right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

He voted against the children''s health care bill last year, then defended Bush''s veto of the bill.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007


He''s one of the richest people in a Senate. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

[brucie2006]

msgwen4 at 11:50 AM

thanks. spot on!

[sly_64]

Does anyone realize how much money is put aside for Bush illegally, that was put there by oil companies for favors that the Bush family did for them over the last 8 years ? !!!

[sly_64]

PAID FOR BY THE NASDP NATIONAL AMERICAN SOCIALIST DEMOCRAT PARTY.

Posted by irmcvet97 at 11:48 AM : Oct 28, 2008



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by hillaryin012

And Billlary is part of that party too.

[sly_64]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by hillaryin012

Ok hillaryin012,

What issues and ideas do you like that McCain has, and which ones of Obama''s don''t you like ?

[rhs64b]

Ha! HA! HA! Ha! HA! You poor republicans, Sarah Palin has sold her skins for some TV time.

www.chilitoz.com is reporting that Sarah Palin has signed a deal with PlayBoy Magazine to posed partially exposed in a future release of the famous nudity magazine in exchange, Heffner will run a multi-million dollar anti Obama add a day before the election.

[wdrussell1]

McCain keeps crying that he isn''t another Bush.
Where does he differ, other than the way they spell their names?

[msgwen4]

Barack may or may not win. It has nothing to do with his middle name as you so plainly stated. I''m sure many of us would have chosen a different name for ourselves. The votes against him are just that! Factually, McCain hasn''t spelled out one concise plan to put in action. There''s no compelling reason for anyone to vote for him other than the color of his skin. Thank God, all people do not share your bigotry.

[sly_64]

There are not that many rich people in the US to rob.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by hillaryin012

What do you consider rich ? You have no idea how many people in this country make over 1 million dollars a year. It''s between 10-20 million households.

[brucie2006]

sly_64
Does anyone realize how much money is put aside for Bush illegally, that was put there by oil companies for favors that the Bush family did for them over the last 8 years ? !!!

It was the bid Laden family that bailed out Bush Jr''s oil company "Harken Energy Corp." when going bankrupt. Bush and McCain have close business ties with the bin Laden family in Saudi Arabia -

[brucie2006]

KathySun at 12:03 PM :

Al Quaeda, bin Ladin is endorsing McShame, since Bush was such a looser. Maybe dumb as paper clip Palin could find bin Ladin...since she could see Russia from her house...or the Road to Nowhere.

[sly_64]

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Posted by hillaryin012

I''m hardly a lib, independant. Both parties are corrupt. Never voted democrat in my life.

But Obama makes more sense. I''d actually rather have Ross Perot bail us out of this mess.

[thechooch1]

KathySun

Pretty funny saying that Barack will be like Carter. NO evidence of that, on the other hand we know that McCain will be like the current republican policies. He has still not come out with a concrete plan to help the middle class or America for that matter. All he has done so far is call Obama a celebrity, elitist, Socialist, etc.

Name calling and character assassination isn''t working this time like the previous republican campaigns America is tired of the politics of division!

[sly_64]

Posted by Brucie2006 at 12:04 PM : Oct 28, 2008

More than Hamas and Hesbola for NO-bamma?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by hillaryin012

Way way more ! You have no idea.

[brucie2006]

DemocracyWin at 12:05 PM

Your wrong...that''s why Obama''s winning.

http://abcnews.go.com/politics/PollTracker/fullpage?id=5611512

[sly_64]

Posted by sly_64 at 12:03 PM : Oct 28, 2008

Your totally high lib. Besides, if it were true, do you think they would just roll over and let you take it from them? Jimmy Carter tried and failed.
----------------------------

That figure is completely accurate. Look it up. I approached the 10 million houshold figure in 2004.

[sly_64]

The Governor of LA and Mayor of New Orleans knew of the condition too. Did they speak up? No


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by hillaryin012

I beleive they are called "politicians" too.

politician = corrupt

[biomegaly]

I watched both running mates on FOX news this morning, as the station broadcast their polling events. John McCain and Sarah Palin spoke to the camera, to me in my living room essentially. Barack Obama did not have the same ability. I feel he is a spoonfed teleprompter left-wing liberal who will say and do anything to get your vote. He sure sounds good. But he will not be good for the USA.