McCain, Obama Reject ABC Town Hall Meeting

Senator digs into territory Bush largely carried in 2004

(NEWSER) - John McCain’s campaign map for the next few days puts him on the defensive, touring mostly states that President Bush won in 2004, Politico reports. Tomorrow’s schedule puts him in Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona, all Bush states except the Keystone State. Meanwhile, Barack Obama is also sticking to red states, breaking out of traditional Democratic ground. More»

Fractious Q&As and need for 'volume' forces shift to big rallies

(NEWSER) - John McCain hasn’t held one of his trademark town hall meetings since early October, and it’s not only because they started turning nasty, Politico reports. Though the question-and-answer format revealed some distressing misconceptions in the McCain faithful, town halls also are much smaller than more spectacular rallies. “The final weeks are all about volume, volume, volume,” a political scientist said. More»

GOP battles Dems' big advantage in polls, registration

(NEWSER) - John McCain is going full throttle in Pennsylvania, but his work is cut out for him: He’s behind 12-15 points in state polls, and Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans in the state, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. McCain, wife Cindy, and Sarah Palin have stumped heavily there all week. “We will win Pennsylvania,” said a rep. “We wouldn't be here unless we were 100% confident of that." More»

How they acted

(NEWSER) - What viewers see is as important as what they hear in debates. So what did pundits see?

• "The expressions on John McCain's face, and the irritation in his voice, said it all," writes the San Francisco Chronicle. McCain “was a portrait of frustration,” while Obama looked like the proverbial “cool hand at the tiller”—just what McCain said the country needs.

Candidates won't be as easily able to duck pointed questions in tonight's debate format

(NEWSER) - The presidential candidates will be walking into a lion’s den tonight, forced to face those most dangerous of creatures: undecided voters. The town-hall debate could be a “snooze-fest,” writes John Dickerson on Slate, but there’s also a chance “Ponytail Guy”—the town-haller who famously befuddled George H.W. Bush in 1992—will show up. If that happens, John McCain could be in trouble. More»