McCain 2008

Debate Winner? He Who Beats Expectations

Politico  |  Sep 24, 08 2:20 PM CDT

(Newser) - To win the presidential debates, Barack Obama and John McCain need to beat expectations, political strategist Mark Penn writes on Politico. Penn, who most recently was Hillary Clinton’s top strategist, argues that reinforcing one’s strengths does nothing: Voters know Obama, for example, is a skilled speaker, so he needs to be “clear and substantive,” and refrain from flashy rhetoric. More »

Brown: Free Palin From Mac's 'Chauvinistic Chains'

Chicago Tribune  |  Sep 24, 08 12:26 PM CDT

(Newser) - Another rant on sexism has political bloggers buzzing today, Mark Silva notes in the Swamp. Only in this one, CNN’s Campbell Brown lays into the McCain campaign for clamping “chauvinistic chains” on Sarah Palin by not letting her take questions from the media as other candidates do. More »

Both Candidates Are Playing It Too Safe

Washington Post  |  Sep 24, 08 12:02 PM CDT

(Newser) - In facing an extraordinary economic crisis, the presidential nominees are falling back on party orthodoxy instead of staking out bold new positions, Michael Gerson writes with regret in the Washington Post. Both candidates, earlier in the campaign, proved they are capable of provocative ideas, but now they're singing the old standards: Barack Obama wants to redistribute wealth despite the clearly deepening recession; John McCain wants to slash taxes despite the ballooning deficit. More »

Freddie Mac Paid Monthly $15K to McCain Aide's Firm

New York Times  |  Sep 24, 08 5:10 AM CDT

(Newser) - A firm owned by John McCain's campaign manager received $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac until the mortgage giant was taken over by the government this month, insiders tell the New York Times . McCain insisted just days ago that it's been years since aide Rick Davis had any contact with Freddie Mac. More »

Obama Cracks Open Lead on Economic Fears

Washington Post  |  Sep 24, 08 4:31 AM CDT

(Newser) - Wall Street's worries are working in Barack Obama's favor, according to a new Washington Post/ ABC News poll. The candidate has opened up his first clear lead of the race against John McCain, 52% to 43%, with much of the boost coming from voters who see him as more capable of dealing with the economic woes facing the nation. More »

Let Trig and Track's Mom Rename You

Philadelphia Inquirer  |  Sep 23, 08 4:55 PM CDT

(Newser) - What if Sarah Palin—mom to Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow and Piper—could rename those of us with less creative parents? The Philadelphia Inquirer plugs some into a name generator rigged up by blogger David Harrington at Polit Tsk Tsk Tsk, and gets: John "Steam Fangs" McCain Barack "Tarp Lazer" Obama More »

Dems Get Higher Doses of Drug Company Donations

Politico  |  Sep 23, 08 4:43 PM CDT

(Newser) - Pharmaceutical firms have been a stalwart Republican ally—$22 million of the industry’s $30 billion in contributions went to GOP congressional candidates in 2002—but drug makers are increasingly supporting Democrats, Jeanne Cummings reports in Politico. Programs such as President Bush’s prescription-drug plan mean half of pharmaceutical sales are controlled by the government, and big pharma depends on those programs staying well-funded—familiar territory for Democrats. More »

McCain Plays Horton-Like Race Card: Dukakis

PolitickerMA  |  Sep 23, 08 4:30 PM CDT

(Newser) - Michael Dukakis says John McCain is using the same race-based tactics that sunk the Massachusetts Democrat’s 1988 presidential campaign, PolitickerMA reports. Dukakis cites an ad that criticizes Barack Obama’s supposed economic advisor, disgraced Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines, who’s also black. Dukakis called the spot “essentially” similar to the Willie Horton ads used to paint him as soft on crime. More »

McCain Dodges Keating Bullet, For Now

Raw Story  |  Sep 23, 08 3:00 PM CDT

(Newser) - John McCain is getting a free ride amid the current US financial storm, Newsweek ’s Jonathan Alter told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann last night, citing the Republican’s involvement in the Keating Five savings-and-loan debacle of the late 1980s. “McCain thinks he's getting a hard time, he's really getting a free ride on the fact that he was in the middle of the last great financial scandal in our country,” Alter said. More »

Palin Reconsiders, Lets Press Tag Along at UN Meetings

Associated Press  |  Sep 23, 08 2:17 PM CDT

(Newser) - Sarah Palin gave in to protests from reporters today and allowed them to observe meetings with world leaders at the United Nations, the AP reports; her staff had earlier said only photographers and a TV crew would be invited to sessions with Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai and Columbia's Alvaro Uribe. A campaign spokeswoman, after earlier saying the restrictions were not open to debate, called the incident “miscommunication.” More »

The Debates: Tough, Biting McCain...

New York Times  |  Sep 23, 08 2:02 PM CDT

(Newser) - John McCain has triumphed in a fair share of debates with a comfortably combative style, biting rhetoric, and a willingness to distort his opponents' views, writes Katharine Q. Seelye in the New York Times . He does best on matters of foreign policy—the topic of Friday's debate—and often brings in his captivity in Vietnam while answering wholly unrelated questions. But when debates stray from his favorite issues, McCain can seem wooden and uninterested. More »

Candidates Decry Crisis, but Don't Change Plans