Changes

Senator McCain has announced that he will accept public financing for the general election.  After his party's nominating convention, the Federal Elections Commission will provide him with a check for $85 million.  His opponent, Senator Obama, has chosen to opt-out of the general election financing, the first major candidate to do so since the inception of federal funding.  Obama's campaign has stated that they expect to bring in more than the $85 million provided by the FEC and therefore do not want to abide by the spending limits incurred by accepting federal funding.  To balance out the expected fundraising advantage Senator Obama has, Senator McCain will be relying also on the Republican National Committee to help with the campaign through advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.  The RNC has a distinct fundraising advantage over its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic National Committee.  The lack of funds, though, will hurt down-ticket Republicans who will not be able to fall back on RNC fundraising, but instead will have to rely on their own efforts as well as that of the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee which have lagged compared to their Democratic counterparts, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Senator McCain has announced that he will accept public financing for the general election.  After his party's nominating convention, the Federal Elections Commission will provide him with a check for $85 million.  His opponent, Senator Obama, has chosen to opt-out of the general election financing, the first major candidate to do so since the inception of federal funding.  Obama's campaign has stated that they expect to bring in more than the $85 million provided by the FEC and therefore do not want to abide by the spending limits incurred by accepting federal funding.  To balance out the expected fundraising advantage Senator Obama has, Senator McCain will be relying also on the Republican National Committee to help with the campaign through advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.  The RNC has a distinct fundraising advantage over its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic National Committee.  The lack of funds, though, will hurt down-ticket Republicans who will not be able to fall back on RNC fundraising, but instead will have to rely on their own efforts as well as that of the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee which have lagged compared to their Democratic counterparts, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

===Negatives===

===Negatives===

The Democratic campaign has tried to undercut McCain's image as a maverick and his popularity among independents and Democrats by charging that he votes with President Bush 90% of the time (actually, Bush does not vote in the Senate) while trying to sidestep that Obama votes with the Democratic party 97% of the time.

The Democratic campaign has tried to undercut McCain's image as a maverick and his popularity among independents and Democrats by charging that he votes with President Bush 90% of the time (actually, Bush does not vote in the Senate.)  

====Eligibility====

====Eligibility====

McCain would also become the first President of the United States to be born in a U.S. territory (the Panama Canal Zone) outside of the current 50 states. Although McCain was not born within a state of the United States, his US citizenship (and future eligibility to be elected to the presidency) was assured at birth both by jus sanguinis, since both of his parents were U.S. citizens, and jus soli, as the Canal Zone was at that time a United States possession.

McCain would also become the first President of the United States to be born in a U.S. territory (the Panama Canal Zone) outside of the current 50 states. Although McCain was not born within a state of the United States, his US citizenship (and future eligibility to be elected to the presidency) was assured at birth both by jus sanguinis, since both of his parents were U.S. citizens, and jus soli, as the Canal Zone was at that time a United States possession.  

 

==Campaign Issues==

==Campaign Issues==

===Budget===

===Budget===