Difference between revisions of "John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign"

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==Campaign Issues==
 
==Campaign Issues==
 
===Budget===
 
===Budget===
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McCain has stated he plans to balance the budget by 2013, via spending cuts by ending earmarks and proposing a one-year pause in discretionary spending, in addition to tax cuts.<ref>http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/4dbd2cc7-890e-47f1-882f-b8fc4cfecc78.htm John McCain's Economic Proposals</ref>  Economic experts, though, are skeptical that the ideas proposed by Senator McCain will create a balanced budget.  According to Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, "It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed." <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/us/politics/08budget.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Skepticism on McCain Plan to Balance Budget</ref>
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McCain has stated he plans to balance the budget by 2013, via spending cuts by ending earmarks and proposing a one-year pause in discretionary spending, in addition to tax cuts.<ref>[http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/4dbd2cc7-890e-47f1-882f-b8fc4cfecc78.htm John McCain's Economic Proposals]</ref>  Economic experts, though, are skeptical that the ideas proposed by Senator McCain will create a balanced budget.  According to Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, "It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed." <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/us/politics/08budget.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Skepticism on McCain Plan to Balance Budget]</ref>
  
 
Senator McCain proposes to hold the increase in federal spending to 2%, while it has grown at an average of 6% over the past five years.  In addition, he plans to slow the growth of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid but has not given details of how he plans to do so.   
 
Senator McCain proposes to hold the increase in federal spending to 2%, while it has grown at an average of 6% over the past five years.  In addition, he plans to slow the growth of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid but has not given details of how he plans to do so.   
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As a comparison on earmarks, if President Bush were to end all earmarks in 2008, it would cut $17 billion out of a $2.9 trillion budget, a relatively minor amount.
 
As a comparison on earmarks, if President Bush were to end all earmarks in 2008, it would cut $17 billion out of a $2.9 trillion budget, a relatively minor amount.
  
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In addition, McCain sees the ends of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as an opportunity to help reduce the deficit.  "The McCain administration would reserve all savings from victory in the Iraq and Afghanistan operations in the fight against Islamic extremists for reducing the deficit. Since all their costs were financed with deficit spending, all their savings must go to deficit reduction.”  <ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11553.html McCain promises to balance budget</ref>
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In addition, McCain sees the ends of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as an opportunity to help reduce the deficit.  "The McCain administration would reserve all savings from victory in the Iraq and Afghanistan operations in the fight against Islamic extremists for reducing the deficit. Since all their costs were financed with deficit spending, all their savings must go to deficit reduction.”  <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11553.html McCain promises to balance budget]</ref>
  
 
==Endorsements==
 
==Endorsements==
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Focus on the Family chairman [[James Dobson]] criticized McCain's opposition to passing a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage and also cites McCain's moderate family positions as detracting factors.
 
Focus on the Family chairman [[James Dobson]] criticized McCain's opposition to passing a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage and also cites McCain's moderate family positions as detracting factors.
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==References==
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{{reflist|2}}
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==See also==
 
==See also==
 
*[[John McCain]]
 
*[[John McCain]]

Revision as of 14:15, July 8, 2008

Casmier.jpg

Arizona Senator John McCain formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on April 25, 2007, although he had discussed running for months prior. If elected in 2008, McCain would become the oldest person elected President at 72 years old. He has dismissed concerns about his age and past health concerns (malignant melanoma in 2000), stating in 2005 that his health was "excellent." 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. While his campaign's success was once considered unlikely, McCain won several early primaries and went on to win enough delegates to secure the nomination. McCain had gained national prominence during his surprisingly strong presidential campaign in 2000. However, he eventually lost the Republican primaries to now-President George W. Bush.

Campaign development

McCain began the race as the presumptive front runner and the most formidable of either party, based on his longevity in the Senate and his previous race in 2000. McCain informally stated he would be a candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election on the Late Show with David Letterman on February 28, 2007, and officially announced his candidacy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, two months later. By a few weeks prior to making his announcement on Letterman, he was beginning to trail behind former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani in the polls. McCain supported the 2007 proposal by President George W. Bush for a "surge", an increase in the number of U.S. troops deployed in the Iraq War. He started a series of campaign events entitled the "No Surrender Tour." His campaign became far more prominent with his wins in the New Hampshire primary and on Super Tuesday, and since Mitt Romney endorsed him was considered a virtual certainty to win the nomination. He finally reached the 1,191 delegates to win the nomination on the Super Tuesday II contests on March 4th.

Missed votes in Senate

In May 2007, it was reported that McCain had missed 42 consecutive votes (five straight weeks) in the Senate while he was conducting his presidential campaign. From March to May, McCain only attended three floor votes in the Senate. According to Washington Post statistics, he has missed fifty-one percent of votes in the Senate.

Fund raising issues

McCain's fund raising results and campaign financials have been poor. After first-quarter fundraising totals were released in early April, totals showed McCain's $13.6 million lagging behind rivals in the race. During the second quarter he did worse, raising $11.2 million. In early July, the McCain campaign let go fifty to a hundred staffers and forced others to accept pay cuts or switch to no pay.

McCain has accepted nearly $70,000 for his presidential campaign from the top donors to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, and their family. The SBVT were condemned at the time by McCain when they ran ads questioning John Kerry's military service and his reception of the Purple Heart. The money raised is four times the amount McCain raised from those donors in the 14 years prior to launching his campaign.[1]

Campaign Issues

Budget

McCain has stated he plans to balance the budget by 2013, via spending cuts by ending earmarks and proposing a one-year pause in discretionary spending, in addition to tax cuts.[2] Economic experts, though, are skeptical that the ideas proposed by Senator McCain will create a balanced budget. According to Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, "It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed." [3]

Senator McCain proposes to hold the increase in federal spending to 2%, while it has grown at an average of 6% over the past five years. In addition, he plans to slow the growth of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid but has not given details of how he plans to do so.

As a comparison on earmarks, if President Bush were to end all earmarks in 2008, it would cut $17 billion out of a $2.9 trillion budget, a relatively minor amount.

In addition, McCain sees the ends of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as an opportunity to help reduce the deficit. "The McCain administration would reserve all savings from victory in the Iraq and Afghanistan operations in the fight against Islamic extremists for reducing the deficit. Since all their costs were financed with deficit spending, all their savings must go to deficit reduction.” [4]

Endorsements

Congressional

Governors

Mayors

Other well-known figures

Criticisms

John McCain has been frequently criticized by conservatives for his position on Campaign finance reform, Immigration, tax cuts and same-sex "marriage". Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) claimed that McCain is not only erratic in his positions, but does not serve the best interests of conservatives. He has also been criticized by the fiscal conservative political action committee (PAC) Club for Growth. Saying that,

"While Senator McCain’s economic record contains a number of pro-growth positions, such as his support for school choice and free trade, and his steadfast opposition to wasteful government spending, his overall record is tainted by a marked antipathy towards the free market and individual freedom."

Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson criticized McCain's opposition to passing a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage and also cites McCain's moderate family positions as detracting factors.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-30-swiftboat_N.htm Price of Power: McCain accepts ex-Swift Boaters' Donations
  2. ↑ John McCain's Economic Proposals
  3. ↑ Skepticism on McCain Plan to Balance Budget
  4. ↑ McCain promises to balance budget

See also

External links

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