Difference between revisions of "John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign"

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McCain's co-chairman and top economic adviser, former Senator Phil Gramm, stated the United States was only in a "mental recession" and had become a "nation of whiners".  A campaign aide stated, "Mr. Gramm was simply saying that we are laying out the economic plan this week." <ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/10/mccain-campaign-initially_n_111929.html McCain Campaign Initially Stood By Gramm]</ref> McCain later repudiated the remarks at a gathering of supporters.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11campaign.html?hp Gramm Refers to 'Nation of Whiners']</ref>  Despite McCain's disagreement with the remarks, he has made similar comments in the campaign himself.  In January, McCain stated, "As far as putting additional money in taxpayers pocket, that's fine,  because a lot of it is psychological. Because I agree the fundamentals of our economy is still strong."<ref>http://youtube.com/watch?v=6aHJT1Ol0iE&v3</ref>  In April, he stated, "I’m very concerned about it, Neil. And obviously the way it’s been going up is just terrible. But I think psychologically — and a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological — the confidence, trust, the uncertainty about our economic future, ability to keep our own home. This might give them a little psychological boost. Let’s have some straight talk, it’s not a huge amount of money."<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/19/mccain-a-lot-of-our-problems-today-are-psychological/ McCain: 'A lot of our problems today are psychological']</ref>
 
McCain's co-chairman and top economic adviser, former Senator Phil Gramm, stated the United States was only in a "mental recession" and had become a "nation of whiners".  A campaign aide stated, "Mr. Gramm was simply saying that we are laying out the economic plan this week." <ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/10/mccain-campaign-initially_n_111929.html McCain Campaign Initially Stood By Gramm]</ref> McCain later repudiated the remarks at a gathering of supporters.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11campaign.html?hp Gramm Refers to 'Nation of Whiners']</ref>  Despite McCain's disagreement with the remarks, he has made similar comments in the campaign himself.  In January, McCain stated, "As far as putting additional money in taxpayers pocket, that's fine,  because a lot of it is psychological. Because I agree the fundamentals of our economy is still strong."<ref>http://youtube.com/watch?v=6aHJT1Ol0iE&v3</ref>  In April, he stated, "I’m very concerned about it, Neil. And obviously the way it’s been going up is just terrible. But I think psychologically — and a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological — the confidence, trust, the uncertainty about our economic future, ability to keep our own home. This might give them a little psychological boost. Let’s have some straight talk, it’s not a huge amount of money."<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/19/mccain-a-lot-of-our-problems-today-are-psychological/ McCain: 'A lot of our problems today are psychological']</ref>
  
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John McCain is often criticized for "slips of the tongue" or "verbal gaffes".  During a speech on July 14th, 2008, he expressed concern over Russia "reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia."  Czechoslovakia hasn't existed for nearly twenty years.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/Remembering_Czechoslovakia.html Remembering Czechoslovakia]</ref>   
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John McCain is often criticized for "slips of the tongue" or "verbal gaffes".  During a speech on July 14th, 2008, he expressed concern over Russia "reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia."  Czechoslovakia hasn't existed for nearly twenty years.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0708/Remembering_Czechoslovakia.html Remembering Czechoslovakia]</ref>  His campaign sent out a statement on the issues, which quoted McCain saying "Czech Republic" twice.  But the following day, in another speech, McCain made the same gaffe again stating, "And I regret some of the recent behavior Russia that has exhibited, and I’ll be glad to talk about that later on including reduction in oil supplies to Czechoslovakia..."<ref>[http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/16/mccain-again-cites-current-events-in-czechoslovakia/ McCain Again Cites Current Events in Czechoslovakia]</ref>
  
 
In an era pervaded with computers, Senator McCain has great difficulty using a computer.  During an interview with Yahoo News, McCain was asked if he used a Mac or a PC.  He replied, "Neither.  I'm an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all the assistance I can get."<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R9wnMVZE_Q Youtube: John McCain Admits He Can't Use a A Computer]</ref>  During an interview on July 12th, he provided more information, stating that he relied on his wife and aides to get him online.  "They go on for me,” he said. “I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need."  He followed up, stating that he did not use a Blackberry, but reads messages on aides' Blackberries. “I don’t e-mail, I’ve never felt the particular need to e-mail,” Mr. McCain said.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/us/politics/13mccain.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1216062882-WQLoVeqid4IdgFtNqjqEXQ</ref>
 
In an era pervaded with computers, Senator McCain has great difficulty using a computer.  During an interview with Yahoo News, McCain was asked if he used a Mac or a PC.  He replied, "Neither.  I'm an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all the assistance I can get."<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R9wnMVZE_Q Youtube: John McCain Admits He Can't Use a A Computer]</ref>  During an interview on July 12th, he provided more information, stating that he relied on his wife and aides to get him online.  "They go on for me,” he said. “I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need."  He followed up, stating that he did not use a Blackberry, but reads messages on aides' Blackberries. “I don’t e-mail, I’ve never felt the particular need to e-mail,” Mr. McCain said.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/us/politics/13mccain.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1216062882-WQLoVeqid4IdgFtNqjqEXQ</ref>

Revision as of 13:00, July 16, 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

Based on his longevity in the Senate and his previous race in 2000, McCain already had name recognition coming up to the 2008 election. He 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. 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, which thankfully for McCain was a success. 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]

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.

McCain's co-chairman and top economic adviser, former Senator Phil Gramm, stated the United States was only in a "mental recession" and had become a "nation of whiners". A campaign aide stated, "Mr. Gramm was simply saying that we are laying out the economic plan this week." [5] McCain later repudiated the remarks at a gathering of supporters.[6] Despite McCain's disagreement with the remarks, he has made similar comments in the campaign himself. In January, McCain stated, "As far as putting additional money in taxpayers pocket, that's fine, because a lot of it is psychological. Because I agree the fundamentals of our economy is still strong."[7] In April, he stated, "I’m very concerned about it, Neil. And obviously the way it’s been going up is just terrible. But I think psychologically — and a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological — the confidence, trust, the uncertainty about our economic future, ability to keep our own home. This might give them a little psychological boost. Let’s have some straight talk, it’s not a huge amount of money."[8]

John McCain is often criticized for "slips of the tongue" or "verbal gaffes". During a speech on July 14th, 2008, he expressed concern over Russia "reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia." Czechoslovakia hasn't existed for nearly twenty years.[9] His campaign sent out a statement on the issues, which quoted McCain saying "Czech Republic" twice. But the following day, in another speech, McCain made the same gaffe again stating, "And I regret some of the recent behavior Russia that has exhibited, and I’ll be glad to talk about that later on including reduction in oil supplies to Czechoslovakia..."[10]

In an era pervaded with computers, Senator McCain has great difficulty using a computer. During an interview with Yahoo News, McCain was asked if he used a Mac or a PC. He replied, "Neither. I'm an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all the assistance I can get."[11] During an interview on July 12th, he provided more information, stating that he relied on his wife and aides to get him online. "They go on for me,” he said. “I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need." He followed up, stating that he did not use a Blackberry, but reads messages on aides' Blackberries. “I don’t e-mail, I’ve never felt the particular need to e-mail,” Mr. McCain said.[12]

Endorsements

Congressional

Governors

Mayors

Other well-known figures

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
  5. ↑ McCain Campaign Initially Stood By Gramm
  6. ↑ Gramm Refers to 'Nation of Whiners'
  7. ↑ http://youtube.com/watch?v=6aHJT1Ol0iE&v3
  8. ↑ McCain: 'A lot of our problems today are psychological'
  9. ↑ Remembering Czechoslovakia
  10. ↑ McCain Again Cites Current Events in Czechoslovakia
  11. ↑ Youtube: John McCain Admits He Can't Use a A Computer
  12. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/us/politics/13mccain.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1216062882-WQLoVeqid4IdgFtNqjqEXQ

See also

External links

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