Picking a past president to lead?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
As the candidates continue to battle it out on the campaign trail today – President's Day – they all have their eyes on the grand prize: becoming the 44th president of the United States.
With 70% of Americans saying this country is headed in the wrong direction, it's clear the country is hungry for a leader who will change course from the past eight years and get us back on track. Of course, while looking forward, sometimes people also look back – remembering the past as better, more prosperous or easier times.
A new Gallup poll asks people if they could bring back any U.S. president, living or dead, to be the next leader of this country who it would be. 23% of those surveyed said John F. Kennedy. 22% said Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton was next at 13%, followed by Abraham Lincoln at 10% and Franklin Roosevelt at 8%. The current president, George W. Bush, 1%. Less than a rave review.
The possibilities this time around are exciting if for no other reason than the possibility of electing the first woman or the first African-American president ever. But what if we could turn back the clock?
Here’s my question to you: If you could choose any former U.S president to lead this country now, who would it be and why?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
President Bush’s role in McCain’s campaign?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
John McCain is facing a tricky decision when it comes to how much he should, or shouldn't, use President Bush in his campaign.
The New York Times reports that McCain's advisers will ask the White House to send the president out for major fund-raising, but they don't want him to appear too often by McCain's side. This has a lot to do with President Bush's terrible approval ratings which are hovering around 30.
The position is a difficult one for McCain. He needs to figure out how much he wants President Bush out there to try to get more support from conservatives while at the same time not alienating independents and moderate Democrats.
This probably means the president will make solo appearances before evangelicals, campaign where there are important House and Senate races, and attend big Republican fund-raising dinners.
However, in response to the Times story, McCain said he'd be honored to have the president's support and "to be anywhere with him under any circumstances."
Nevertheless, all this is not lost on the Democrats. They're already linking McCain to President Bush, calling it a "Bush-McCain" ticket that would be like giving President Bush a 3rd term.
One adviser suggests it would be a bad idea to keep Mr. Bush too far away from McCain since he's still popular with the base, saying that would be similar to what Al Gore did in 2000. Some Democrats say part of the reason Gore lost that election was because he distanced himself from President Bill Clinton, who remained popular among Democrats even though he was knee-deep in scandal.
Here’s my question to you: How much should John McCain use President Bush on the campaign trail?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Clinton allies question reliance on superdelegates?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Hillary Clinton probably doesn't like the message coming from some of her supporters, who are now questioning her reliance on superdelegates in order to beat Barack Obama.
New York Congressman Charlie Rangel, who is one of Clinton's top African-American allies, insists it's the people, and not the superdelegates, who will select the Democratic nominee for president. Rangel adds, "The people's will is what's going to prevail at the convention and not people who decide what the people's will is."
Then there's New York Senator Chuck Schumer, another big Clinton supporter, who doesn't seem pleased with Clinton's willingness to fight it out with Obama on the floor of the convention in August. New York's senior senator is calling on both Clinton and Obama to agree on a winner after the last caucus in June. He says, "I don't think either candidate wants, or can even get away with, forcing their will down the throat of the other."
Meanwhile, Clinton shows no signs of letting up. She's been calling on superdelegates to make their own decisions about whether to support her or Obama. She says they should "exercise independent judgment" and should not just anoint the candidate who is leading after the primaries. Sure, why give the nomination to the candidate who has the most support from the people?
Obama has won the last eight Democratic contests in a row and leads Clinton among pledged and total delegates. However, he still trails her among superdelegates.
Here’s my question to you: What does it mean if some of Hillary Clinton’s allies are now questioning her reliance on superdelegates to win?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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