Why are Dems more enthusiastic about election?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
While the Republican delegates and party officials scream and stomp their feet in support of John McCain in St. Paul, it turns out the rest of the Republican Party is less fired up about the election than the Democrats are.
A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows a slight increase in voter enthusiasm among both parties since the Democrats held their convention and McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate.
But, Democrats hold a significant lead: 61% of them say they're more enthusiastic than usual about voting this time around, compared to just 42% of Republicans who feel that way.
It's worth noting that there's been a decline in voter enthusiasm since January and February when the numbers were off the chart during the heated primary season. In fact, levels of voter enthusiasm are now lower than they were in 2004 at this same time.
Part of the reason might be that some people have gotten tired of what seems like a never-ending race to the White House. Also, Gallup suggests the decline in Democratic enthusiasm could be due to the disappointment of Hillary Clinton supporters.
Nevertheless, the Democrats hold the edge – and it's something that couldn't be missed in the excitement and size of that crowd at Invesco field last week, much like the crowds Barack Obama has been drawing since he entered this race.
There's no question that for either Obama or McCain to win in November, they're going to have to rally their bases and get their supporters out to the polls.
Here’s my question to you: Why are Democrats more enthusiastic about the election than Republicans are?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Was Palin properly vetted to be McCain’s V.P.?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
There's a growing sense that John McCain may not have done all his homework before making his V.P. pick.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is now grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons: her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant.Palin has hired a private lawyer in the trooper probe ethics investigation. She was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it. Palin appeared at a convention of the Alaska Independence Party - which tried to get votes on whether the state should secede from the union. Her husband was arrested 22 years ago on a DUI. And, although Palin is now railing against earmarks, she got hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for local projects as both governor and as mayor of Wasilla.
Watch: Cafferty: Palin vetting?
There's more. What about her foreign policy credentials? CNN's Campbell Brown repeatedly asked McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds last night why Palin is ready to be commander-in-chief, what qualifications she has, and to name one foreign policy decision Palin has made – Campbell never got an answer. It's reported that Palin may have only traveled overseas once, last year to Germany and Kuwait.
This has all led many to wonder how thorough of a vetting the Alaska governor got. McCain only met with Palin once and had one phone conversation with her before offering her the job. It raises serious questions about the kind of judgment McCain would use as president to make other big decisions.
Here’s my question to you: Was Governor Sarah Palin properly vetted before being named John McCain’s V.P.?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Will the Iraq War be an important issue come November?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/09/02/art.anbar.signing.gi.jpg caption="U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly and Anbar Province Governor Maamoun Sami Rashid al-Alwani sign papers during a handover ceremony in Ramadi, Monday."]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
There was more good news from Iraq over the holiday weekend. The United States military has ceded control of Anbar province, once one of the deadliest places in that country, to the Iraqi military.
American casualties continue to be way down from their peak, and there seems now to be a growing consensus that the American military is going to be able to leave that country sometime in the next couple of years.
The situation has come a long way from the darkest days when millions of Iraqis became refugees, hundreds of thousands were killed and nothing approaching political stability was anywhere on the horizon.
The oil is flowing once again from Iraq – they have an $80 billion surplus sitting in banks now, and something resembling stability is threatening to return. With the tribal animosities that go back thousands of years however, it's too soon to declare victory. But there's no doubt about it: things are looking up. As evidence of this – a recent CNN poll indicates only 18% of Americans consider the war in Iraq to be the number one issue in November's election. 48% say it's the economy.
Here’s my question to you: How important will the Iraq war be to voters come November?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
McCain V.P. pick younger, less experienced than Obama
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP PHOTO)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
All we have heard from John McCain for months is, "Barack Obama is too young. Barack Obama is too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief. Who do you want answering the phone in the White House at three a.m.? Blah, blah, blah."
So what does McCain do? He picks someone to be his running mate who is even younger than Barack Obama and has less experience.
Sara Palin is 44 – Obama is 47. Sara Palin is in her first term as governor of Alaska, a state that has 13 people and some caribou. Obama is a member of the United States Senate from Illinois.
It's not a big deal, except for this: If McCain wins, he will be the oldest person ever inaugurated for a first term at 72. He has a history of health problems that include bouts of melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer. It is reasonable to consider that McCain's running mate could be called upon to be our president.
Watch: Cafferty: McCain's VP mistake?
Meanwhile, some may see this as a move for McCain to attract disaffected women who voted for Hillary Clinton and aren't yet behind Obama. But that might not work for a few reasons: Palin, like McCain, is pro-life. Also, she might be a woman, but she's no Hillary Clinton – when it comes to her experience or her ideology.
At some point, voters will have to ask themselves who they would want running the country if it ever became necessary: Joe Biden or Sarah Palin.
Here’s my question to you: Does John McCain undercut his own message by naming someone even younger and more inexperienced than Barack Obama to be his running mate?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
67 days to go, what should Obama do to win?
Obama's campaign is encouraging his supporters to reach out to unregistered voters.(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
"We are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight."
And with that, Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination in front of 84,000 people in Denver, Colorado. It was the climax to a political convention unlike anything anyone's ever seen before.
To the relief of many Democrats, Obama ripped into his rival John McCain, painting him as out of touch with ordinary Americans, "It's not because John McCain doesn't care... it's because John McCain doesn't get it." Obama described his own upbringing by a single mother and grandmother, food stamps, student loans, etc. – saying "I don't know what kind of lives McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine."
He referenced McCain's famous temper, saying he's ready to debate McCain on who has the temperament, and judgment, to be commander in chief. The crowd ate it up.
But the Democratic convention is now over and Obama and Joe Biden have just 67 days to close the deal with voters. They started today with a bus tour of the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.
Obama's campaign encouraged his supporters to text message friends and call thousands of unregistered voters. The campaign says it's identified 55 million unregistered voters across the country – including about 8 million blacks, 8 million Hispanics, and 7.5 million people between the ages of 18 to 24. These Americans could elect our first African-American president.
Here’s my question to you: In the final 67 days, what does Barack Obama have to do to win the White House?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Can Hillary make the difference for Obama?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.(PHOTO CREDIT: AP PHOTO)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
If someone in the Obama camp doesn't turn this into a campaign slogan, they're not as smart as I thought they were. "No way. No how. No McCain.” With those words, Hillary Clinton finally hit one out of the park last night for Barack Obama. Our John King got it right last night when he said Clinton is "a big game player" and this was a "big game speech."
It might have been the best speech she ever made, calling for party unity and for her 18 million supporters - the "sisterhood of the travelling pantsuits" - to back Obama in November. One of her better lines was, "We don't need 4 more years of the last 8 years.”
Clinton also lashed out at John McCain on the economy, health care, Social Security. Another good line: It makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart.
Watch: Cafferty: Can Hillary help?
Joe Biden turned out to be "bounceless"in the polls but Barack Obama might just get one from Hillary.
It was interesting that in her speech Clinton said she was honored to be there as a proud mother, Democrat, senator, American and Obama supporter. With her husband looking on in the audience - she made no mention of being a proud "wife."
Hillary Clinton plans to attend Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field tomorrow night. But her husband is reportedly not going to be there. Bill Clinton speaks tonight… and while he's good, he'll have to bring his "A" game to top his wife's performance last evening.
Here’s my question to you: When it comes to Barack Obama winning the White House, can Hillary Clinton make the difference?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Higher taxes a sure thing with next president?
(PHOTO CREDIT: GALLUP)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
During these shaky economic times, many Americans are betting on higher taxes – no matter who the next president is.
A new Gallup poll shows 53% of those surveyed think Barack Obama would raise their taxes as president; 34% think John McCain would hike taxes if he gets the job. Both of these numbers are higher than what Americans expected from John Kerry and George Bush last time around.
And, what's especially interesting is that a substantial number of independents – that ever-important voting bloc – think their taxes will go up under either candidate.
Republican John McCain has pledged to renew President Bush's tax cuts, which he opposed twice while in the Senate. However after he promised not to raise taxes, McCain now says nothing can be ruled out in order to keep Social Security solvent.
As for the Democrat, Barack Obama, he's said he'll raise income taxes on the wealthiest but provide a tax cut to middle class Americans.
Although more people think their taxes would go up under an Obama administration – they also think he is better equipped to handle the issue of taxes. Gallup suggests this may be because a majority of Americans think Obama's policies will benefit the middle class and the poor most... while they think McCain's policies will help the wealthy.
Here’s my question to you: Are higher taxes inevitable with the next president?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Are you better off now than 8 years ago?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Ronald Reagan had some success with this question a few years ago and things weren't nearly as crummy then as they are now: Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago? But this time it's been 8 years.
Think about it: unemployment is rising. The rate stands at 5.7% and we have lost 463,000 jobs since the first of the year. And so is inflation. It's accelerating at a faster rate than it has in 17 years. Gas prices are up 34% in the last year. Oil was around $26 a barrel when President Bush was inaugurated... it touched $147 a few weeks ago. More than 1 million homes are now in foreclosure.
Here are some national comparisons between today and where things were 8 years ago: Americans' wages have actually gone down since the last recession ended. And we are spending 14.1% of our disposable income on debt; that's higher than it was in 2001.
Americans are pretty glum about the future, too. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index stood at almost 85% in 2001; now it's just below 52%.
Also, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll finds 75% of those surveyed think the economy is in bad shape; that's compared to just 43% who felt that way a year ago.
So as the conventions get under way and the campaign for the White House heats up - voters have a lot to think about.
Here’s my question to you: With the election 71 days away, are you better off now than you were eight years ago?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Could not picking Hillary cost Obama the election?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
I have started writing a weekly column for CNN.com. This week the headline is "The Beverly Hillary-billies come to Denver." (You will be able to read it tomorrow on cnn.com.)
Despite all the rosy assurances from both sides, there are signs of lingering deep bitterness between the Obama and Clinton camps. And it's a division and bitterness you could see coming in South Carolina. And John McCain is using Hillary Clinton like a baseball bat to hit Barack Obama over the head, using her own words from the primaries against him.
The Clintons will have ample opportunity to try to heal the wounds this week at the convention, but I'm beginning to wonder if they're capable. Hillary speaks tomorrow night, former president Bill Clinton on Wednesday night.
Watch: Cafferty: Clinton overlooked?
According to CNN's own poll, 66% of Clinton supporters – these are registered Democrats who wanted Hillary to be the nominee – 66% say they're backing Obama. That's down from 75% in June. At the same time, the number of Clinton Democrats who say they will vote for John McCain has gone up 11% since June.
And this may be the telling number. Only 59% of Hillary's supporters say the selection of Senator Joe Biden as Obama's running mate was an "excellent" or "good" decision. Among all registered Democrats that number jumps to 73%.
Here’s my question to you: Is it possible that not picking Hillary Clinton as a running mate could cost Barack Obama the election?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Do you care who V.P. candidates are?
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/08/20/art.waving.flags.gi.jp.jpg caption="Does it matter who comes out on top in the veepstakes?"]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Michael Phelps got his eight gold medals. So what's left to talk about? Here we are in V-P speculation overdrive.
There are the candidates. Who will help the presidential candidate the most in garnering votes - by augmenting experience and not by outshining him? On the Democratic side we've got Senator Joe Biden, the Capitol Hill insider with foreign policy credentials; and then there are the picks who could help Senator Obama in key state races: Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.
There are the longshots: another foreign policy and defense expert.. former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn. Obama named him one of the top three people he would go to for advice. Of course, the PUMAS still hold out a chance that Hillary Clinton will be the nominee. And how about Caroline Kennedy? She's helping to manage the campaign's VP selection. Now there is a groundswell calling for her to pull a Cheney and name herself Vice President.
On the Republican side, the latest veepstakes speculation is on Tom Ridge, the former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security official who is pro-choice – to the outrage of Republican conservatives. Democrat-turned Independent Senator Joe Lieberman is another wildcard nominee being bandied about. The safer Republicans include former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, or Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Then we have the announcement. When, where… timing and place are key. We need to get a life. The Obama campaign promises that its supporters will know first via text message. Could come any day now as a campaign event is planned for Illinois on Saturday.
All this to do for a job that consists of breaking tie votes in the U.S. Senate, attending ceremonial events, and trying to stay awake. Unless, of course, you're Dick Cheney in which case you run the country for eight years.
Here’s my question to you: How much do you really care who the V.P. candidates
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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