Does Palin help or hurt McCain?
On October 2, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden will have a vice presidential debate (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Sarah Palin electrified that crowd of Republican delegates and supporters last night in St. Paul.
The little known Alaska Governor – who was thrust into the spotlight last week as John McCain's running mate – went on the attack against Barack Obama as well as the media and the so-called Washington elite, while praising McCain. She introduced her family and painted herself as someone who can relate to small town, working-class Americans. Palin described herself as an outsider to Washington – an "average hockey mom" who joined the local PTA which started her rise to governor.
But when it came to solutions to America's myriad problems, Palin was noticeably lacking. She stuck mostly to what she knows: energy. And although she claimed to be as qualified as Obama to be president, Palin didn't tell us what exactly she would do as vice president, a job whose description she wasn't quite clear on just one month ago.
Last night was part one for Palin, and she proved she can rally the base in a way that McCain can't. But, she still hasn't faced questions from the media – which presumably will happen at some point now that she's hitting the campaign trail. At some point Palin will be forced to deal with events that are less scripted and less friendly than last night's. On October 2, she and Joe Biden will tangle in the vice presidential debate where his foreign policy experience dwarfs hers.
Here’s my question to you: Does Sarah Palin help or hurt John McCain's chances of becoming president?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should McCain consider replacing Palin?
The Washington Post reports that the head of McCain's vetting team didn't do an in-depth interview with Palin until the day before she was offered the number two slot. Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
When it comes to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the hits just keep on coming.
Some of the latest revelations surrounding John McCain's surprise choice of a running mate: The Associated Press reports a private lawyer has been authorized to spend $95,000 dollars of state money to defend Palin in the trooper ethics probe. Contrary to her message of reform, Palin worked to get pork barrel projects for her city and state. Also, according to the A.P., her husband was once a member of the Alaska Independence Party, some members in that group advocate that Alaska secede from the Union. Also, the boyfriend of Palin's 17-year-old unmarried pregnant daughter is expected to join the family at the GOP convention.
Watch: Cafferty: Replace Palin as VP?
The McCain camp is pushing back hard, calling questions about Palin's background a "faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee" for V.P. and suggesting Palin is a victim of gender bias in the media. Where have we heard that before? They insist Palin was subject to a "long and thorough" vetting process. Really? The Washington Post reports that the head of McCain's vetting team didn't do an in-depth interview with Palin until the day before she was offered the number two slot.
Some are wondering if Sarah Palin could turn out to be another Harriet Miers, a vastly underqualified woman who was nominated by President Bush to become a Supreme Court Justice. Miers later had to withdraw her name from consideration. Gee… there's that parallel again.
No presidential candidate has withdrawn his V.P. pick since Democrat George McGovern in 1972. McGovern dropped Thomas Eagleton after 18 days as revelations surfaced about his mental health. Eagleton, too, had been a last minute pick.
Here’s my question to you: Should John McCain consider replacing Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket?
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 Bush’s convention speech help or hurt McCain?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The good news is: Hurricane Gustav spared New Orleans a direct hit. The bad news is: it freed up President Bush to appear at the Republican Convention tonight.
President Bush won't speak in person, but will address the convention by satellite from the White House. Some Republicans were actually relieved yesterday when they found out the president – whose approval ratings are at record low levels – wouldn't be in St. Paul because of the hurricane. They did manage to get rid of Vice President Cheney, who is on an overseas trip. But they still have Joe Lieberman and Fred Thompson on tap for tonight. All is not lost. The president's speech has been shortened, which is apparently due to Gustav and a compressed convention schedule.
It's a hard sell for McCain, who's been trying to distance himself from President Bush. The White House says the president is looking forward to thanking the Republicans for all their support and to "throw his enthusiastic support" behind McCain.
Polls show 80% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. President Bush has been driving that train for 8 years. And John McCain has voted right along with President Bush 90% of the time.
Here’s my question to you: Does President Bush’s speaking to the Republican Convention help or hurt John McCain?
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?
McCain’s attack ads changing your opinion?
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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Barack Obama is losing his lead over John McCain according to the latest polls. It is hardly an encouraging sign if your poll numbers are going down during the week you accept your party's nomination.
The latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows Barack Obama in a dead heat with Republican John McCain. 47 percent of registered voters like Obama, and 47 percent like McCain. And this poll was conducted AFTER Obama announced Senator Joe Biden as his pick for Vice President.
The Obama campaign had hoped for a bounce from that announcement. No such luck. And so far it doesn't appear the Democratic National Convention is moving the needle either. For one day this week McCain actually topped Obama by two points in the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll. Today Obama is back up by one. Last month, Obama had a 7-point lead in CNN's poll.
Maybe those negative ads are working. Painting Barack Obama as an out-of-touch celebrity, grabbing headlines like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears or "The One" parting the Red Sea like Charlton Heston's Moses. Now, the McCain ads are using Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton's own words in commercials AGAINST Obama.
Remember that Clinton ad: "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?" The McCain campaign is re-running a version of it in key battleground states with the announcer saying at the end, "Hillary was right."
Here’s my question to you: Have John McCain's attack ads changed your opinion of Barack Obama?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
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?
Polls tighten, should Obama go negative?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The polls indicate the presidential race is tightening.
CNN's latest poll of polls shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by just one point - 45 to 44 percent. That's down from a 3-point lead in yesterday's average of polls and down considerably from a few weeks ago.
While Obama was vacationing in Hawaii last week - McCain had the stage almost all to himself. Suddenly the Russians rolled into Georgia and McCain was in the catbird seat. Also some of McCain's negative ads - a la Paris Hilton and Britney Spears "celebrity" spot - seem to have resonated with voters. And it looks like McCain made inroads with some members of the Republican base with his interview at Rick Warren's church.
Watch: Cafferty: Obama go negative?
All of this creates a problem for Barack Obama who has gone out of his way to run a positive campaign based on the issues, and for the most part has chosen not to engage in the schoolyard stuff that characterizes U.S. politics. He may no longer have that luxury.
Obama is now out with some hard-hitting tv ads running in local markets in key battleground states. He spent 400-thousand dollars on Sunday alone to run two negative spots - more than 600 times - focusing on the economy and McCain… in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida.
These new ads have been complemented with a tougher tone on the stump where Obama is going after McCain for saying Iraqis would greet Americans as liberators and for challenging Obama's patriotism.
Some Democratic strategists say Obama's aggressive tone reflects the reality of the race and say he should have gotten tougher sooner.
Here’s my question to you: In light of tightening polls, does Barack Obama have to go negative against John McCain?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Why do military donations favor Obama over McCain?
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
When it comes to the money race, it appears Barack Obama is ahead on the battlefield. Members of the military are donating more money to Obama than to the military man John McCain. A lot more money.
A nonpartisan organization called the "Center for Responsive Politics" reports U.S. troops serving abroad have given almost six times as much money to the Democrat Obama as they have to the Republican McCain.
Watch: Cafferty: Military $ for Obama?
These are pretty shocking results when you consider that historically military donations favor the Republican. Also, McCain is a decorated war hero who spent almost 5 years as a POW in Vietnam. He graduated from the U-S Naval Academy and was a naval aviator for 22 years. His military experience is a big part of his candidacy. Obama has never served a day in the military.
It might just mean that Obama's message of being against the war in Iraq is resonating with the people who have been called on to fight it. Obama says he would pull out all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.
McCain has been a staunch supporter of the war and insists the U.S. will only withdraw troops when the conditions on the ground are right. At one point, McCain suggested the United States could be in Iraq for 100 years.
Here’s my question to you: Why are members of the military donating more money to Barack Obama despite John McCain’s military background?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
McCain condemns Russia, supports Iraq invasion
Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
"In the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations."
So says John McCain, as part of his tough talk about Russia's attacks on Georgia. In calling for Russia to get out, McCain says he doesn't think we'll reignite the Cold War, but that you can't justify the "extent and degree" of Russia's intervention in Georgia. The presumptive Republican nominee insists that we need to make sure that in the 21st century, we all have respect for the sovereignty and independence of nations.
Watch: Cafferty: McCain a hypocrite?
Say what? The United States invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq more than 5 years ago. And you, Senator McCain, were all for the idea. You voted for the war, remember? At the time, McCain insisted that the U.S. needed to act before Saddam Hussein could develop more advanced weapons. And since then, McCain has remained steadfast in his support of arguably the biggest foreign policy blunder in the history of this country. At one point, McCain said U-S troops could remain in Iraq, a sovereign nation, for 100 years.
When it comes to punishing Russia for its actions, the Arizona Senator says its potential membership in the World Trade Organization should be reviewed along with its membership in the G-8. He believes an international peacekeeping mission should be sent to Georgia and that NATO should re-consider adding Georgia and Ukraine to the alliance.
Here’s my question to you: Is John McCain hypocritical to condemn Russia for invading Georgia when he voted to invade Iraq?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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