[big campaign] Fwd: Media Monitoring Report - Morning 06/20/08

From:rduncan@progressivemediausa.org To: bigcampaign@googlegroups.com Date: 2008-06-20 15:17 Subject: [big campaign] Fwd: Media Monitoring Report - Morning 06/20/08

*Main Topics: *McClellan Testimony, Bush Comments on Legislation, McCain Hypocrisy, Good Local Coverage of McCain * Summary of Shift: *The teenage pregnancy pact by eight high school girls in Gloucester, Massachusetts was highly covered on all stations today. As was the recent findings of ice on Mars. Obama's public financing controversy continues to dominate discussion on the networks as well as coverage of the Mid-West flooding. There is debate whether the Mississippi River is too over-managed and that the levy systems are too strong. Israel is in the news for possibly preparing strike rehearsals for an attack on Iran. McClellan testifies under oath in front of Congress on CIA leak. Bush addresses nation on the Telecom Bill and wars funding. Drilling debate continues to be covered. Local news clips worth noting from last night. Highlights: 1. McCain's Press Conference At Iowa Floods Yesterday 2. Young Evangelical Christians Discuss Why They Picked McCain Over Obama 3. GMA Covers McCain Hypocrisy and Lobbyists Still Running the Show in His Campaign 4. Paula Abeles, Former Clinton Supporter Who Now Supports John McCain, Discusses Racist Threats And Anger At Her For Switch 5. Scarborough Pushes Holtz-Eakin on How We Can Afford to Extend the Bush Tax Cuts 6. Obama's Communication Director Hits McCain on Drilling Flip-Flop 7. Colbert's Green-screen Challenge Continues 8. Democrats Are Aiming at Cheney in Interviewing McClellan 9. McClellan's Opening Remarks to the Judiciary Committee 10. Bush Comments on the Telecom Bill and War Funding 11. Heated Campaign Emails, Claims of Being Bullying, Stunts Between Obama & McCain Communication Directors (No Clip) Local News Highlights: · Local Minnesota News Covers AFSCME's & Other's Protests of McCain's Fundraiser in St. Paul · Local Iowa News Covers SEIU's Protest of McCain's Healthcare Stance Ahead of Visit to Flood Areas · Local Minnesota News Covers Importance of Upper Mid-West States This Election, and the Protesters Out To Paint McCain as McSame as Bush · Minnesota Local News Highlights McCain's Fundraiser in the Area (No Clip) · Iowa Local News Covers McCain's Visit to Flood Ravaged Areas (No Clip) Clips: Highlight #1 *McCain's Press Conference At Iowa Floods Yesterday *(CNN, 06/20/08, 7:17am) JOHN ROBERTS: Presidential hopeful John McCain also toured the flood zone in Iowa. The presumptive republican nominee thanked volunteers and promised immediate flood assistance. JOHN MCCAIN: I think it's very obvious that there will be a need for federal assistance. There's been levy's broken along the river, there's been tremendous damage in many places. So obviously, there will be an immediate need for flood assistance and long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation. <https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/7v730zq8go> Highlight #2 *Young Evangelical Christians Discuss Why They Picked McCain Over Obama *(CNN, 06/20/08, 7:57am) KIRAN CHETRY: Young evangelicals are organizing online and also on the streets this election year. Joining us now are two of them, Alex and Brett Harris. They started Huck's Army, an online grassroots campaign for Governor Mike Huckabee when he was still in the presidential race. They also wrote the book, "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations." […] You are now supporting John McCain, he had some trouble winning over some very prominent evangelical leaders, why is he your man? BRETT HARRIS: Well, first, just to talk about Barack Obama because the question always is for young people, young people are supposed to be behind Obama. That's the way it goes so, why McCain? And we are so excited about what Obama has accomplished, it's historic. And we're absolutely thrilled at the possibility of the face of America might be a face of color. And one of the things that especially excites us is how Obama has energized young people our generation, really got them engaged in the political process. *But it's not enough to be engaged, you also have to be informed. That's the next step, to be smart voters. And that comes from really weighing the issues, being really knowledgeable about the issues, and then looking at the candidates as complete packages. And it was doing that that really caused us to go for John McCain.* CHETRY: So was there a time where you were thinking, possibly, of supporting Barack Obama? ALEX HARRIS: You know what, Barack Obama has a lot of similar qualities as Mike Huckabee, the man that we were originally supporting. They're both very charismatic, great communicators, and there's something, they can really get in touch with the common person, you know the man on the street. *But right now, we really knew what our core issues were, and our convictions, and those lined up with John McCain.* As much as we are excited about, and appreciate, and honestly like a man like Senator Obama. CHETRY: Alright so what were some of those points then that made you ultimately choose John McCain? ALEX HARRIS: Well really it's kind of like, well we're going through something right now that a lot of young people are going through. We're buying a car before we head off to college. And you can go into a showroom and there's some really nice cars, a sweet car and it looks good and it feels good and it smells good, and that's where a lot of young voters are right now. We've, we're engaged, we're looking at cars and we've found the shiny one. But when you sit down, you have to look at the price tag, and I think it really for us was, sitting down and what is this going to cost? What are the long-term consequences? *Because our generation are the ones that are going to have to pay for these programs and these issues. And I think it was at that point that we really knew that John McCain was the choice for us.* CHETRY: Alex, let me ask you about this, cause you know there are many in the evangelical community who are not throwing their support behind John McCain, in fact James Dobson the founder of the conservative group, Focus on the Family, said that he felt that John McCain wasn't doing enough to bring in conservatives. In fact he said quote, "He was driving conservative away." What is it going to take for others to really believe that John McCain cares about the issues that are important to evangelicals? ALEX HARRIS: Well I think if you want to put your finger on the pulse of where evangelicals are, for us where young conservatives are with Senator McCain, I think you need to look at first, Governor Huckabee and his strong campaign and his strong support from those demographics because here was a man that was absolutely solid on the issues like the sanctity and the value of every human life, on the protection of the family. But who also understood that conservatives does, and really talks to issues that really maybe fall outside the traditional republican box. *Things like healthcare, education, being wise stewards of the environment. And that's an understanding that I think Senator John McCain shares, and that's an understanding that I think is appealing, not just to evangelicals, not just to conservatives, but to Americans on both sides of the political fence.*<https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/s9g5hb8ao4> Highlight #3 *GMA Covers McCain Hypocrisy and Lobbyists Still Running the Show in His Campaign* (ABC, 06/20/08, 7:15am) JAKE TAPPER: *John McCain will likely opt into the public financing system, but his rhetoric against big money influence also does not always match the reality.* For years McCain has portrayed himself as a crusader against the influence of lobbyists and big money. [McCain Clip: We need to close the door firmly on corporate lobbyists] TAPPER: *But he did not close the door firmly on corporate lobbyists helping to run his campaign. Dozens have raised money for him and several have helped run his campaign until McCain instituted a new policy banning current lobbyists. But several former lobbyists are still running the show.*<https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/qkn67hz40g> Highlight #4 *Paula Abeles, Former Clinton Supporter Who Now Supports John McCain, Discusses Racist Threats And Anger At Her For Switch* (FNC, 6/20/08, 7:27am) BRIAN KILMEADE: She's a life long democrat who volunteered for Hillary Clinton's campaign, but now she's supporting John McCain and she claims she's under attack by Barack Obama supporters. Paula Abeles joins us right now from Washington D.C. Paula, what do you mean you're under attack? PAULA ABELES: Well, essentially 48 hours after I organized a tele-conference call for Hillary supporters for John McCain, and it was a very successful tele-conference, we had about 6,000 supporters on the line, I was attacked in the internet blogs and by Keith Olberman as a racist. And I've been receiving threats to my home and threats to my children, and you know, I'm all over the internet as a racist. And this is the most irresponsible kind of journalism, and they've had absolutely no attempt to contact me, you know, get my side of the story, ask for a comment, anything. And frankly, I'm just outraged about it. KILMEADE: Paula, do you believe the Barack Obama camp is behind this, or just his supporters are behind this? ABELES: *Well, I know immediately, whenever someone is taking a public position to question the legitimacy or the qualifications of Barack Obama, there's an immediate attempt to discredit them in the media.* One of my internet bloggers sent me an email and they said, you know, they've called Hillary a racist, they've called Bill a racist, they've called Geraldine Ferraro a racist, so you're actually in very exalted company. So I guess, maybe they're getting our message, that we, *as Clinton supporters, are not going to toe the party line, we're not going to vote for an unqualified candidate,* and we're not going to tolerate this kind of abusive and bullying behavior anymore. KILMEADE: So why did you switch parties? Do you think John McCain's policies are a lot closer to Hillary Clinton's policies and beliefs than Barack Obama's? ABELES: Well if you look very narrowly on the issues than obviously Clinton's positions on the issues is closer to Obama's. *But if you take a broader view, an ideology, than I think it's very clear that McCain and Clinton both share a very centrist, a very moderate ideology, they're both very strong on national defense, and frankly, Barack Obama, in my opinion, is not qualified to be president.* There has to be a minimum standard of accomplishment and achievement and experience, and he simply does not bring that to the table. And in these perilous times we need a leader that's really going to be able to really, you know, be able to solve some of these issues that are facing us. <https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/yd8mwtklcs> Highlight #5 *Scarborough Pushes Holtz-Eakin on How We Can Afford to Extend the Bush Tax Cuts *(MSNBC 06/20/08 7:50am) JOE SCARBOROUGH: Douglas Holtz Eakin, it's a bleak outlook for the US economy right now. Many linking John McCain to George W. Bush's economic policies. Tell us, why should Americans not blame John McCain for the economic mess that's occurred under George W. Bush's presidency? DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN: Oh, John McCain's about, you know, growth, prosperity, a great opportunity for America's future. That's what he's promised Americans. He's got a recipe for how to get jobs going and how to compete internationally, make sure our kids are educated, lower the cost of health care. That's a recipe for success. And we have to be all about – SCARBOROUGH: Doug, Doug, Doug, that sounds like George W. Bush, what he said in 2000 and 2004. He was for growth, he was for opportunity, he was for tax cuts. Does John McCain believe tax cuts is going to stimulate this economy? HOLTZ-EAKIN: In this race we have, you know, one candidate that promised to keep jobs in America by cutting the corporate tax. We have one candidate who's going to, you know, going to raise taxes and, you know, Mr. Obama's got a big problem. He's gone back on his pledge for public financing and, you know, he's promising to cut taxes for everyone under $250,000, who is going to believe him now? SCARBOROUGH: Okay, let's look at Senator McCain's record on the issue of tax cuts and ask if people can believe John McCain. This is what he said in 2001. "I cannot in good conscious support a tax cut in which so many benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle class Americans who need the most tax relief." And then, of course, a few days ago we had somebody else from the McCain campaign, Carly Fiorina repeat what John McCain has said, that we have to have those tax cuts now, that we couldn't afford tax cuts in 2001 because of deficits but we can afford them now. Do you think we can really afford tax cuts in 2008? HOLTZ-EAKIN: John McCain has a plan to bring the budget to balance by 2013, by doing what he wanted to do back in 2001. Which is, control spending and be a little careful with America's money. We're spending money hand over fist. I'm an economist; I can't even count how much money has been spent in the last— SCARBOROUGH: Can we afford the tax cuts now? HOLTZ-EAKIN: Uh, look, we have an economy that is raising about 19% of America's income in federal taxes. Americans don't need the federal government taking away more of their taxes. They need to be able to go out, have a vacation, send their kid to college, take care of the necessities at home. SCARBOROUGH: Can we afford to extend George W. Bush's tax cuts? HOLTZ-EAKIN: We've got a tax system right now, top rate is 35%. We've got dividends and capital gains at 15 – SCARBOROUGH: No, no, I'm asking the question, yes or no. Can we afford— HOLTZ-EAKIN: Oh yeah. SCARBOROUGH: --to extend George W. Bush's tax cuts? HOLTZ-EAKIN: This is all about how much you spend. You do this in your life. If you spend the money, you might put it on a credit card. You'll pay it at some point. How much you spend and, you know, John McCain has a great record of using the taxpayer's money wisely. SCARBOROUGH: You're saying we can afford, just a yes or no, we can afford to extend George W. Bush's tax cuts? HOLTZ-EAKIN: Yes. SCARBOROUGH: Okay. Well in 2001 when Senator McCain voted against George Bush's tax cuts he said we couldn't afford it because it would create a deficit. In 2001, we had a $155 billion surplus. This year, in 2008, when he now supports the tax cuts, as you know, we are moving towards a $300 billion deficit. How can we afford tax cuts in 2008 with a $300 billion deficit that John McCain said we couldn't afford in 2001 when we had $155 billion surplus? HOLTZ-EAKIN: Look, the guy is a pretty good forecaster. He ran in 2000 on a tax cut to put the middle class first in line, protected social security and had strict spending controls. What did we see? Social security wasn't protected, no control on spending and, so, let's do it right the next time. He's committed to taking care of important problems and that means having the economy grow, letting people have a job and bringing the budget to balance. SCARBOROUGH: But, again, you can understand why it would be confusing to Americans if John McCain said we can't afford tax cuts in 2001 because of the deficit and then the deficit's about $400 billion worse about eight years later and he said, okay, forget what I said in 2001, now we can support it. HOLTZ-EAKIN: Oh no, I think if they had given him the controls in 2001, we would be fine. But the American people didn't and now they have a chance to give him, fulfill his pledges to the American people and take care of their business and, you know, keep the economy going and having a balanced budget at the end of it. SCARBOROUGH: All right, thank you so much. Douglas, was that fun, Douglas? HOLTZ-EAKIN: That was so exciting to be here. You have no idea. They don't let me out much. <https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/41yore60wk> Highlight #6 *Obama's Communication Director Hits McCain on Drilling Flip-Flop *(MSNBC 06/20/08 MIKA BRZEZINSKI: . . . "a typical politician, a typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama." In terms of the approach that was taken, did you kind of walk into that? ROBERT GIBB: No. I mean being called that by John McCain is . . . sort of like being called ugly by a frog. [ . . . ] GIBB: John McCain changed his position on oil drilling in less than nineteen days. This guy has flip-flopped and participated in verbal gymnastics unlike we've ever seen before . . .<https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/8d7un6qok8> Highlight #7 *Colbert's Green-screen Challenge Continues *(MSNBC 06/19/08 11:44pm) STEPHEN COLBERT: Nation, I have McCain fever. Symptoms include acute maverickness, and digressions that last more than four hours. Now, some critics say he's not the best speaker, that his oratory style is like an Ambien smoothie with a Nyquil boost but at least McCain knows that. That is why he gave a recent speech in front of a green screen. He was issuing a challenge asking average Americans to use their imagination to make him interesting. I took that up challenge and posted the green screen footage of John McCain at Colbertnation.com. And you the heroes responded to my make McCain exciting challenge. [cheers and applause] Let's take a look at some more of your great submissions. First up is one from Robert Yeager that shows McCain's position on the environment. [clip of McCain superimposed on video of squirrels attacking a bird feeder] COLBERT: What can I say, animals love McCain. He's like Snow White. Well, white. By the way, I don't know if you recognized him but that was Joe Lieberman in a squirrel costume. Now – [applause] Now we have this imaginative entry from Grant Moore. [clip depicting a holographic McCain as Emperor Palpatine conversing with Darth Vader plays] DARTH VADER: What is thy bidding, my master? JOHN MCCAIN: Job loss, failing schools, prohibitively expensive health care. Pensions at risk. Entitlement programs approaching bankruptcy. Rising gas and food prices to name a few. COLBERT: Of course, Cindy McCain had to program the hologram machine there. When McCain does it just flashes 12:00. Here's a scary one from Sam Dewitt. [clip with McCain as a severed head on a dish from the classic, *The Brain That Wouldn't Die*] ON SCREEN TITLES: The Secret of McCain's Brain. Modern Science Asks. What Are The Things That Keep It Alive? MCCAIN: Prohibitively expensive health care. Pensions at risk. Entitlement program as approaching bankruptcy, rising gas and food prices to name a few. COLBERT: . . .with McCain's head severed it will fit more easily up George Bush's butt. And finally, here's an intense video from Jeff Gresh. MCCAIN: Job loss, failing schools, prohibitively expensive health care, pensions at risk, entitlement programs approaching bankruptcy. Rising gas and food prices to name a few. SAMUEL L. JACKSON as JULES WINFIELD: I've been saying that [bleep] for years. <https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/jila5i1wkg> Highlight #8 *Democrats Are Aiming at Cheney in Interviewing McClellan *(MSNBC 06/20/08 9:40am) JOE SCARBOROUGH: What do the Democrats hope to get out of this testimony? ROBERT ISIKOFF: Well, I think really, they're going higher than Scott McClellan. They want . . . the full accounting of Rove's role but even more than that I think it's Vice President Cheney. They have asked . . . for the FBI interviews with the President and Vice President Cheney. The interviews that came out during the Scooter Libby trial strongly indicates that Cheney was very deeply involved . . . Democrats suspect that it's the hand of Cheney that can be found behind all this.<https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/etl617w0sg> Highlight #9 *McClellan's Opening Remarks to the Judiciary Committee *(MSNBC 06/20/08 9:41am) SCOTT MCLELLAN: Good morning Mr. Chairman, Congressman Smith, and members of the committee. I am here today at your invitation to answer questions about what I know regarding the Valerie Plame episode. Back in 2005, I was prohibited from discussing it by the White House ostensibly because of the criminal investigation underway, but I made a commitment to share with the public what I knew as soon as possible. That commitment was one of the reasons I wrote my book. *Unfortunately, this matter continues to be investigated by Congress because of what the White House has chosen to conceal from the public. Despite assurances that the administration would discuss the matter once the Special Counsel had completed his work, the White House has sought to avoid public scrutiny and accountability. *The continuing cloud of suspicion over the White House is not something I can remove because I know only one part of the story. Only those who know the underlying truth can bring this to an end. Sadly, they remain silent. The result has been an increase in suspicion and partisan warfare, and a perpetuation of Washington's scandal culture, one of three core factors that have poisoned the atmosphere in Washington for the past two decades. The central message in my book is the need to change the way Washington governs. We need to minimize the negative influence of the permanent campaign, end the scandal culture, and move beyond the philosophy of politics as war. No one has a better opportunity to make that happen than the president. To do so, he must first fully embrace openness and candor and then constantly strive to build trust across the aisle and seek common ground to unite Americans from all walks of life and political persuasions. I believed President Bush could be that kind of leader for the country when I first went to work for him in Texas. He was a popular, bipartisan leader who had a record of working with Democrats. Unfortunately, like many good people who come to Washington, he ended up playing the game by the existing rules rather than transforming it. The larger message of my book is bigger than any person or party. It is about restoring civility and bipartisanship and candor to our national political discourse. It is about putting our Nation's interests above partisan goals. Indeed, all of us—especially those in elected office—can do more to make this happen by promoting openness and engaging in civil discourse. The permanent campaign leads to just the opposite. Substantive debates over policy give way to a contest over which side can most effectively manipulate the media narrative to its advantage. It is about power and electoral victory. Governing becomes an offshoot of campaigning rather than the other way around. Vicious attacks, distortions, political manipulation and spin become accepted. Complex issues are reduced to black-and-white terms and oversimplified in the context of winners and losers and how they will affect the next election. Too often, the media unwittingly ignores the impact of government on the daily lives of Americans, focusing foremost on the Beltway game and lionizing those who play it most skillfully. There is no more recent example of this unsavory side of politics than the initial reaction from some in Washington to my book. I received plenty of criticism for daring to tell the story as I knew it. Yet few of my critics tried to refute the larger themes and perspectives in the book. Instead of engaging in a reasoned, rational, and honest discussion of the issues raised, some sought to turn it into a game of "gotcha," misrepresenting what I wrote and seeking to discredit me through inaccurate personal attacks on me and my motives. The American people deserve better. Governing inevitably has an adversarial element. People and groups will always differ about the proper use of limited government resources. But should government be a process of constant campaigning to manipulate public opinion, or should it be centered as much as possible on rational debate, deliberation, and compromise? Writing this book was not easy for me to do. These are my words, my experiences, and my conclusions. I sought to take a clear-eyed look at events. To do so, I had to remove my partisan lens and step back from the White House bubble. Some of the conclusions I came to were different from those I would have embraced at the outset. My book reflects the only idea of loyalty that I believe is appropriate in democratic government, and that is loyalty to the ideals of candor, transparency and integrity, and indeed to the constitutional system itself. Too often in Washington, people mistakenly think that loyalty to an individual officeholder should override loyalty to basic ideals. This false loyalty is not only mistaken, but can exercise a corrupt influence on government. I am here because in my heart I am a public servant who, like many Americans, wants to improve the way Washington governs and does not want to see future administrations repeat the mistakes this White House made. *I do not know whether a crime was committed by any of the Administration officials who revealed Valerie Plame's identity to reporters. Nor do I know if there was an attempt by any person or persons to engage in a cover-up during the investigation. I do know that it was wrong to reveal her identity, because it compromised the effectiveness of a covert official for political reasons.* I regret that I played a role, however unintentionally, in relaying false information to the public about it. I'll do my best to answer any questions on this matter that members of the committee may wish to ask. <https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/b8vvp1sg8o> Highlight #10 *Bush Comments on the Telecom Bill and War Funding *(MSNBC 06/20/08 9:11am) GEORGE W. BUSH: Congress moved forward on two important issues affecting the national security of our country. Yesterday the House passed a responsible war funding bill that will provide vital resources to our men and women on the front lines in the war on terror. This legislation gives our troops the funds they need to prevail without tying the hands of our commanders in the field or imposing artificial timetables for withdrawal. The bill also supports our military families by passing an expansion of the GI Bill that makes it easier for our troops to transfer unused education benefits to their spouses and their children. I want to thank the members of Congress for their action on this legislation, and I urge the Senate to pass it as soon as possible. Members of the House and Senate also reached a bipartisan agreement yesterday on legislation to allow our intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor the plans of terrorists abroad, while protecting the liberties of Americans here at home. My Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General tells me that this is a good bill. It will help our intelligence professionals learn our enemies' plans for new attacks. It ensures that those companies whose assistance is necessary to protect the country will themselves be protected from liability for past or future cooperation with the government. The enemy who attacked us on September the 11th is determined to strike this country again. It's vital that our intelligence community has the ability to learn who the terrorists are talking to, what they're saying, and what they are planning. I encourage the House of Representatives to pass this bill today, and I ask the Senate to take it up quickly so our intelligence professionals can better protect Americans from harm. I'm pleased with the bipartisan cooperation on both these bills, and I thank the members for their efforts. Thank you. Local Highlight #1 *Local Minnesota News Covers AFSCME's & Other's Protests of McCain's Fundraiser in St. Paul* (St. Paul Minneanapolis MN kARE, 6/19/08, 5:06pm) DIANE PIERCE: Well no republican presidential candidate has won Minnesota since Richard Nixon back in 1972. But John McCain and some political pundits think there's a chance the state could go red this year, and right now McCain is in Minnesota to do everything he can to make that happen. […] First Scott Goldberg is here to talk about those protesting his political stop. Scott? SCOTT GOLDBERG: Diane, in about 30 minutes John McCain will host a big money fundraiser inside the Minneapolis Hilton here. *Already outside, welcoming him, some protesters, most of them union members. Many of them from AFSCME, the country's largest public employee union which today endorsed Barack Obama for president.* Most polls in Minnesota give Obama a sizeable lead here. But days like make it clear, both sides see this state as a battleground. As John McCain comes to Minnesota hoping to sway undecided voters, Minnesotans hoping to keep the state blue got a head start. The Service Employees International Union, which endorsed Barack Obama, criticized McCain's plan to offer tax credits and savings accounts to help pay for health insurance. SHANE ALLERS: *His plan would discourage employers from providing coverage and leave workers to defend for themselves against insurance companies.* GOLDBERG: And the political arm of Planned Parenthood in Minnesota and the Dakota's announced it's endorsement of Barack Obama. SARAH STOESZ: We are very concerned that there be a new president who will appoint justices to the Supreme Court who will support access to all forms of reproductive health care for women. GOLDBERG: As McCain targets women, particularly democratic women who supported Hillary Clinton, Planned Parenthood released a poll that shows 51 percent of women voters do not know McCain's position on abortion. His website says clearly, "Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned." Planned Parenthood's Action Fund is planning a campaign to educate women about McCain. STOESZ: *It will be abundantly clear to them that he is not a friend to women and that the only friend for women in this presidential race is Senator Obama.* BEN GOLNIK: I chalk them up to partisan attacks by special interest groups. GOLDBERG: McCain's regional campaign manager dismissed the criticism from both groups. GOLNIK: With healthcare, he wants to make it more accessible, he wants to help with preventative care. We've had numerous calls from Hillary Clinton supporters who are now very interested in joining the McCain campaign, so I don't think those are fair attacks. GOLDBERG: Money will of course be pivotal in McCain's efforts to spread his message across Minnesota and the upper Mid-West, and he'll reel in a pile of money today. Though his campaign won't say exactly how much, this event here at the Hilton is for people who contributed between $1,000 and $50,000 dollars to his campaign and to the republican party. […] JOHN CROMAN: Well, you know, the fundraiser is something that's going to be important to his campaign no matter where he's campaign, but being here in Minnesota is actually going to be more important because of the media impact it has to have McCain in the state and it's seen by people in surrounding states. Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakota, which are all in play in this election. The event tonight at the Landmark Center is being dubbed as a town hall forum for undecided voters. Now, that is drawn more than a few snickers from DFL'ers who point out that you have to get a ticket to get into this, and all the ticket holders tonight have been screened by the McCain campaign. But they say they've really gone out of their way to find a cross-section of voters who will ask tough questions, and they say that under the circumstances it's the most impartial crowd they could get. GOLNIK: It's difficult to just open the doors and say we're going to have 2,000 people there. I think it just becomes, from a logistics standpoint, helping with the advanced work for some of these events, it's a lot of, it takes a lot of time and effort to do that, and they do need to do that now that Senator McCain does have Secret Service protection as does Senator Obama. There's a lot more vetting, in terms of running a quick background check on all these people and making sure there aren't any problems there. CROMAN: Now Golnik also said that if Barack Obama would accept John McCain's invitation to do joint town hall meetings, they would love to have Obama here tonight, then both camps could actually screen about half of the votes or half of the ticket holders. And then you'd get, kind of an evenly divided crowd here, so we'll see how it works out. […]<https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/a57o29140k> Local Highlight #2 *Local Iowa News Covers SEIU's Protest of McCain's Healthcare Stance Ahead of Visit to Flood Areas* (IA-5-KSTP, 06/19/08, 4:34pm) LEAH MCLEAN: A message from healthcare workers to John McCain, just ahead of his visit today. PASTOR PAUL SLACK: There are 47 million people in this greatest nation of this world, who have no healthcare coverage. There is a breach in our nation. MCLEAN: *The SEIU Local 284 Healthcare Worker's Union believes that John McCain's plan would make it harder for average people to get healthcare coverage. *McCain is in town for a private fundraiser at 5:30 in Minneapolis. That's followed by a 7:00pm invitation only town hall meeting that will be held in St. Paul. Local Highlight #3 *Local Minnesota News Covers Importance of Upper Mid-West States This Election, and the Protesters Out To Paint McCain as McSame as Bush*(MN-4-WCCO, 06/19/08, 5:04pm) PAT KESSLER: John McCain spent most of today in Iowa touring some of those flood damaged areas, terrible news down there. Tonight he's raising money here in Minnesota at two separate events, including here at the Landmark Center. He's got that town hall meeting later on tonight. *He's raising his profile in a state, contrary to what you might here, could go republican for the first time since 1972.* Barack Obama drew tens of thousands to a pair of rallies in Minnesota earlier this year. But what you see may not be how Minnesotans vote in November. LARRY JACOBS: The upper mid-west is the most competitive region in the country. KESSLER: *Minnesota is no longer a state safe for democrats, according to political analysts. And John McCain's visit is a signal of a state that could go either way.* JACOBS: John McCain sees real success in winning over not only independents, but even some democrats, perhaps some Hillary Clinton supporters, making big appeals to women and perhaps some of the white working class voters who deserted Barack Obama in Ohio and some of those other states. KESSLER: George Bush came very close in 2004 to winning the upper mid-west. Losing Minnesota by 3 percentage points, Wisconsin by less than 1 percent. And he won Iowa outright by less than 1 percent. Close enough to make it worth a fight. McCain's Minnesota campaign calls it ground zero. BEN GOLNIK: Certainly Minnesota still leans slightly democrat, leans slightly blue, however, I think John McCain is a candidate that's really going to sell well here in Minnesota. KESSLER: *But democrats call John McCain, John McSame. They will portray him as a steady ally of an unpopular president.* DONNA CASSUTT: *Senator McCain has stood firmly with George Bush and his policies. Voting with him over 95 percent of the time in this past year alone.* KESSLER: *And that's going to be the campaign in a nutshell. Tying McCain to George Bush. McCain trying to separate himself.* Interesting concept and one that's not lost on the presidential campaigns of either party. If you add up Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin's electoral votes, it's 27. Frankly, that's the same number as Florida, which is a big big state for both campaigns. <https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/xcwpwhy8ks> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. 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