Posted on 10/11/2008 1:18:52 AM PDT by Chet 99
Campaign heats up: Minnesotans urge McCain to attack
Don Davis
Bemidji Pioneer - 10/11/2008
LAKEVILLE, Minn. — John McCain’s Minnesota supporters gave him a loud and clear message Friday — take a harder line against presidential opponent Barack Obama.
In a turnabout from the candidate setting the agenda, several of the 21 people who asked McCain questions during a town hall meeting told him to battle his Democratic presidential candidate.
“There is a time for fighting,” one man told the Republican candidate during a 70-minute meeting.
“We want you to fight,” a Navy and Army veteran told McCain.
“I got the message,” the Republican presidential candidate responded, but still called on supporters to respect Obama.
The men’s comments, saying McCain was letting Obama off too easily, drew some of the loudest response from the partisan audience. Occasional “hit him harder” chants could be heard.
Reporters who travel with McCain said they never before heard such a strong public demand for McCain to go on the offensive.
McCain said Republicans must be respectful in the campaign, but he said he would explain the differences between himself and Obama.
“He is a decent person and he is someone you don’t have to be scared of as president of the United States,” McCain said to a chorus of boos.
“We will be respectful,” he preached. “I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments.”
More boos followed those comments.
Gayle Quinnell of Shakopee, Minn., told McCain: “I don’t trust Barack Obama because he’s an Arab.”
McCain snatched the microphone out of the 75-year-old woman’s hand and said: “He’s a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues.”
But McCain also took on Obama: “There is a record of him never having reached across the aisle to work with the other party on important legislation.”
Friday’s questions were much more partisan than McCain fielded during earlier town hall meetings in St. Paul and nearby Hudson, Wis.
He opened the meeting talking about the hot news of the week, the economy.
The only way to solve the current American economic crisis is for the government to buy bad mortgages, McCain said.
“As long as home values continue to decline, we are not going to turn this economy around,” he said in Lakeville, a southern Twin Cities suburb.
In a Tuesday night debate with Obama, McCain said he wanted to spend $300 billion to buy mortgages that now are in risk of failing. In a Thursday ABC interview, McCain said he hoped the $300 billion could come out of the recently passed $700 billion rescue plan, but it could be new money if needed.
A top Obama adviser also was in the Twin Cities Friday, claiming McCain’s mortgage-repair plan is nothing but a reward for lenders.
“It is a reward for bad conduct,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said.
Durbin, visiting with Minnesota labor officials and talking to reporters, said McCain’s proposal puts money in the hands of lenders who sold risky mortgages.
“Mortgage foreclosures are the rot on the base of our economy,” Durbin said.
Obama’s mortgage plan is to change the law so courts can require lenders and home buyers to renegotiate terms of mortgages. Durbin said that would put on pressure to negotiate with borrowers even before going to court.
The McCain campaign said 2,000 people attended the event at Lakeville South High School.
At one point, a Farmington Christian school teacher rose to tell McCain her students had a comment: “Drill, baby, drill,” a row of girls cheered.
“If you are not busy, we would like to take you with me,” replied McCain, who has promoted more off-shore oil drilling.
Duluth talk radio host Carinda Horton, speaking before McCain arrived, said callers to her morning show say he has the wisdom, experience and trust to be president.
“He has spent his entire life serving us,” added Horton, a military veteran.
She wore a button proclaiming: “Hire a veteran, vote McCain.”
Gov. Tim Pawlenty introduced McCain, their first joint appearance since the presidential candidate decided not to pick Pawlenty as his running mate.
McCain was to spend the night in the Twin Cities before leaving for Davenport, Iowa, this morning. While in the Twin Cities, the candidate conducted satellite and local television interviews.
Pawlenty used the theme of the day – experience – in his short remarks. In picking a president, he said, “one measure we look at is: ‘Who has the record?’”
McCain’s Lakeville appearance was his third town hall meeting in the Twin Cities area and came three weeks after he and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin rallied more than 10,000 people in a northern Twin Cities suburb.
Obama has criticized McCain’s economic plans at every turn, and Friday his spokesman said the Republican’s latest proposal was risky and illegal.
“John McCain’s response to the economic crisis has grown so erratic that in the span of 12 hours, he completely reversed his position on whether or not his risky and illegal bailout scheme would be financed with additional taxpayer dollars,” spokesman Hari Sevugan said. “Whatever position Sen. McCain finally settles on, experts from across the political spectrum have made it clear that his bailout scheme is a guaranteed loser for taxpayers and would hand our money to the very Wall Street banks and lenders who got us into this mess.”
That's really pushing the message that he's not experienced enough for the job, John.
“There is a record of him never having reached across the aisle to work with the other party on important legislation.”
No one cares about this, senator. Except you. You fret that people won't see you as playing nice with those lovely liberals, but NO ONE gives a damn about this.
He won't attack the guy for palling around with terrorists, but not passing the salt to Republicans in the Capitol mess hall? ANATHEMA!
I think the Obama message really isn’t selling that well in Minnesota. Some folks are asking questions and probably over forty percent of the state is still questioning who to vote for in November. So its not a firm deal. Unlike some states where its pretty much tied up and finished....this isn’t one of those. I think McCain could land a couple of punches and get the votes at the last minute.
I assume McCain will be reaching his hand across the isle to help give obama’s agenda bipartisan cover. After giving the presidency to obama McCain will keep things “civil” in the senate as he leads conservatism quietly into the night.
Such an idiot.
Hussein has done nothing to earn my respect.
It’s one thing to hold yourself to a higher standard but it’s another not to stand up for yourself and confronting the lies against you head on.
I agree. Way to inspire the troops, Gen. Patton. Yeah, the Commies ain’t that bad, gotcha.
My God, Sarah may have to drag the Cainster across the line like a dead moose over permafrost.
Some of my favorite Patton quotes that McCain needs to hear:
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.
Always do everything you ask of those you command. (Remember that "Fight!" salvo at the end of your acceptance speech, John?)
Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle.
Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn't give a hoot and hell for a man who lost and laughed.
Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood.
Better to fight for something than live for nothing.
Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time.
I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.
If a man does his best, what else is there?
No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.
The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That's the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!
There is only one sort of discipline, perfect discipline.
Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets.
Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.
Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.
We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
Man, I wish the GOP wouldn't have nominated our candidate and we had an executive like Mitt Romney or even a fighter like Rudy Giuliani.
I meant “Mainstream Media” nominate our candidate.
This comment is at the top of the article, but this is the only thing he said today that made the news. I swear to God, does he want to win this election, or should we just have the coronation tomorrow? At the same time that he said this his wife was quoted as saying Obama's willingness to defund the war scares her to death! While he's out there saying Obama as president is not something to be scared of! He makes it sound like there is nothing at stake, that the election is just a matter of personal preference. Is he out of his freaking mind??
McCain is shockingly like Bob Dole was--tough-talking BEFORE they became presidential candidates.
I disagree with Giuliani on many things, but I think he could wipe the floor with this guy in a debate. "I've run a city that was a target of terrorists on 9-11 and worked for the justice department prosecuting gangsters, what the hell have YOU ever done? Huh? Speak up, we're not in Chicago anymore, you don't get patted on the back just for showing up."
Mc Cain is his own worst enemy. He needs to go back to his ranch in Arizona for the next 3 weeks and let his campaign team and Sarah handle the rest of the campaign.
Giuliani would be bad for this. Obama- or any other Dem- would just deflect any and all of his 9/11 and mayoral experience by citing his irresponsible scandal and affair as corruption and moral failings. Should’ve picked someone else, not Giuliani.
People don't care about affairs this year. The corruption didn't taint Giuliani--people still think he's cool.
All I'm saying is if he DID get picked, he'd kick ass on the debate front. Not sure if he'd do any better vote-wise.
If Obama and his thugs win the election, 'reaching across the aisle' is going to be the least of your worries, John.
Yep. I’m having fantasies about what Guiliani would say to this little vainglorious wimp in the debates. It would be epic.
McCain will tuck his tail between his legs and let Obama and his media thugs intimidate him.
McCain is a Dud..hopefully he wins..but a real insincere ja....a.....if he says Obama is descent dah de dah..and plays that c...in the debate..people will see McCain as ful....of sh...and say hello to President Obama..Amazing..McCain is almost trying to lose..he won’t really fight..Obama takes shots at him all day long..and he really is scared to fire back with the big bombs
I think McCain's starting to get scared and realizes that if he loses, he won't be getting invites from his media "friends" like he did when he was a thorn in the side of President Bush. He wants to win so he'll have a neat new clubhouse and they'll all want invites. "Hiya, fellas, hey, forget all those mean things you said about me during the election, come on in! You like me again, right????"
Republicans are going to need to take matters into their own hands to get McCain elected in spike of McCain. Right now, he’s their worst enemy.
Positively bizarre. Seconds after saying “I got your message,” he’s saying it’s NOT IMPORTANT to defeat Obama.
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