Barack Obama has a new ad out that tries to tap into Americans' anger over rising gasoline prices. Obama's target is John McCain.
The ad says:
“Every time you fill your tank, the oil companies fill their pockets. Now big oil's filling John McCain's campaign with $2 million in contributions because instead of taxing their windfall profits to help drivers, McCain wants to give them another $4 billion in tax breaks. After one president in the pocket of big oil, we can't afford another.”
Factcheck.org says the actual number is $1.3 million, not $2 million, and the claims about tax breaks for big oil are a little fuzzy.
The fact is both Obama and McCain have flip-flopped on the issue of offshore drilling.\
To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion click here
(CNN) – Barack Obama is holding onto a slim edge over John McCain, the latest CNN Poll of Polls suggests.
CNN Election Center: View the latest state polls
After several days of tough new ads from McCain’s campaign, the presumptive Democratic nominee holds a 4-point advantage over the presumptive Republican nominee in CNN's average of national polls, up slightly from the 3-point margin he held on Friday.
A week ago, he led McCain by a six-point margin, a reflection of traditionally volatile summer polling.
The poll of polls includes the latest Gallup daily tracking poll, conducted August 2-4, that gave Obama a 4-point advantage. Late last week, the same poll showed the two candidates tied at 44 percent.
“The Democrats appear to have blunted any momentum Sen. McCain gained from last week’s ad associating Sen. Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton,” noted CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. “Once again, we are seeing that Obama has a small but durable edge over McCain. It is up to McCain to find a way to change the fundamental dynamics of this campaign.”
Earlier: McCain ad calls Obama 'biggest celebrity in the world'
In addition to the Gallup daily tracking poll, the CNN poll of polls also included a USA Today/Gallup survey conducted July 25-27 and a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation conducted July 27-29. The CNN poll of polls does not have a margin of error.
(CNN) - President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney may be keeping a low profile this campaign season while their approval ratings are at historic lows, but the Democratic National Committee wants to make sure their shadows loom large over would-be Republican successors.
Democrats revealed a new Web site Tuesday that looks to detail links between seven of the GOP’s top vice presidential prospects, the man they would replace and the current occupant of the White House.
Election Center: Who could be on the vice presidential short list?
TheNextCheney.com is an information clearinghouse with a focus on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, FedEx CEO Fred Smith, and Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor – all of whom have been high on most observers’ lists of potential running mates for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.
The site, the latest salvo in an unprecedented Web war waged by Democrats this election year, also gives party supporters a chance to be part of local rapid response efforts – including the kind of amateur tracking operations that have dogged candidates this cycle.
Watch the ad the McCain campaign released Tuesday called 'Broken.'
(CNN) - After days of hard-hitting TV and Web ads focused on fall opponent Barack Obama, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain is taking to the airwaves with a positive spot that looks to highlight his maverick roots, and tells voters the nation is “worse off than we were four years ago.”
The latest ad, released Tuesday, does not mention the presumptive Democratic nominee at all, stressing instead the Arizona senator’s independent reputation.
“Washington's broken. John McCain knows it. We're worse off than we were four years ago,” says the announcer in the 30-second spot. “Only McCain has taken on big tobacco, drug companies, fought corruption in both parties. He'll reform Wall Street, battle Big Oil, make America prosper again.
“He's the original maverick. One is ready to lead - McCain.”
The campaign said the ad will air in “key states.”
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) – Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry told donors at a Boston fundraiser for Barack Obama Monday night that John McCain is "dangerous" for the direction of the country.
Kerry listed Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea as examples of foreign policy issues that he believes Obama has had more foresight on than McCain. He also noted that even the Bush administration has fallen in sync with Obama on several positions recently.
“John McCain is still stuck on the low road express,” said Kerry. “He doesn’t get it. He’s even dangerous, I think, for the direction of this country.”
Kerry accused McCain of repeated flip-flopping and going back on his word of running a clean campaign He also poked fun at McCain’s economic credentials.
“I don’t know if you know this,” joked Kerry, “John McCain is looking for someone for vice president who has more economic expertise than he does. So congratulations to all of you, you’re on the short list.”
UPDATE: The Republican National Committee blasted Kerry's remarks. (after the jump)
(CNN)—Veteran journalists Jim Lehrer, Gwen Ifill, Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer will moderate the fall presidential and vice presidential debates, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced Tuesday.
Lehrer, Executive Editor and Anchor of The NewsHour will moderate the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain September 26 at the University of Mississippi.
Lehrer has been the moderator of 10 presidential debates over the years. The PBS anchor was chosen in 2004 to moderate the first debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry.
Gwen Ifill, a Senior Correspondent for The NewsHour will moderate the first vice presidential debate from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri October 2. Ifill was also chosen in 2004 to head the vice presidential debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards.
Tom Brokaw, who is currently the interim moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, and anchor of NBC’s Nightly News for 22 years will head the second presidential debate October 7 from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. The format will be town-hall style, in which voters themselves will pose their
questions to the candidates.
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) - Thousands of protesters packed the streets of the South Korean capital Tuesday as President Bush arrived for the start of his Asian tour.
While some of the demonstrations were peaceful, violence erupted at other protest sites. In one instance, riot police fired a water cannon to keep the crowds at bay.
Police said they detained about 80 protesters. They estimated about 2,700 people were participating in the protests, which included a candlelight march and a sit-in. But the organizers said some 10,000 were taking part in the demonstrations.
Bush's week long trip to the region is his ninth visit as president. His stop in Seoul comes just a few months after violent street protests erupted over worries about the safety of U.S. beef imports.
While those tensions seem to have eased, the United States' nuclear disarmament deal with North Korea is also a concern.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Will Vice President Cheney be a no-show at the Republican convention in Minnesota?
Republican officials say yes, citing a desire by Sen. John McCain's campaign to turn the page on the Bush-Cheney years. One GOP official told CNN there's a "mutual understanding" between Cheney's office and the McCain camp that he is "unlikely" to attend the convention.
A second Republican official said there are still "talks going on" between Cheney's office and the McCain camp and both sides are "still trying to work it out."
The conservative American Spectator first reported Monday Cheney, who has low national approval ratings but is still popular among conservatives, is not expected to attend the convention.
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers side-stepped a question about whether the Senator has invited Cheney, saying the campaign has "not announced the speakers or any details" about the convention at this point.
Cheney spokeswoman Megan Mitchell also told CNN the details for the convention are still in flux. "His schedule for next week has not even been set-up," Mitchell said, suggesting there has been no final decision on the convention.
John McCain greets a group of bikers at the annual Sturgis Rally at Buffalo Chip campground in South Dakota, as Cindy McCain and Sen. John Thune look on. (Photo credit: Peter Hamby/CNN)
STURGIS, South Dakota (CNN) – Standing on the main stage at a world famous motorcycle rally in rural South Dakota on Monday, John McCain looked out on a sea of denim-wearing bikers and told them he enjoyed their company much more than that of the 200,000 Germans who turned out to see Barack Obama last month.
Watch: McCain addresses the crowd at Sturgis
“As you may know,” he told the tens of thousands gathered at the 68th annual Sturgis Rally at Buffalo Chip campground, “not long ago, a couple of hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I’ll take the roar of fifty thousand Harleys any day.”
Bikers in the crowd, who had arrived from around the country to partake in the massive outdoor party, revved their engines numerous times in support of the presumptive GOP nominee. McCain said it was music to his ears.
“This is my first time here,” he said, “but I recognize that sound. It’s the sound of freedom.”
CNN: Presidential vote could help Dems get 'magic' Senate majority
As if Sen. Ted Stevens didn't have enough problems, Sen. Barack Obama might add to them.
Houston Chronicle: McCain's contributions from energy interests spike
John McCain received prolonged applause from the oil executives who gathered June 17 in Houston to hear the Republican presidential candidate's speech on energy policy. Now it appears that McCain received something else: Lots of campaign contributions.
NY Times: Forging Perceptions
If the campaign consultants have their way, 90 days from now roughly half of the electorate will think that John McCain is an angry, nasty and bitter old man. The other half will think that Barack Obama is an egotistical, feckless and immature dilettante.
CNN: Cheney not expected to attend GOP convention
Will Vice President Cheney be a no-show at the Republican convention in Minnesota? Republican officials say yes, citing a desire by Sen. John McCain's campaign to turn the page on the Bush-Cheney years.
CNN Radio: Reps Gone Wild
GOP lawmakers shout, shout, and let it all out – these are the things House Democrats can do without. Meanwhile, John McCain says he also wants Congress back in session, but his staff indicates his own schedule is a problem and, missing: one Barack Obama birthday present. Lisa Desjardins has today's CNN Radio Political Ticker.
TIME: The Tire-Gauge Solution: No Joke
Efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.
NY Times: G.O.P. Drops in Voting Rolls in Many States
Well before Senators Barack Obama and John McCain rose to the top of their parties, a partisan shift was under way at the local and state level. For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters who register with the Republican Party and a rise among voters who affiliate with Democrats and, almost as often, with no party at all.
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Recent Comments