Subject: [big campaign] Tracking Update: McCain Town Hall in Cincinnati, OH
From: "Andres Moreno" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:32:33 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Hello All,

I was not able to get into today's event due to it being a closed ticketed
event for pre-screened "undecideds."  However, I was able to track the event
via online streaming video.  Below are the notes from that viewing.

*Cincinnati, OH - McCain Town Hall at Xavier University - 06/26/8*

*Background Details:
*

   - Closed Event - ticketed audience members of "undecideds"
   - Overflow room also ticketed.
   - Family Members of Campaign Staff allowed to attend and sit in main
   room, while other ticketed audience members were seated in overflow
   - Tight Security
   - A dozen protesters were outside of entrance with signs, Local Press
   were filming them

(Disclaimer: The following are notes, not direct quotes. If you'd like a
quotable transcript or video of any part below, please email us.)

Opening Remarks

Sub Prime problem in Ohio and America – time for Washington to act. Every
homeowner should be able to go down and make an application for a FEC
guarantee for the current cost of their home. One of the fundamentals of the
American Dream is for an individual to own a home

I always but my country first – example: given chance to go home early as
POW but chose not to b/c I put my country first

Reform the way we do business in Washington DC – stop out of control corrupt
spending – earmark is a corrupting process. Promises to veto all big
spending bills

Straight Talk – Social Security won't be there for today's generation unless
we fix it

We have to sit down together like Tip O'Neil and Ronald Regan

Health Care was main issue, still important, but transcendent issue is
energy

Lexington Project – Americans have never met a challenge we could not win -
We can't have business as usual, automobiles with battery power, flex fuels
hybrids. We need to have automobiles that are independent of oil.

Spread of technology – like cell phones price will go down

We need all alternatives; one of them is Nuclear Power. French and European
countries use Nuclear power. Clean Coal can be used as a primary energy
source.

Sending money to countries that don't like us very much, and it's a fact
that some of the money is going to terrorist

I have traveled often times on your money, and I have seen it I believe
Climate Change is real.

Off shore drilling: We should allow the states to decide. It can have a
beneficial effect. It would send a signal to the Middle East, that we will
have less dependency on theirs. Is it an immediate solution? Look I'll give
you straight talk we did not get into this yesterday, we will not get out of
it tomorrow

Things are tough in Afghanistan. Progress in Iraq is fragile, but we are
winning. Iraq was mishandled for 4 years, but with Gen P and the great men
and woman of the military we are winning.

My Opinion is we would have had a larger war if we withdrew, with Iranian
influence and stronghold of Al Qaeda

This is going to be a hard struggle, we will meet this challenge. We are a
shinning city upon a hill. I can motivate young people to serve a cause
greater then their self-interest.

*Question 1:*  Has company that is converting cars to totally electric.

*John McCain:* What challenges are you facing? What you are doing is a key
factor to take us from dependence of foreign oil

*John McCain:* What can we do for you? I would invest in pure R&D, this
technology, Tesla, Volt. BTW volt represents new automobile jobs.  Flex Fuel
is important too – E85 in all vehicles and gas stations, no more tariffs

*Q1 Follow up: *Lexington Project? How can we a small group get into this
game?

*John McCain:* Examples of historical figures who can do it as a small group
– i.e. Wright brothers, Bill Gates – small groups will most likely play a
major role in this new technology

*Question 2:* We tell people that they can not spend more money then they
have – gov't does not follow this rule. What can I tell my children?

*John McCain: *Your concern is the major reason why Congress's approval
ratings is so low – we have got to stop the spending spree… stop bridges to
no where… stop middle of the night projects being added in.  I have never
asked for nor received a pork barrel project… Obama has asked for 10's of
m(b)illions. He has become entangled in the process. As long as we are
borrowing money from somewhere else we are going to have a hurting economy.
We have to stop excessive sending and put on a path to a balanced budget –

*Q2 followup:* How do we fix the process w/o raising taxes?

*John McCain:* we can do it trough spending cuts – farm bill example

*Question 3*: Took a trip to El Savador – I learned more then our US
representatives there. There economy is based on our money and our economy –
my question is about migration. They come here to make money; a large part
of their GDP is from remittances. Migration shouldn't start at the border,
we should look at the reason as to why people come to the US, and our policy
doesn't do well to address that.

*John McCain: *I hope other students get a chance to go out and see these
issues

Economy in South Am is bad, El Salvador hasn't totally recovered from their
civil war. Corruption is a problem; we need to make sure our aid goes to the
right people. Immigration continues to be a large problem and it is a
federal problem. There are all kinds of disjointedness in policy because
Federal government has failed. As you know I tried, we reach across the
aisle, but we failed. We failed b/c we couldn't assure the American people
that we have a secured boarder. It can be done with technology. Any part of
any immigration reform has to include a tamper proof id card for temporary
workers. If they know that they cannot get a job without going through the
proper system then they will not come. Free Trade will help for us to have
their services. Mexico is in a tough situation with drug cartels. Mexico is
trying to stop the flow of drugs into America. We need to work closely with
Mexico to help them stop these drug cartels.

*Question 4*: Id like to give my support to Condi Rice for VP. How is your
foreign policy and education policy different then Bush's?

*John McCain: *We will never torture again, close Guantanamo Bay – move them
to federal prisons. It has become a symbol throughout the world.  Tells
story of how he and Lindsey Graham met with a former high level AQ member.
They asked him how they were able to do it…  not enough troops and
lawlessness and Abu Ghraib was used as a recruiting tool. There are some
differences b/w me and the president. I said that the original strategy was
failing.

Education wise, NCLB was a good start, but we need to improve it. But we
should not scrape it. NYC and New Orleans is seeing an improvement due to
NCLB… competition is vital to better education

*Question 5:* Health care – we need bipartisan work. How will you get
congress to work in a bipartisan method?

*John McCain: *American people know this system is broken, and we need to
get those who don't realize it to know it. There are a lot of solutions and
we must address them in a bipartisan manner.  Health care needs to be in the
hands of the people. Government approved plans and pools for those with
chronic problems.

*Question 6:* I am a Sophomore College student…. What will you do to improve
airline industry?

*John McCain:* Price of oil is a major problem – they pass on the price to
travelers…. Lexington project will improve this problem. There is no real
good short-term solution. I wanted to give people a summer gas tax holiday.
It would have helped the lowest income Americans. We have an air traffic
control system that is not much different now then it was in the far past.
We are basically in the Stone Age. We have a backward, middle 20th cent. ATC
system. ATC and security procedures need to be fixed and efficient.

*Question 7:* We went into Iraq for many reasons, now it is for stability,
you say we are winning. Are we really winning the real war, in Afghanistan?
Why are we doing this, what are we accomplishing.

*John McCain:* We are winning the classic counter-insurgency. Iraq is taking
control. In Afghanistan, Taliban is resurging. For many reasons one of the
reasons is that the Pakistan military is giving sanctuary to Taliban.
Afghanistan is much better off then it was under the Taliban. That is a
fact. We went in b/c of 9-11. Our problem probably lends itself to that fact
that we need more troops there. We need better government in Afghanistan.
Need to make the Pakistanis know that if they allow safe haven to Taliban it
will spread into their country. We could not just focus on Afghanistan. We
had a significant long-term threat from Iraq. We could not ignore it.  Iran
poses a threat to the region.  I am glad to see that we can get together to
put sanctions on Iran. We have to meet this challenge with our Allies.

*Q7 follow up*: I have been told we spend more per population on each Iraqi
then on each American – there are more Taliban - extremist there now then
before we went in.

*John McCain: *I reject your view, I don't agree with the idea that people
were better off before we went off then they are now. We can argue about it,
but we are there now. The choices are we withdraw too early and have to go
back or we win

*Question 8:*  What is your stance on the Kucinich articles of impeachment?
Did you agree to meet with the hunger strike professor who has been outside
your office?

*John McCain:*I do not agree w/ impeachment – he is satisfied….  Asked if he
met with him… McCain said no, I do not take well to threats

*Question 9:* I wish Obama was here, I am a democrat looking for a
candidate. What would you as president do for women rights, how would you
address world women rights, I am also concerned about women here in the US,
and your views on Supreme Court justices concern me I wish they were more
moderate… Equal rights amendment – when will women be added in the
constitution?

*John McCain:* I see that you're a HRC supporter… I have worked with HRC on
military issues…. I have asked Obama to have joint town hall meetings, we
could have had spirited arguments. I hope that he will agree to do those.
This is not a new idea. Barry Goldwater and JFK planned on doing this. I
believe that women have become, there are some great women in the senate.
Women are getting high positions in elected office, Nancy Pelosi is an
example. But there is still sexism.  Women in Afghanistan are better off now
then under Taliban. I am prepared to work for equal rights for women
throughout the world. Equal Rights amendment is behind us, I did not support
it. I have two outstanding women as major members of my campaign.

Closing Remarks:

*John McCain:* Thanks for being here, I want to hear from everybody. We have
to restore America's trust that we will work on their behalf. We will have a
respectful debate in America. I have not put partisan politics ahead of
America.

-- 
Andres Moreno
Deputy Director - Tracking/Media Monitoring
Progressive Media USA
202-609-7688 (office)
703-501-6661 (cell)
[email-masked]

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