Subject: [big campaign] Tracking Update: McCain Speech/Q&A NAACP Cincinnati, OH 07/16/08
From: "Cammie Croft" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:49:05 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Hello All,

Just off the phone with our tracker Jacob who is on the ground today in
Cincinnati.  Below are the notes from our call.

*BIG HIGHLIGHTS:
*

   - Demonstrator outside of event with sign, "JOHN MCCAIN VOTED AGAINST MLK
   DAY"
   - McCain opens with kind words about Obama, acknowledges Obama's
   historical significance
   - McCain emphasizes education, says "the worst problems of our public
   school system are often found in black communities"
   - McCain attacks public education, calls for reform
   - McCain proposes "bonuses" for encouraging teachers to teach in tough
   neighborhoods and rewarding teachers for a job well done; He calls for such
   funds to be controlled by princpals
   - McCain proposes $500 million for virtual learning programs, online
   classes
   - McCain references his "friend" John Lewis
   - McCain asked about Katrina; calls the government's response a disgrace
   - McCain promises to fund No Child Left Behind
   - McCain asked about why he didn't fill out his NAACP candidate survey,
   says he'll do it immediately

*Cincinnati, OH - McCain Speech/Q&A NAACP 07/16/08*
*Background Details: *
- McCain staffers interspersed with NAACP staffers and secret service
- On stage: NAACP emblem that reads, 'Power, justice, freedom, vote'
- Outside: Protester with "JOHN MCCAIN VOTED AGAINST MLK DAY" sign
- Dana Bash present along with several local media outlets
- Conference hall packed 1-1,200 people present
- Several audience members wearing Obama T-shirts; tracker did not see any
signs or chum for McCain
- Crowd not excited about McCain, subdued reaction; at one point the
jumbotron screen cut to a crowd shot after he said something that was meant
to gain applause and the crowd shot showed people with their arms crossed

*FULL Transcript:*
LINK: http://thepage.time.com/transcript-of-mccains-remarks-at-the-naacp/

Thank you. Julian Bond, Dennis Courtland Hayes, Roslyn Brock – I appreciate
your kind invitation, and this warm welcome to the NAACP. This is your
second invitation to me during my presidential campaign, and I hope you'll
excuse me for passing on the opportunity at your convention last year. As
you might recall, I was a bit distracted at the time dealing with what
reporters uncharitably described as an implosion in my campaign. But I'm
very glad you invited me again.

Let me begin with a few words about my opponent. *Don't tell him I said
this, but he is an impressive fellow in many ways. He has inspired a great
many Americans, some of whom had wrongly believed that a political campaign
could hold no purpose or meaning for them. His success should make
Americans, all Americans, proud. Of course, I would prefer his success not
continue quite as long as he hopes. But it makes me proud to know the
country I've loved and served all my life is still a work in progress, and
always improving. Senator Obama talks about making history, and he's made
quite a bit of it already*. And the way was prepared by this venerable
organization and others like it. A few years before the NAACP was founded,
President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at
the White House was taken as an outrage and an insult in many quarters.
America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that
time. There is no better evidence of this than the nomination of an
African-American to be the presidential nominee of his party. Whatever the
outcome in November, Senator Obama has achieved a great thing – for himself
and for his country – and I thank him for it.

As our country has changed these past few decades, so have many of your
debates within the NAACP, and within other civil-rights organizations. In
the days of separate lunch counters, bullhorns, and fire hoses, the mission
was hard and dangerous, but it was easily defined. The advancement of
African Americans meant equal protection under law, in a country where the
law had simply codified injustice. That cause required the enormous courage
and commitment of generations, and a determination to hold this nation to
its own creed.

You know better than I do how different the challenges are today for those
who champion the cause of equal opportunity in America. Equal access to
public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a
failing school? Equal employment opportunity is set firmly down in law. But
with jobs becoming scarcer – and 400,000 Americans thrown out of work just
this year – that can amount to an equal share of diminished opportunity. For
years, business ownership by African Americans has been growing rapidly.
This is all to the good, but that hopeful trend is threatened in a
struggling economy – with the cost of energy, health care, and just about
everything else rising sharply.

As in other challenges African Americans have met and overcome, these
problems require clarity of purpose. They require the solidarity of groups
like the NAACP. And, at times, they also require a willingness to break from
conventional thinking.

Nowhere are the limitations of conventional thinking any more apparent than
in education policy. *Education reform has long been a priority of the
NAACP, and for good reason. For all the best efforts of teachers and
administrators, the worst problems of our public school system are often
found in black communities.* Black and Latino students are among the most
likely to drop out of high school. African Americans are also among the
least likely to go on to college.

*After decades of hearing the same big promises from the public education
establishment, and seeing the same poor results, it is surely time to shake
off old ways and to demand new reforms. That isn't just my opinion; it is
the conviction of parents in poor neighborhoods across this nation who want
better lives for their children.* In Washington, D.C., the Opportunity
Scholarship program serves more than 1,900 boys and girls from families with
an average income of 23,000 dollars a year. And more than 7,000 more
families have applied for that program. What they all have in common is the
desire to get their kids into a better school.

Democrats in Congress, including my opponent, oppose the D.C. Opportunity
Scholarship program. In remarks to the American Federation of Teachers last
weekend, Senator Obama dismissed public support for private school vouchers
for low-income Americans as, "tired rhetoric about vouchers and school
choice." All of that went over well with the teachers union, but where does
it leave families and their children who are stuck in failing schools?

Over the years, Americans have heard a lot of "tired rhetoric" about
education. We've heard it in the endless excuses of people who seem more
concerned about their own position than about our children. We've heard it
from politicians who accept the status quo rather than stand up for real
change in our public schools. Parents ask only for schools that are safe,
teachers who are competent, and diplomas that open doors of opportunity.
When a public system fails, repeatedly, to meet these minimal objectives,
parents ask only for a choice in the education of their children. Some
parents may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private school.
Many will choose a charter school. No entrenched bureaucracy or union should
deny parents that choice and children that opportunity.

We should also offer more choices to those who wish to become teachers. Many
thousands of highly qualified men and women have great knowledge, wisdom,
and experience to offer public school students. But a monopoly on teacher
certification prevents them from getting that chance. You can be a Nobel
Laureate and not qualify to teach in most public schools today. They don't
have all the proper credits in educational "theory" or "methodology" – all
they have is learning and the desire and ability to share it. If we're
putting the interests of students first, then those qualifications should be
enough.

If I am elected president, school choice for all who want it, an expansion
of Opportunity Scholarships, and alternative certification for teachers will
all be part of a serious agenda of education reform. I will target funding
to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25 percent of their class, or
who participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program such as Teach
for America, the American Board for Teacher Excellence, and the New Teacher
Project.

*We will pay bonuses to teachers who take on the challenge of working in our
most troubled schools – because we need their fine minds and good hearts to
help turn those schools around. We will award bonuses as well to our
highest-achieving teachers. And no longer will we measure teacher
achievement by conformity to process. We will measure it by the success of
their students.*

*Moreover, the funds for these bonuses will not be controlled by faraway
officials – in Washington, in a state capital, or even in a district office.
Under my reforms, we will entrust both the funds and the responsibilities
where they belong in the office of the school principal.* One reason that
charter schools are so successful, and so sought-after by parents, is that
principals have spending discretion. And I intend to give that same
discretion to public school principals. No longer will money be spent in
service to rigid and often meaningless formulas. Relying on the good
judgment and first-hand knowledge of school principals, education money will
be spent in service to public school students.

*We can also help more children and young adults to study outside of school
by expanding support for virtual learning. So I propose to direct 500
million dollars in current federal funds to build new virtual schools, and
to support the development of online courses for students. Through
competitive grants, we will allocate another 250 million dollars to support
state programs expanding online education opportunities, including the
creation of new public virtual charter schools. States can use these funds
to build virtual math and science academies to help expand the availability
of Advanced Placement math, science, and computer science courses, online
tutoring, and foreign language courses.*

Under my reforms, moreover, parents will exercise freedom of choice in
obtaining extra help for children who are falling behind. As it is, federal
aid to parents for tutoring for their children has to go through another
bureaucracy. They can't purchase the tutoring directly, without having to
deal with the same education establishment that failed their children in the
first place. These needless restrictions will be removed, under my reforms.
If a student needs extra help, parents will be able to sign them up to get
it, with direct public support.

Over the years, the NAACP has brought enormous good into the life of our
country – in part by broadening the reach of economic opportunity. There was
a time when economists took little if any notice at all of the poverty of
black communities. Even in times of general economic growth, many lived in a
perpetual recession, and the jobs available didn't promise much upward
mobility. Our country still has a lot of progress to make on this score. But
with 1.2 million businesses today owned and operated by African Americans,
more and more are no longer just spectators on the prosperity of our
country. They are stakeholders. As much as anyone else, they count on their
government to help create the conditions of economic growth – and, as
president, I intend to do.

Senator Obama and I have fundamental differences on economic policy. But
when he describes my plan, I'm not sure his heart is always in it – so let
me have a go at it myself. I believe that in a troubled economy, when folks
are struggling to afford the necessities of life, higher taxes are the last
thing we need. The economy isn't hurting because workers and businesses are
under-taxed. Raising taxes eliminates jobs, hurts small businesses, and
delays economic recovery.

Under my plan, we will preserve the current low rates as they are, so
businesses large and small can hire more people. We will double the personal
exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 for every dependent, in every family in
America. We will offer every individual and family a large tax credit to buy
their health care, so that their health insurance is theirs to keep even
when they move or change jobs. And we will lower the business tax rate, so
American companies open new plants and create more jobs in this country,
instead of going overseas to flee the second-highest tax rate in the world.

My opponent and I have honest differences as well about the growth of
government. And it may be that many of you share his view. But even allowing
for disagreement, surely there is common ground in the principle that
government cannot go on forever spending recklessly and incurring debt.
Government has grown by 60 percent in the last eight years, because the
Congress and this administration have failed to meet their responsibilities.
And next year, total federal expenditures are predicted to reach over three
trillion dollars. That is an awful lot for us to be spending when this
nation is already more than nine trillion dollars in debt – or more than
thirty thousand dollars in debt for every citizen. That's a debt our
government plans to leave for your children and mine to bear. And that is a
failure not only of financial foresight, but of moral obligation.

There will come a day when the road reaches a dead-end. And it won't be
today's politicians who suffer the consequences. It will be American workers
and their children who are left with worthless promises and trillion-dollar
debts. We cannot let that happen. As President, I'll work with every member
of Congress – Republican, Democrat, and Independent – who shares my
commitment to reforming government and controlling spending. I'll order a
top-to-bottom review of every federal program, department, and agency. We're
going to demand accountability. We're going to make sure failed programs are
not rewarded … and that discretionary spending is going where it belongs –
to essential priorities like job training, the security of our citizens, and
the care of our veterans.

To get our economy running at full strength again, we must also get a handle
on the cost of energy. Under my plan, we will produce more of America's own
energy. We will build at least 45 nuclear plants that will create over
700,000 good jobs to construct and operate them. We will develop clean coal
technology – which alone will create tens of thousands of jobs in some of
America's most hard-pressed areas. We will accelerate the development of
wind and solar power and other renewable technologies, and we will help
automakers design and sell cars that don't depend on gasoline. Production of
hybrid, flex-fuel, and electric cars will bring America closer to energy
independence. And it will bring jobs to auto plants, parts manufacturers,
and the communities that support them.

*Our country is passing through a very tough time. But Americans have been
through worse, and beaten longer odds. The men and women of the NAACP know
more than most about facing long odds, and overcoming adversity.*

*Many of you are veterans of the great civil rights struggles of a
generation and more ago. Like my friend John Lewis, some of you have seen
enough years to have known Martin Luther King, Jr., and even marched at his
side or not far behind in Birmingham, Montgomery, or elsewhere*. For all of
this, like Dr. King, you were called agitators, trouble-makers, malcontents,
and disturbers of the peace. These are often the terms applied to men and
women of conscience who will not endure cruelty, nor abide injustice.

Perhaps with more charity than was always deserved, it was Dr. King who
often reminded us that there was moral badness, and there was moral
blindness, and they were not the same. It was this spirit that turned hatred
into forgiveness, anger into conviction, and a bitter life into a great one.
He loved and honored his country even when the feeling was unreturned, and
counseled others to do the same. He gave his countrymen the benefit of the
doubt – believing, as he wrote, that "returning hate for hate multiplies
hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness
cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."

I remember first learning what had happened in Memphis on the fourth of
April, 1968, feeling just as everyone else did back home, only perhaps even
more uncertain and alarmed for my country in the darkness that was then
enclosed around me and my fellow captives. In our circumstances at the time,
good news from America was hard to come by. But the bad news was a different
matter, and each new report of violence, rioting, and other tribulations in
America was delivered without delay. The enemy had correctly calculated that
the news of Dr. King's death would deeply wound morale, and leave us worried
and afraid for our country. Doubtless it boosted our captors' morale,
confirming their belief that America was a lost cause, and that the future
belonged to them.

Yet how differently it all turned out. And if they had been the more
reflective kind, our enemies would have understood that the cause of Dr.
King was bigger than any one man, and could not be stopped by force of
violence. Struggle is rewarded in God's own time. Wrongs are set right and
evil is overcome. We know this to be true because it is the story of your
cause, and the story of our country.

As much as any other group in America, the NAACP has been at the center of
that great and honorable cause. I'm here today as an admirer and a fellow
American, an association that means more to me than any other. I am a
candidate for president who seeks your vote and hopes to earn it. But
whether or not I win your support, I need your goodwill and counsel. And
should I succeed, I'll need it all the more. I have always believed in this
country, in a good America, a great America. But I have always known we can
build a better America, where no place or person is left without hope or
opportunity by the sins of injustice or indifference. It would be among the
great privileges of my life to work with you in that cause.

Thank you all very much.
*Question and Answer
*1) QUESTIONER: I am a flood survivor and I want to know what you will do
about FEMA.
MCCAIN: The government's response to Katrina was a disgrace. I will combine
the best in business and government to respond more competently to natural
disasters. Attacks by natural calamities are just as bad, if not worse, than
attacks by terrorists on our nation. I would also consider drills to see how
we and our agencies respond.

2) QUESTIONER: We are concerned with justice and fairness of sentencing.
With that in mind what kind of judges would you appoint?
MCCAIN: I would appoint judges who strictly adhere to and interpret The
Constitution. I voted for Ginsberg and Breyer because I thought they were
qualified. Why we strayed from those immortal words that all men are created
equal from our founding fathers I will never know.

3) QUESTIONER: Will you fully fund NCLB?
MCCAIN: I will. NCLB also needs to be fixed. The status quo is not
acceptable. Also, the rise in autism is an issue.

4) QUESTIONER: Did you miss the opportunity to fill out the NAACP civil
rights survey and do you look forward to completing it in the future?
MCCAIN: We get hundreds of surveys and we fill out them all. Yes, we will
complete it immediately. I'd be glad to.

5) QUESTIONER: I work with head start workers and federal funding has not
been allocated to them. What will you do now as a senator so head start
workers can get the funds needed to educate the poor?
MCCAIN: I would be glad to fully fund those programs, but there has to be
monitoring so we know there will be a return on the taxpayer's money.
There's no reason you should resent any scrutiny, if you receive full
funding. How's that?
FOLLOW-UP: The federal monitoring is from the people who run the programs.
If I am making $17k a year, I cannot afford basic costs of living. These
people have gone to school and gotten the mandates that have been allocated
by city governments and they need to make living wages. What are you gonna
do? We can't continue this way.
MCCAIN: I'll be glad to tell you exactly what I'm gonna do. As I said in my
speech, a great and outstanding teacher such as yourself deserves rewards. I
don't want someone to have tenure after only two years of teaching. I want
us to reward good teachers and find bad teachers another line of work.
In NYC and New Orleans we've seen dramatic education improvements because of
choice and competition and merit-based rewards.

6 Q) QUESTIONER: I am a pastor in San Fransisco. I would like to know your
position on faith-based initiatives. We live in a nation where we are
supposed to have freedom of and from religion. What is the point of these
programs when we are supposed to have equality for all regardless of
affiliation?
MCCAIN: I noticed Sen. Obama gave a speech on faith-based organizations. I
think the some of the finest services rendered unto this country has come
from them because of Judaeo-Christian values. These organizations represent
the best of America because it manifests the ideas that we are to help the
poor and heal the sick.

-- 
Cammie L. Croft
Tracking/Media Monitoring Director
Progressive Accountability Office
[email-masked]
202-609-7679 (office)
206-999-3064 (cell)

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group.

To post to this group, send to [email-masked]

To unsubscribe, send email to [email-masked]

E-mail [email-masked] with questions or concerns
 
This is a list of individuals. It is not affiliated with any group or organization.
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---