It's not easy being John McCain these days. With all the focus on the battle for the Democratic nomination, McCain can barely get his name in the headlines. That can be good and bad.
First, he can get some rest. At age 71, with people questioning his physical fitness for office (he's fine); he can at least relax a bit. Secondly, he can raise money for the fall campaign. Since he started with little money, and against all odds won the nomination, time to fundraise now is critical.
On the downside, the lack of drama on the GOP side means little press coverage. But it is critical that McCain get his message out there, and keep it out thereSo into the lion's den he came today, with a town hall meeting at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Tuesday he speaks at Wake Forrest University in Winston-Salem. The trip to North Carolina is a smart move, if just to say, "Hey I'm still a candidate for president, too!"
McCain was all business before the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, right in the middle of downtown. The first topic he spoke on was the economy. "Thank you for everything you do for the economy here," he said, "It's a high growth economy!" McCain mentioned a familiar belief; that manufacturing is not coming back as a great force in theeconomy. He commended North Carolina for expanding its eco nomy into high tech, banking and education."We should not fear that change," the Arizona Senator said, "We should never fear that change."I know these are tough times," he added, "but the fundamentals of our economy are strong." He pledged to keep taxes low, and to lessen the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
McCain also addressed the issue of health care reform. He believes it's better for employers to provide health insurance instead of having a government run system. It is perhaps where he differs most from the two Democrats. "There will be a stark difference," he said, "I want the families to make the decisions about their health care. Sen. Obama and Clinton want the government to make those decisions.
He also talked about immigration reform and the bill he led that failed to pass Congress. "This is a burning issue. Our borders are broken." McCain says 12 million are here illegally, and 2 million of them are criminals who need to be deported. The rest must be offered a guest worker program, but can't skip ahead of those in the citizenship line who came here legally. "We are a Judeo-Christian valued nation, and we must address it in that fashion," McCain said.
McCain talked international issues: the need to stop Iran from creating nuclear weapons, and to provide aid to Myanmar, which was devastated by a cyclone that may have killed 10,000.
On a lighter note, the Arizona Senator remains the funniest candidate on the trail. Today he said, "We now have a pro-American President of France. Which shows that if you live long enough, anything can happen!"
I will be "live" with Ross McGowan from
No comments:
Post a Comment