"If you want it to be about personalities, we’ll go out for a beer sometime and we’ll talk"

Friday, September 5, 2008




DURYEA, Luzerne County - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accused Republican rival John McCain of being out-of-touch with the economic problems facing Americans during a stop at a glass manufacturing plant here this morning.

"I don't think John McCain is a bad person. I just don't think he gets it," the Illinois Democrat said on the same day that a new U.S. Labor Department report showed the national unemployment rate hitting a 5-year high of 6.1 percent.

"You would think George Bush and his potential Republican successor, John McCain would be spending a lot of time worrying about this," Obama said on the second day of a campaign swing through Pennsylvania in which he focused hard on economic issues and ratcheted up his criticisms of McCain.

"But if you were watching the Republican National Convention, you wouldn't know that we have the highest unemployment rate in five years ...because they didn't talk about that."

read: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-obama-0905cn,0,7354895.story






One of the key topics that he focused on was education.

"Math and science are not the opposite of art and music. Those things are compatible and we want kids to get a well-rounded education. Part of the problem we've had is that "No Child Left Behind," the law that was passed by Bush, said we want high standards, which is good, but they said we are going to measure those high standards only by a single high stakes standardized test that we are going to apply during the middle of the school year...a whole bunch of school said we gotta teach to this test, and art and music isn't tested," said Obama. "It's a shame."

watch: http://www.necn.com/Boston/Politics/Obama-Its-a-shame-art-music-being-cut-back-in-schools-/1220636674.html





In response to news that the country's jobless rate jumped to its highest level in nearly 5 years during August, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama touted his own economic plan and derided the policies of his Republican rival as "more of the same."

"Today's jobs report is a reminder of what's at stake in this election," Obama said, adding that Republican candidate John McCain is "intent on continuing the economic policies that just this year have caused the American economy to lose 605,000 jobs."

Obama said his plan would help solve the country's economic woes, suggesting tax cuts for 95% of working families and "an immediate $50 billion to struggling states so that they don't have to cut back on health care and education and can rebuild roads and schools."

read: http://www.nasdaq.com





"We've now lost 605,000 jobs since the beginning of this year," Obama said. "We've had eight consecutive months of job losses."

Obama mocked McCain's campaign manager Rick Davis for saying the election would be decided more by voters' views about the candidates than about issues.

"Personalities? I mean, I've got a pretty good personality. But that's not why I'm running for president," Obama said to laughter.

"I have to say to you: I'm not perfect, but the one thing people can't deny is that for my entire public life, I've been fighting for folks like you, ordinary, middle-class families and working families, helping them getting ahead," Obama said, borrowing a theme that helped Clinton win in these rural, largely white areas.

read: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5isOFwdbq0tsqatW6vJpkDRTI1gMgD930NB3G0





"There are rumors going around that . . . you're going to take away our guns," said Joan O'Neil, a resident of Susquehanna . . .

"I believe in the Second Amendment, and if you are a law-abiding gun owner you have nothing to fear from an Obama administration," Obama said. "This has been peddled again and again. Here's what i believe: The Second Amendment is an indvidual right. . . people have the right to bear arms. But I also believe there is nothing wrong with some common-sense gun safety measures."

"That kind of thing is common sense and has nothing to do with the guy who has got his rifle and wants to go hunting," Obama said. "Now the NRA -- I'll be honest and I'm sure there are NRA members here -- their general attitude is is that we don't want anything, and if you even breathe the words 'gun control' or 'gun safety' then you must want to take away everybody's guns. Well, that's just not true."

Obama said that there are "two realities about guns" in the United States, one including lawful gun owners, hunters, and sportsmen and a second that involves the flow of illegal handguns and automatic weapons into cities such as Philadelphia where they are used by "teenage gang-bangers."





"Surely, we can come up with a system that protects lawful gun-owners, but at the same time tries to do something about kids getting shot," he said. "That is, I think, the job of the president is to reconcile this tradition of gun ownership in this country, with some basic public safety concerns.

"The bottom line is this: You got a rifle, you got a shotgun, you got a gun in your house, I'm not taking it away," Obama said. "They can keep on talking about it, but it's just not true."

In the end, Obama told the group, that if voters believe he can help them on economic issues such as health care, energy and education, "this can't be the reason not to vote for me. This can't be the reason not to vote. Your guns, we're not going to mess with them."

read: http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/09/obama_and_guns_not_going_to_me.html




“If you watched the Republican national convention over the last three days, you wouldn’t know that we have the highest unemployment rate in 5 years because they didn’t say a thing about what was going on in the middle class,” Mr. Obama said. “They spent a lot of time trying to run me down and not necessarily telling the truth, but what they didn’t talk about is you – what you’re going through in your lives, what your friends and neighbors are going through.”

Mr. Obama, in shirtsleeves and safety goggles, toured a glass manufacturing plant in this eastern Pennsylvania town near Scranton. He arrived at the factory hours after the latest economic report was released in Washington and his backdrop was intentionally planned to convey a message that Democrats are pushing above all else: the economy.

“This is not about personalities,” Mr. Obama said, imploring voters to weigh the issues and determine which party can bring about change. “If you want it to be about personalities, we’ll go out for a beer sometime and we’ll talk . . .

read: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/obama-in-pennsylvania/






(AP Photos/Chris Carlson -- Carolyn Kaster)

Just stick with "I don't think McCain gets it."

"mccain bad person" is what's left.

lather rinse repeat.

McCain played that hand during his RNC speech when he praised Obama before ripping into him. No need for McCain to have the advantage of looking like he's not being personal.

:kick:my pleasure, of course

he goes into details about the issues..Every election the RepubliCONS throw out the same thing and the rightwing latches on to it with out thinking about it especially on the gun issue.

He does well in these discussion settings where he's able to flesh out his proposals.

or come to DU ;-)

we can get out the real info on the net and he explains it so well that they can't fix it up the way they want Fox tries but it can't work..

In that physical education teach about DIET, EXERCISE, and require that EVERY student attain and maintain minimum standards, not just the jocks and cheerleaders. Include soccer, swimming, and other NON-CONTACT sports activities.

Teach them about WALKING and riding bicycles and LIFE-LONG activities ... and how to HAVE FUN doing them. Teach them about their bodies and WHY obesity is killing us.

This country needs far more public investments in swimming pools and hiking trails ... available to everyone.

and afterschool programs. Good points.

Made the littler kids who came in last on the run do more exercises and running.. Punished us for being smaller/younger than the jocks.

I'm near sixty and rode my bike 21 miles today, never even breathed hard.. But you can take that physical fitness crap and stick it where the sun don't shine, it will be used by the coaches to punish the geeks and the little kids that can't keep up.

:toast: