2008 Presidential Campaign Blog

John McCain's Remarks On The Economic Crisis

John McCain's Remarks on the Economic Crisis
New York, NY
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees. If we do not act, ever corner of our country will be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen.

Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama has expressed his priorities and concerns. This morning, I met with a group of economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we should take going forward. I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear their perspective.

It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration's proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.

Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.

I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night's debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people. All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.

Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now. Americans across our country lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country.

McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New TV Ad: "Mum"

MCCAIN-PALIN 2008 LAUNCHES NEW TV AD: "MUM"

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest television ad, entitled "Mum." The ad highlights that while John McCain was outlining an economic recovery plan, Barack Obama was staying "mum" -- refusing to outline a solution, take a position on bailouts and even criticizing his running-mate for having a position. The ad will be televised nationally.

Script For "Mum" (TV :30)

ANNCR: In crisis, experience matters.

McCain and his Congressional allies led.

Tough rules on Wall Street.

Stop CEO rip-offs.

Protect your savings and pensions.

Obama and his liberal allies? Mum on the market crisis.

Because no one knows what to do.

More taxes.

No leadership.

A risk your family can't afford.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

2008 Electoral College Summary of Key Dates, Events & Information

2008 Electoral College Summary of Key Dates, Events & Information

June thru October 2008

    * Preparation Stage
      The Federal Register prepares letters and instructional materials for the Archivist to send to the Governors of the 50 States and the Mayor of the District of Columbia. The materials include pamphlets on Federal election law and detailed instructions on how to prepare and submit the electors' credentials (Certificates of Ascertainment) and the electoral votes (Certificates of Vote). In October, the Federal Register begins contacting Governors and Secretaries of State to establish contacts for the coming election.

November 4, 2008

    * General Election
      Registered voters in each State and the District of Columbia vote for President and Vice President. They cast their vote by selecting a pair of candidates listed on a single Presidential/Vice Presidential ticket. By doing so, they also choose slates of Electors to serve in the Electoral College. Forty-eight of the fifty States and the District of Columbia are "winner-take-all" (ME and NE are the exceptions).

Mid-November thru December 15, 2008

    * Transmission of Certificates of Ascertainment to NARA
      The Ascertainment lists the names of the electors appointed and the number of votes cast for each person. The States prepare seven originals authenticated by the Governor's signature and the State seal. One original and two certified copies are sent to the Federal Register (the remaining six are attached to the electoral votes at the State meetings). The Governors must submit the certificates "as soon as practicable," after their States certify election results. They should be transmitted no later than December 15 (but Federal law sets no penalty for missing the deadline).

December 9, 2008

    * Date for Determination of Controversy as to Appointment of Electors
      States must make final determinations of any controversies or contests as to the appointment of electors at least six days before December 15 meetings of electors for their electoral votes to be presumptively valid when presented to Congress. Determinations by States' lawful tribunals are conclusive, if decided under laws enacted prior to election day.

December 15, 2008

    * Meetings of Electors and Transmission of Certificates of Vote to NARA
      The electors meet in their State to select the President and Vice President of the United States. No Constitutional provision or Federal law requires electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote in their States. NARA's web site lists the States that have laws to bind electors to candidates. The electors record their votes on six "Certificates of Vote," which are paired with the six remaining Certificates of Ascertainment. The electors sign, seal and certify packages of electoral votes and immediately send one set of votes to the President of the Senate and two sets to the Archivist. The Federal Register preserves one archival set and holds the reserve set subject to the call of the President of the Senate to replace missing or incomplete electoral votes.

December 24, 2008

    * Deadline for Receipt of Electoral Votes at NARA
      The President of the Senate and the Archivist should have the electoral votes in hand by December 24, 2008 (States face no legal penalty for failure to comply). If votes are lost or delayed, the Archivist may take extraordinary measures to retrieve duplicate originals.

On or Before January 3, 2009

    * Transmission of Certificates of Ascertainment to Congress
      As the new Congress assembles, the Archivist transmits copies of the Certificates of Ascertainment to Congress. This generally occurs in late December or early January when the Archivist and/or representatives from the Federal Register meet with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House. This is, in part, a ceremonial occasion. Informal meetings may take place earlier.

January 6, 2009

    * Counting Electoral Votes in Congress
      The Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes (Congress may pass a law to change the date). The President of the Senate is the presiding officer. If a Senator and a House member jointly submit an objection, each House would retire to its chamber to consider it. The President and Vice President must achieve a majority of electoral votes (270) to be elected. In the absence of a majority, the House selects the President, and the Senate selects the Vice President. If a State submits conflicting sets of electoral votes to Congress, the two Houses acting concurrently may accept or reject the votes. If they do not concur, the votes of the electors certified by the Governor of the State would be counted in Congress.

January 20, 2009 at Noon

    * Inauguration
      The President elect takes the Oath of Office and becomes the U.S. President.

General Authority

The Archivist of the United States, as the head of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is responsible for carrying out ministerial duties on behalf of the States and the Congress under 3 U.S.C. sections 6, 11, 12, and 13. NARA is primarily responsible for coordinating the various stages of the electoral process by helping the States prepare and submit certificates that establish the appointment of electors and validate the electoral votes of each State. The Archivist delegates operational duties to the Director of the Federal Register. The Federal Register Legal Staff ensures that electoral documents are transmitted to Congress, made available to the public, and preserved as part of our nation's history. The Legal Staff reviews the electoral certificates for the required signatures, seals and other matters of form, as specified in Federal law. Only the Congress and the Courts have the authority to rule on substantive legal issues.

Source: Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration

Sen. Joe Biden And Gov. Sarah Palin Set For October 2nd Debate In St. Louis

Biden, Palin set for Oct. 2 VP Debate

Sen. Joe Biden from Delaware and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the vice presidential nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, will debate each other at 8 p.m. (CDT) Oct. 2 in the Washington University in St. Louis Athletic Complex, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).

This is the first time the University will host a vice presidential debate. It's the fifth consecutive presidential election that the University has been selected by the CPD, the event's sponsor, to serve as a debate host.

The CPD, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established in 1987, is responsible for selecting the venues and producing the presidential debates. The CPD's three 2008 presidential debates locations and dates are: the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Sept. 26; Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 7; and Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., Oct. 15.

Washington University again is offering the same facilities that were made available for the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 debates. They include the Field House — which is the actual debate site — Francis Gymnasium, the Rec Gym and other areas of the Athletic Complex. Francis Gym and Francis Field were the sites of the 1904 World Olympic Games, the first Olympics played in the Western Hemisphere.

The debate will be moderated by Gwen Ifill, a longtime correspondent and moderator for nationally televised public broadcasting news programs. Ifill, who serves as moderator and managing editor of PBS' "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," also moderated the CPD's 2004 vice presidential debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards, held Oct. 5 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Biden was nominated for vice president Aug. 27 at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo. A week later, on Sept. 4, Palin was nominated for vice president at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Biden, 65, is a 36-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. He was elected in 1972 when he was 29. He is known for his leadership in foreign policy, terrorism, crime and drug policy. He ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination of his party in 1988 and in 2008.

Biden is the former chairman and long-time member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Over the years he has been influential in crime and drug policy legislation. His Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, frequently referred to as the Biden Crime Bill, increased police numbers by 100,000 nationwide and brought more federal support for criminal justice.

The 2007 Biden Crime Bill addresses burgeoning crime problems such as online child exploitation, computer hacking and teenage prescription drug abuse.

Palins vice presidential nomination marks the first time that the Republican Party has nominated a woman for the position. On Dec. 4, 2006, she also made history when she became the first woman governor of Alaska.

Palin, 46, has overseen increases in Alaska state savings, education funding and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. Her administration has passed an overhaul of the states ethics laws and developed a process to construct a gas pipeline.

Palin is chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting the environment.

Before becoming governor of Alaska, she served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as mayor/manager of Wasilla. Palin also has served as chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's oil and gas.

Local sponsors for the vice presidential debate are AT&T, Emerson and Wachovia Securities.

Washington University is the only institution to host more than two debates.

In 1992, the university hosted the first nationally televised three-candidate presidential debate in CPD history, was selected to host a presidential debate in 1996 that eventually was canceled, hosted the third and last presidential debate of the 2000 campaign season and the second of three presidential debates before the 2004 election.

United States Mint Unveils New 2009 Lincoln Penny Designs

United States Mint Unveils New 2009 Penny Designs

WASHINGTON - The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Plaza was the backdrop today for the unveiling, by United States Mint Director Ed Moy, of four new designs for the circulating 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Coins.  Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Co-Chairman Harold Holzer joined Director Moy for the unveiling. 

Authorized by Public Law 109-145, the four new designs celebrate the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth, as well as the 100th anniversary of the production of the Lincoln cent (penny).  The new designs will be issued in approximately three-month intervals throughout the year.  The first redesigned penny, which will honor Lincoln's birth and early childhood, will be put into circulation on February 12, 2009.

"This is a momentous occasion in the history of our Nation's coinage because these designs represent the first change in the Lincoln cent in half a century," said Director Moy.  "These coins are a tribute to one of our greatest Presidents whose legacy has had a lasting impact on our country.  He believed all men were created equal, and his life was a model for accomplishing the American dream through honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a lifetime of education."

The four designs to be featured on the reverse of the Lincoln pennies represent four major aspects of President Lincoln's life:  his birth and childhood in Kentucky, his formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois and his Presidency in Washington, D.C.  The inscriptions on the reverse of the coins will be "United States of America," "E Pluribus Unum" and "One Cent."

The obverse (heads side) of the one-cent coins will continue to bear Victor David Brenner's likeness of President Lincoln, introduced in 1909, and the motto "In God We Trust."  At the end of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Coin Program, the reverse of the penny will feature a design emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country. 

A Lincoln commemorative silver dollar, authorized by Public Law 109-285, also will be released in 2009.

McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New TV Ad: "Chicago Machine"

MCCAIN-PALIN 2008 LAUNCHES NEW TV AD: "CHICAGO MACHINE"

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest television ad, entitled "Chicago Machine." The ad highlights the Chicago friends that surround Barack Obama, including a lobbyist, a convicted felon, a political godfather and a governor with a legacy of investigation. With friends like these, Barack Obama is not ready to lead. The ad will be televised nationally.

Script For "Chicago Machine" (TV :30)

ANNCR: Barack Obama.

Born of the corrupt Chicago political machine.

BARACK OBAMA: In terms of my toughness, look first of all, I come from Chicago.

ANNCR: His economic adviser, William Daley. Lobbyist. Mayor's brother.

His money man, Tony Rezko. Client. Patron. Convicted Felon.

His "political godfather." Emil Jones. Under ethical cloud.

His governor, Rod Blagojevich. A legacy of federal and state investigations.

With friends like that, Obama is not ready to lead.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

Commission on Presidential Debates Hails 2008 Formats as 'Historic Breakthrough'

Commission on Presidential Debates Hails 2008 Formats as 'Historic Breakthrough'

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Paul G. Kirk, Jr. and Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., the co-chairmen of The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), today announced the finalized formats of the 2008 presidential and vice presidential debates agreed to by the Obama and McCain campaigns, calling them "a breakthrough in the history of televised debates."

Kirk, Jr. and Fahrenkopf said, "In a year when unprecedented voter interest in the general election debates is anticipated, the CPD is pleased that the major party campaigns have essentially embraced the goals and breakthrough formats proposed by the CPD."

When proposed in November 2007, Kirk and Fahrkenkopf said, "Our mission is to promote voter education. The public deserves to hear and see the candidates offer and defend their positions on the critical issues facing our country in the most thoughtful and in-depth manner that television time constraints will allow. Loosening the constraints within the ninety minutes debate will allow for more serious examination of complicated questions. This change will also open the possibility of the moderator inviting candidates to question each other. We want voters to benefit from as full an explanation of a topic as possible, and we feel certain that the candidates will welcome this change for the same reason."

Today, Kirk and Fahrenkopf said, "Indeed, both campaigns, without public controversy, with quiet cooperation and with minor revisions, have agreed to CPD's proposal that each debate will be divided into issue segments allowing time for each candidate to comment on that issue followed by a free-flow conversation/ discussion between the candidates including the possibility of direct exchange between the candidates."

Kirk and Fahrenkopf added, "These formats are an historic breakthrough in the history of televised debates. Televised debates have been hampered by restrictive time limits resulting in scripted, poll-tested, bumper sticker responses. In 2008, when stakes are higher than ever, issues more complex than ever, voter interest more intense than ever, voter education calls for a more expansive discussion between the leading candidates for president and vice president of the United States on the issues confronting America. The Commission commends Senators Obama and McCain for their understanding and acceptance of this need."

The Commission's presidential debate formats were negotiated prior to the conventions of the major parties. The vice presidential format was negotiated following the vice president selections and was finalized Saturday. The vice presidential debate will embrace the same structure as the presidential debates. However, the discussion period for the vice presidential debate will necessarily be shorter than that of presidential debates. The presidential debates will devote one 90 minute debate exclusively to foreign policy and one 90 minute debate exclusively to domestic policy. The only vice presidential debate will include both foreign and domestic issues within a 90 minute format. The vice presidential format will also allow two minutes for each candidate to offer a closing statement. Town meeting, the format for the second presidential debate, was first introduced in 1992 and has proven very popular with the viewing public. This year the moderator will include questions submitted by Internet at MyDebates.org with questions from the citizen participants.

The detailed schedule of the CPD sponsored debates is as follows (all debates start at 9:00 p.m. EDT):

  First presidential debate:  foreign policy and national security,
  moderated by Jim Lehrer

  Friday, September 26, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.

   -- Two-minute answers, followed by five-minute discussion for each
      question.

  Vice presidential debate:  all topics, moderated by Gwen Ifill

  Thursday, October 2, Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

   -- Ninety-second answers, followed by two-minute discussion for each
      question.  Two-minute closing statements.

  Second presidential debate: all topics in town meeting format, moderated
  by Tom Brokaw

  Tuesday, October 7, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

  -- Two-minute answers, followed by one-minute discussion for each
     question.

  Third presidential debate: the economy and domestic policy, moderated by
  Bob Schieffer

  Wednesday, October 15, Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.

  -- Two-minute answers, followed by five-minute discussion for each
     question.  Two-minute closing statements.

John McCain And Sarah Palin "Road to Victory Rally" Blaine Minnesota Video

John McCain And Sarah Palin "Road to Victory Rally" Blaine Minnesota Photos

John McCain And Sarah Palin "Road to Victory Rally" Blaine Minnesota Photos