Obama: McCain-Palin 'lying'
Tue, Sep 09, 2008
AFP
FARMINGTON HILLS, US - BARACK Obama is ripping into his Republican rivals as never before, accusing John McCain and Sarah Palin of 'shameless' dishonesty with their claim to be 'mavericks', different from the unpopular President George W. Bush.
'They are not telling the truth,' he said in an interview with MSNBC news on Monday after the Republican running mates advertised themselves in a television spot as the 'original mavericks' who would stand up for hard-pressed voters.
'When you have somebody who was for a project being presented as being against it, then that stretches the bounds of spin into new areas,' Mr Obama said in response to Mrs Palin's boast that she had intervened to kill a controversial federally funded 'bridge to nowhere', a project she initially supported.
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Some of the White House race's most savage exchanges yet came as polls showed the contenders deadlocked or Mr McCain pulling into a post-convention lead after he electrified the Republican base - and appeared to confound the Obama campaign - by adding Alaska Governor Palin to his ticket.
The Obama campaign also unveiled an ad highlighting Mr McCain's lock-step voting record with President George W. Bush.
'Politicians lying about their records? You don't call that maverick - you call it more of the same,' the announcer said, breaching one of the last taboos of US politics by accusing the Republicans of outright dishonesty.
With polls showing four-fifths of Americans believe the nation is on the wrong track, the 'change' mantle has emerged as a central motif of the election campaign and one that Mr McCain is claiming for himself despite his Republican Party's widespread unpopularity.
'Governor Palin has taken on her party and the special interests in Alaska,' Mr McCain said at a fundraiser. 'I have stood up against my party when I've had to. And Senator Obama has never once stood up to his party. You know that very well.'
The 'change' tactic appears to be working. A USA Today/Gallup survey showed McCain ahead by 50 to 46 per cent among registered voters, a turnaround from one week ago when, just after the Democratic convention, Mr Obama had a seven-point lead.
Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said the choice of Mrs Palin had made them more likely to vote for Mr McCain, while 21 per cent said they were now less likely to back the Republicans.
Polls by CNN, Rasmussen, and The Washington Post had Mr McCain essentially tied with Mr Obama, after the Arizona senator trailed by as much as nine points last week.
At the rally, Mr Obama accused Mr McCain and Mrs Palin of offering 'empty words' when they speak of change.
'You're just saying it because you realize, gosh, Obama's been talking about change and it seems to be working, so maybe we should say it too,' he added to mocking laughter from a crowd of 1,500.
A senior McCain advisor said the response from Mr Obama was to be expected.
'We don't expect the Obama campaign to take this lying down,' Mr Mark Salter told reporters on Mr McCain's campaign plane.
'We're very confident that we've been able to use his vice presidential pick and the Republican convention to remind voters that John McCain's whole public career has been about change.'
While some polls have Mr Obama ahead in all-important battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Colorado, his campaign has clearly decided it is time to take off the gloves against Mr McCain and, in particular, Mrs Palin.
But Mr McCain kept up his calls for Republican change.
'We're going to work for you and we're going to drain the swamp in Washington, DC,' Mr McCain told a rally in Lee's Summit, Missouri after his campaign aired its 'original mavericks' broadcast.
'We'll take them on and we'll defeat 'em because America knows it's time for change and it's time for the right change.'
Mr McCain praised Mrs Palin's history of fighting corruption in her own party and pork-barrel spending while governor of Alaska, and touted his own reputation of bucking the party line.
'I will veto every pork barrel earmark spending bill that comes across my desk. We will stop it, my friends, because it breeds corruption and we can no longer stand for that,' the Arizona senator said. -- AFP
Tue, Sep 09, 2008
AFP
FARMINGTON HILLS, US - BARACK Obama is ripping into his Republican rivals as never before, accusing John McCain and Sarah Palin of 'shameless' dishonesty with their claim to be 'mavericks', different from the unpopular President George W. Bush.
'They are not telling the truth,' he said in an interview with MSNBC news on Monday after the Republican running mates advertised themselves in a television spot as the 'original mavericks' who would stand up for hard-pressed voters.
'When you have somebody who was for a project being presented as being against it, then that stretches the bounds of spin into new areas,' Mr Obama said in response to Mrs Palin's boast that she had intervened to kill a controversial federally funded 'bridge to nowhere', a project she initially supported.
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Some of the White House race's most savage exchanges yet came as polls showed the contenders deadlocked or Mr McCain pulling into a post-convention lead after he electrified the Republican base - and appeared to confound the Obama campaign - by adding Alaska Governor Palin to his ticket.
The Obama campaign also unveiled an ad highlighting Mr McCain's lock-step voting record with President George W. Bush.
'Politicians lying about their records? You don't call that maverick - you call it more of the same,' the announcer said, breaching one of the last taboos of US politics by accusing the Republicans of outright dishonesty.
With polls showing four-fifths of Americans believe the nation is on the wrong track, the 'change' mantle has emerged as a central motif of the election campaign and one that Mr McCain is claiming for himself despite his Republican Party's widespread unpopularity.
'Governor Palin has taken on her party and the special interests in Alaska,' Mr McCain said at a fundraiser. 'I have stood up against my party when I've had to. And Senator Obama has never once stood up to his party. You know that very well.'
The 'change' tactic appears to be working. A USA Today/Gallup survey showed McCain ahead by 50 to 46 per cent among registered voters, a turnaround from one week ago when, just after the Democratic convention, Mr Obama had a seven-point lead.
Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said the choice of Mrs Palin had made them more likely to vote for Mr McCain, while 21 per cent said they were now less likely to back the Republicans.
Polls by CNN, Rasmussen, and The Washington Post had Mr McCain essentially tied with Mr Obama, after the Arizona senator trailed by as much as nine points last week.
At the rally, Mr Obama accused Mr McCain and Mrs Palin of offering 'empty words' when they speak of change.
'You're just saying it because you realize, gosh, Obama's been talking about change and it seems to be working, so maybe we should say it too,' he added to mocking laughter from a crowd of 1,500.
A senior McCain advisor said the response from Mr Obama was to be expected.
'We don't expect the Obama campaign to take this lying down,' Mr Mark Salter told reporters on Mr McCain's campaign plane.
'We're very confident that we've been able to use his vice presidential pick and the Republican convention to remind voters that John McCain's whole public career has been about change.'
While some polls have Mr Obama ahead in all-important battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Colorado, his campaign has clearly decided it is time to take off the gloves against Mr McCain and, in particular, Mrs Palin.
But Mr McCain kept up his calls for Republican change.
'We're going to work for you and we're going to drain the swamp in Washington, DC,' Mr McCain told a rally in Lee's Summit, Missouri after his campaign aired its 'original mavericks' broadcast.
'We'll take them on and we'll defeat 'em because America knows it's time for change and it's time for the right change.'
Mr McCain praised Mrs Palin's history of fighting corruption in her own party and pork-barrel spending while governor of Alaska, and touted his own reputation of bucking the party line.
'I will veto every pork barrel earmark spending bill that comes across my desk. We will stop it, my friends, because it breeds corruption and we can no longer stand for that,' the Arizona senator said. -- AFP
