Category: Television

Here are some media reports related to McCain’s rally set to be held in Columbus on Monday the 29th. Both articles are from the Columbus Dispatch – which normally endorses GOP candidates.

Along with Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. John McCain has embraced a $700 billion bailout of the nation’s troubled financial industry.

In a telephone interview with The Dispatch from Washington yesterday, McCain said that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke convinced him that the rescue plan is necessary.

“I’m sure everybody understands that this was something that just had to be done,” McCain said. “I’m kind of sorry in a way, but the tone of voice that Bernanke and Paulson used about this crisis, I’ve never heard anything like it in the years that I’ve been in public office, or alive.”

McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will appear at a rally this morning at Capital University. In advance of the visit, McCain talked with The Dispatch about the financial crisis and other topics:

Dispatch: Some commentators criticized you for what they called erratic statements and actions last week heading into negotiations on rescuing the economy. Describe how you played a productive role in all this.

McCain: I’ll leave that up to others to make that judgment. This was an issue that was transcendent. I suspended my campaign and came back to Washington because I thought that it was vital to do so. Sen. Obama said he was available to discuss the issue by phone. I didn’t want to phone it in. I’m proud that we were able to get this done, and I’ll give the credit to everybody else.

McCain tells ‘Dispatch’ that bailout is emergency measure ‘to stop bleeding’

Didn’t want to phone it in? It seems McCain going to Washington to butt in the talks actually caused them to break down.

Palin is ideal for southwestern Ohio, with her tough talk and conservative stances on issues such as guns and abortion, said Ryan Barilleaux, chairman of Miami University’s Political Science Department. However, he is surprised by the level of enthusiasm.

“Earlier in his career, John McCain seemed to go out of his way to poke people in the eye, conservatives in particular, and they resented that,” he said. “But now he’s kind of redeemed himself.”

In the town of Monroe, where voter turnout in 2004 was about 80 percent, Ernie Wilson has been cutting hair at Ernie’s Hair Place for 50 years. As the election draws closer, political talk heats up, and Wilson said he hears quite a bit about Palin.

“The one thing I hear all the time is that when she got elected (governor), she said she was going to change things, and she sold that state jet right away,” he said.

Sitting in Wilson’s waiting room, William Murphy, 66, is among the Democrats who scratch their heads at the obsession with Palin, whom he calls “probably the most-inept vice-presidential candidate we’ve had.”

“She’s a fresh face, but they didn’t know nothing about her,” said Murphy, an occupational safety consultant from Monroe.

Palin’s shine has dulled a bit since the Republican National Convention, as some of her assertions, such as her opposition to the “bridge to nowhere,” are rebutted and her experience is questioned.

But folks seem more concerned about Obama’s background. Some are very bothered by his affiliation with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his controversial former minister. A few mentioned Obama’s race as a factor.

Jayne Keys, 51, a restaurant controller from Wilmington, questioned Obama’s experience but called Palin a “refreshing face who will bring a lot to the table.”

Asked about Palin’s lack of experience, Keys’ husband, Don, responded: “She’s not running for president. My anticipation is that (McCain) would last for eight years, and she would gain eight years of experience.”

Palin energizes Republicans in their Cincinnati-area stronghold

Cindy McCain did a satellite interview with one of our local TV stations (WBNS Channel 10) ahead of the McCain rally in Columbus on Monday. Notice in the video how the anchor focuses on the tax increase for those making more than $250,000 and giving short emphasis on the tax cuts for the middle class under Obama’s plan. He frames it that way twice in the video. He mentions Palin’s bad interview with Katie Couric last week but spins so Cindy can be a cheerleader.

A few months ago I had to write a letter to the station and complain about their biased reporting favoring McCain and there was only a short mention of the Obama event just after the convention when he stopped in Dublin.

The video does have some comments from Gov. Ted Strickland in Obama’s favor.