KPCC Election 2008
June 2008 Archives
Presidential candidates respond to Supreme Court ruling on 2nd Amendment
Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a gun. Read the court's opinion and two dissenting opinions on the 5-4 ruling here. (PDF document) Both the Obama and McCain campaigns issued statements supporting the ruling.
Senator McCain's statement called the decision "a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom in the United States." He praised the decision further and went on to criticize Senator Obama. "Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today. Today's ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller makes clear that other municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the constitutional rights of Americans. Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today's ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right- sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly." You can read the rest of McCain's statement here.
Senator Obama's statement said "I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe." You can read the rest of Obama's statement here.
What do you think about the Supreme Court's ruling? What's your opinion on guns and the Second Amendment? Do you agree with either of the candidates on this issue, and why or why not? Tell us your thoughts by commenting below!Tools
- June 26, 2008 3:36 PM
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Obama opts out of public financing system
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has opted out of the public financing system for the 2008 general election. This is expected to give Obama a significant fundraising advantage in the general election campaign. Both Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain previously committed to pursue the possibility of public financing if the other party’s candidate did as well.
The public financing system is funded by tax dollars, donated by taxpayers by checking a box on their tax returns to give $3 for public campaign financing. If Obama had opted into the public financing system, it would have given Obama access to $84.1 million to use for the general election campaign, but would have placed him under spending limits. No presidential candidate has opted out of using public financing in the general election since changes made to campaign finance laws in the 1970s.
Lawyers from Obama and McCain’s campaigns met to discuss both campaigns opting in to the public financing system, but couldn’t agree on terms when it came to spending by both the campaigns and outside groups like the so-called 527 groups that have no spending limits.
The Obama campaign argues that his grassroots fundraising achieves the ultimate goal of public financing to make campaigns less dependent on large donors seeking political influence. McCain’s campaign argues that Obama is breaking a commitment and showing that he’s not committed to reform.
What do you think about this decision? Should presidential candidates always use public financing, or is it all right for them to be opt out? Should changes be made to the public financing system?
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- June 19, 2008 2:06 PM
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Vice Presidents and the State of the Race
Now that Senator Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination and the general election contest between Obama and Republican Senator John McCain ramps up, who do you think these candidates should choose for their running mates?
Should either of them choose noted rivals, such as Senator Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, or Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee on the Republican side? Or should they go outside of this year's presidential candidates for a vice presidential nominee?
We'd love to hear your thoughts on potential vice presidential picks, where this race goes next, and whatever else you're thinking about this year's elections right now.
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- June 4, 2008 9:35 AM
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Obama Clinches; Clinton Doesn't Concede; Your Thoughts?
The polls have closed in the final primary of the Democratic nomination race, in Montana. Barack Obama is projected to win that primary, but more significantly, to have clinched his party's nomination for president.
Speaking to an energized crowd in St. Paul, at the site where the Republicans will hold their convention in September, Obama announced: "Tonight, I can stand here and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States."
Full text of Senator Obama's speech
Senator Hillary Clinton's remarks from earlier this evening.
What's your reaction as this primary season comes to a close? What did you think of the speeches from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? What do you think Senator Clinton will do next? What do you think she SHOULD do next? Tell us what you think!Tools
- June 3, 2008 7:10 PM
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Share Your Election Day Thoughts
Another election day! Tonight, the Democratic primary elections come to an end after Montana and South Dakota hold their primaries, as attention turns to the general election battle. Here in Southern California, we have several key races of our own, including the 2nd district Los Angeles County Supervisor race between Bernard Parks and Mark Ridley-Thomas, as well as state ballot initiatives Proposition 98 and Proposition 99.
Be sure to tune into 89.3 KPCC tonight for continuing coverage on both local and national races, beginning at 3:30 p.m. during ALl Things Considered, and including a special NPR call-in show at 7 p.m.. This will be followed by extended local, statewide, and national coverage and analysis hosted by our own Nick Roman. We'll be taking your calls, as well as covering it all live online.
More on the 2nd district L.A. County Supervisor race:
- LA County Supervisor Second District Race Down to the Wire (KPCC News 6/2/2008)
- Candidates for LA County Supervisor Hold First Televised Debate (KPCC News 4/25/2008)
You can also take our Proposition 98 and 99 quiz to learn all about these propositions, as well as get text alert updates via KPCC on Twitter.
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- June 3, 2008 2:11 PM
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