KPCC Election 2008
July 2008 Archives
Vice presidential speculation heats up
Speculation over whom John McCain and Barack Obama will choose as their running mates continues to heat up. Rumored frontrunners for McCain's vice president include Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Democratic Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, while on the Democratic side, the rumored candidates include Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.
Governor Kaine helped fuel the speculation about his candidacy through comments reported this week, but both sides remain tightlipped about who their choice will end up being. It's been speculated that Obama may make his choice before the summer Olympics begin on August 8th, in order to make sure his selection gets the most media coverage, since the Democratic convention starts the day after the Olympics end.
Read more about Obama's potential vice presidential choices and McCain's selection process on CNN's Web site.
Who do you think the candidates will pick as their running mates? Who should the candidates pick to be their running mates, and why? Tell us your thoughts on the vice presidential selection process in our comments!Tools
- July 30, 2008 2:47 PM
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Europe eager to greet traveling Obama
Barack Obama is on a weeklong trip abroad, meeting with world leaders and holding several public events. He's visited Iraq and Afghanistan, and his trip also includes visits to other parts of the Middle East, including Amman, Jerusalem, and Ramallah, before heading Thursday to Europe, visiting Berlin, Paris, and London before returning to the United States.
Polls have shown that Europeans prefer Senator Obama to Senator McCain, with a recent poll from England saying that 49% of Britons, 65% of the French, 67% of Germans, and 70% of Italians would vote for Obama, while McCain gets only 14% of Britons, 8% of the French, 6% of Germans, and 15% of Italians. What do you think of this trend? Why do you think Europeans favor Obama so strongly? What do you think it suggests about either the candidates or European perceptions of them? Tell us what you think by commenting below!
Read more about this from CNN's Jack Cafferty.Tools
- July 22, 2008 4:46 PM
Bush, McCain, and Obama on the current energy crisis
In a speech Tuesday, President Bush said that he was leaving how Americans should respond to the current energy crisis to the American people, and wouldn't be calling on Americans to conserve energy. He argued in favor of free market solutions.
Link: Read more about President Bush's press conference on the Politico.
John McCain has argued recently that we should expand offshore drilling and institute a summer gas tax vacation, while Obama opposes these plans, calling the gas tax vacation "a gimmick." McCain has argued that greenhouse gas reduction should be mandated, with conservation being left to market forces
Obama has argued in favor of a windfall profits tax on oil companies for profits over a certain amount that they aren't passing along to the consumer, which McCain opposes. He's also argued that the government should encourage the American people to conserve.
Link: Read more about McCain and Obama's response to the current oil crisis on CNNMoney.com.Link: Barack Obama's energy and environment policy
Link: John McCain's energy policy
What do you think of McCain and Obama's energy plans? Which candidate's policies do you agree with more? What do you see as the benefits of each candidate's plan? The disadvantages? Tell us all of your thoughts in our comments!Tools
- July 16, 2008 4:21 PM
Senate approves FISA bill, grants immunity to phone companies
The Senate voted Wednesday in favor of a bill restructuring the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The bill will broaden the government's surveillance powers, and also shields phone companies from civil lawsuits for their participation in the Bush administration's domestic wiretapping program.
The bill passed 69 to 28, with 47 Republicans, 21 Democrats, and one independent voting in favor, and 27 Democrats and one independent voting against it. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama voted in favor of it, while Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain didn't vote on the bill. McCain was out on the campaign trail. Obama's former Democratic primary rival Senator Hillary Clinton voted against the bill.
Many activists who have supported Senator Obama are strongly opposed to the bill, particularly its granting of immunity to the phone companies that participated in the Bush administration's program allowing wiretapping without a warrant. Obama had previously expressed his opposition to the phone company immunity, going as far to say he would filibuster any bill that included telecom immunity, but argued that passing other provisions in the bill was more important than to continue working for a different compromise.
What do you think about the FISA bill? Do you think that Senator Obama made the right decision, with regards to policy and/or politically? What sort of legal restrictions on wiretapping should there be? Tell us your thoughts in our comments!
Link: FISA bill vote summaryTools
- July 9, 2008 3:56 PM
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Obama speaks with Bill Clinton
While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has publicly mended relations with chief Democratic primary competitor Hillary Clinton, her husband, Bill Clinton, has reportedly not come along as quickly. Obama and Bill Clinton spoke for the first time since the end of the primary season on Monday. According to their aides, they discussed various issues, including Bill Clinton's role in helping Obama in the general election.
Read more about their conversation on the New York Times' Web site.
What roles do you think former president Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton should play in the Obama campaign? Will they campaign aggressively for Obama, or will strained relations affect that? What prominent political leaders do you think Republican presidential candidate McCain should reach out to? Tell us your thoughts on this story and the rest of this election year in our comments!Tools
- July 1, 2008 12:08 PM
