As final presidential debate nears, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden focus on economy
With John McCain and Barack Obama prepping for tonight's matchup, the vice presidential nominees talk about the financial crisis fueling voter concerns.
WASHINGTON -- Vice presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden grabbed center stage on the campaign trail today, focusing on economic issues during tough-talking stops in battleground states.
While presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama weighed their strategies for tonight's final debate in Hempstead, N.Y., the running mates took to the road in states that are becoming more important as the race winds to its conclusion Nov. 4.
On a day when a leading conservative newspaper in the state endorsed McCain, Palin campaigned in New Hampshire, which helped resurrect the presidential hopes of the Republican senator during the primaries. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware was in the second day of a swing through Ohio. Republicans carried the state in 2004, but Democrats have since made inroads.
Biden will have made six stops in two days in eastern and central Ohio. He is scheduled to spend the rest of the week in New Mexico and Nevada, both considered key states that Democrats are hoping to capture.
At a stop this morning in Athens, Ohio, Biden, who will be 66 next month, played off Palin's gibe that she was in second grade when the Democrat was first elected to the Senate. Alaska Gov. Palin, 44, often uses the line to emphasize the difference in their ages.
"Well, I'm inclined to tell her that she was in sixth grade the last time John McCain had a good idea on the economy," Biden fired back today. "John McCain does not offer anything new. And that's why I think you're seeing, which is surprising a lot of people who know John McCain well, that's why you're seeing John's campaign become so erratic and so negative."
At her first campaign stop in Dover, N.H., Palin employed the folksiness that she has used ever since McCain picked her over better-known, male politicians.
"You're a lot like the people of Alaska," she said today. "We all love good moose hunting, I know that. We both so enjoy our great lands, with clean water, fresh air and abundant wildlife and good fishing. We love being outdoors."
But on a day when the stock markets continued their gyrations, Palin stayed on message, accusing Democratic presidential candidate Obama of favoring tax increases and big spending programs.
"Here in Dover, there's home to two kinds of people: the fine people of New Hampshire, and the fine people of Massachusetts who got sick of paying all those taxes," Palin said. "That should tell you something. The rest of the country is looking at this area and saying, 'What is it that New Hampshire wants?' "
Though it has a reputation for rugged individualism and backing Republicans, New Hampshire has become increasingly Democratic in recent years. Democratic challenger Jeanne Shaheen leads incumbent John Sununu in a race for one of the state's U.S. Senate seats, and Obama has a double-digit lead over McCain, according to state polls. Obama will visit New Hampshire on Thursday.
But first Obama will meet McCain on Long Island in their last debate. The candidates will sit at a table with moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS for the debate, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. PDT.
McCain traveled to Long Island from Manhattan, where he had attended a fundraiser Tuesday night. Obama flew in from Ohio, where he had stayed for several days of debate preparations. Both visited the debate hall at Hofstra University.
Both have offered new economic plans, but part of tonight's suspense was whether the tone would become sharper. With polls showing Obama's lead growing, Republicans have increasingly said that the Illinois senator lacks character and have attacked his limited relations with William Ayers, an education professor who was one of the founders of the Weather Underground.
Top Obama strategist David Axelrod told reporters on the plane trip from Ohio that voters would be turned off if McCain went negative during tonight's debate.
"Sen. Obama's going to talk about the future of the country. He's going to talk about our economy, how we get people back to work, how we get incomes growing again. . . . That's what the American people want to hear," Axelrod said. "I don't think they're interested in a lot of finger-pointing and back and forth and personal, gratuitous attacks."
By Johanna Neuman and Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Vice presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden grabbed center stage on the campaign trail today, focusing on economic issues during tough-talking stops in battleground states.
While presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama weighed their strategies for tonight's final debate in Hempstead, N.Y., the running mates took to the road in states that are becoming more important as the race winds to its conclusion Nov. 4.
On a day when a leading conservative newspaper in the state endorsed McCain, Palin campaigned in New Hampshire, which helped resurrect the presidential hopes of the Republican senator during the primaries. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware was in the second day of a swing through Ohio. Republicans carried the state in 2004, but Democrats have since made inroads.
Biden will have made six stops in two days in eastern and central Ohio. He is scheduled to spend the rest of the week in New Mexico and Nevada, both considered key states that Democrats are hoping to capture.
At a stop this morning in Athens, Ohio, Biden, who will be 66 next month, played off Palin's gibe that she was in second grade when the Democrat was first elected to the Senate. Alaska Gov. Palin, 44, often uses the line to emphasize the difference in their ages.
"Well, I'm inclined to tell her that she was in sixth grade the last time John McCain had a good idea on the economy," Biden fired back today. "John McCain does not offer anything new. And that's why I think you're seeing, which is surprising a lot of people who know John McCain well, that's why you're seeing John's campaign become so erratic and so negative."
At her first campaign stop in Dover, N.H., Palin employed the folksiness that she has used ever since McCain picked her over better-known, male politicians.
"You're a lot like the people of Alaska," she said today. "We all love good moose hunting, I know that. We both so enjoy our great lands, with clean water, fresh air and abundant wildlife and good fishing. We love being outdoors."
But on a day when the stock markets continued their gyrations, Palin stayed on message, accusing Democratic presidential candidate Obama of favoring tax increases and big spending programs.
"Here in Dover, there's home to two kinds of people: the fine people of New Hampshire, and the fine people of Massachusetts who got sick of paying all those taxes," Palin said. "That should tell you something. The rest of the country is looking at this area and saying, 'What is it that New Hampshire wants?' "
Though it has a reputation for rugged individualism and backing Republicans, New Hampshire has become increasingly Democratic in recent years. Democratic challenger Jeanne Shaheen leads incumbent John Sununu in a race for one of the state's U.S. Senate seats, and Obama has a double-digit lead over McCain, according to state polls. Obama will visit New Hampshire on Thursday.
But first Obama will meet McCain on Long Island in their last debate. The candidates will sit at a table with moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS for the debate, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. PDT.
McCain traveled to Long Island from Manhattan, where he had attended a fundraiser Tuesday night. Obama flew in from Ohio, where he had stayed for several days of debate preparations. Both visited the debate hall at Hofstra University.
Both have offered new economic plans, but part of tonight's suspense was whether the tone would become sharper. With polls showing Obama's lead growing, Republicans have increasingly said that the Illinois senator lacks character and have attacked his limited relations with William Ayers, an education professor who was one of the founders of the Weather Underground.
Top Obama strategist David Axelrod told reporters on the plane trip from Ohio that voters would be turned off if McCain went negative during tonight's debate.
"Sen. Obama's going to talk about the future of the country. He's going to talk about our economy, how we get people back to work, how we get incomes growing again. . . . That's what the American people want to hear," Axelrod said. "I don't think they're interested in a lot of finger-pointing and back and forth and personal, gratuitous attacks."
By Johanna Neuman and Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2008
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