USA: Republican John McCain begins his campaign with a promise that "change is coming," a theme co-opted from his Democratic rival Barack Obama

Record ID: 347687

  • Title: USA: Republican John McCain begins his campaign with a promise that "change is coming," a theme co-opted from his Democratic rival Barack Obama
  • Date: 6th September 2008
  • Summary: (BN12) WASHINGTON D.C., USA (SEPTEMBER 5, 2008) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL TANNER, POLITICAL ANALYST, CATO INSTITUTE, SAYING: "Well, now the campaign really starts. I would expect that by the middle of next week we'll see the polls essentially even and now we race to the finish. The only real events that are going to interrupt this are the debates and that's
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABW7XRMAG7JE6DU8K0OSYTZTLC
  • Story Text: After two weeks of politics that saw the selection of two vice presidential candidates and two national conventions, United States presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama were back on the campaign trail on Friday (September 5).
    McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin opened a two-month sprint to the Nov. 4 presidential election in Wisconsin, while Democrat Obama headed to Pennsylvania to tout their cures for the economy.
    The renewed battle comes the day after McCain's acceptance speech concluded the Republican convention. Obama accepted the Democratic nod at his party's convention the week before.
    Mindful of Bush's low public approval ratings, McCain sought to distance himself from the current administration.
    McCain also recounted his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, where he was beaten and tortured during 5 1/2 years of captivity, and said it taught him to put America first in his priorities.
    But on Friday at a rally Obama said McCain offered more of the same policies of the last eight years under President George W. Bush and the other Republicans. He added that McCain's campaign was out of touch with real people.

    "He has gone through extraordinary things for the sake of his country and we respect that. They talked about me a lot in less than respectful terms. They spent a lot of time trying to run me down and not necessarily telling the truth. But what they didn't talk about was you and what you are seeing in your lives and what you and your neighbours are going through," Obama said of McCain.
    In response, McCain reiterated, his nomination speech, touting his credentials as a reformer, portraying himself as the real agent of change in the race.

    "My friends, again I want to tell you how honoured I am to have Governor Sarah Palin as my running mate who has done so much already to lift the spirits and moral of people all over this country because change is coming and change is coming. With her there we will restore our strength and vitality and prosperity of this great nation."
    The Obama campaign, however, said McCain talked about change but showed little interest in it.
    Michael Tanner, a political analyst from the Cato Institute, says voters on both sides of the political spectrum are unhappy with the situation and want change. McCain, he says, originally ran his campaign by emphasising his experience but to win the election he must prove he can also make a difference.

    "They had to at least steal some of that change message and bring it in. He'll still have that experience message...But it was worth giving up a little bit of it to get some more change," he said.
    McCain trails Obama slightly in most national opinion polls as they head into the election but he promised the Republican faithful at the convention he would win.
    Opinion polls show majorities favour Obama's leadership on the economy, although McCain is usually favoured on foreign policy issues.
    With the conventions and the selections of running mates out of the way, the next big campaign milestone is the first of three debates, on Sept.
    26 in Oxford, Mississippi.
    Palin, the Alaska governor, meets Obama's No. 2, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, in a debate between vice presidential candidates on Oct. 2 in St.
    Louis.
    Palin has been shielded from most public events and has not done new interviews since she was picked for the job in a move that ignited a blaze of support among Republican social conservatives. She heads out on her own on the campaign trail next week.
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