George's Bottom Line
Reporting and analysis from ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent and "This Week" Host George Stephanopoulos

George Stephanopoulos reports on events in politics, Congress and the White House for ABCNews, on the air and online. He interviews top newsmakers, discusses the events of the week and looks to the week ahead each Sunday on 'This Week.'

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Obama's Prime Time TV Pitch

October 28, 2008 9:55 PM

Barack Obama will make his closing arguments in a half-hour of prime time television Wednesday night.

This is going to be more like a television show, rather than a speech, top Obama campaign officials tell ABC News.

We're going to see a "lively half-hour of television," one Obama aide told ABC News, speaking only half tongue-in-cheek.

Watch George Stephanopoulos' analysis of the campaign tonight on Nightline tonight at 11:35pm ET on ABC

Obama sources say we're likely to see Obama at the top of the half hour program and at the bottom of the show talking about his agenda.

However the rest of the time you might see other people, like a Warren Buffett or a Colin Powell, and other people the Obama campaign calls "validators" to give testimony on why Americans should vote for Obama.

The last presidential candidate who had this kind of money to run a prime time TV address was Ross Perot, who ran as a third-party candidate in 1992 and 1996.

In his infomercial, Perot tried to appeal to voters on the economy, saying "Let's raise the hood and go to work, let's diagnose the problem. I can tell you before we look at the engine, a engine tune-up won't fix it,"

But unlike Perot, we're not likely to see Obama sitting behind a desk for a half hour.  Like Perot, Obama is going to focus more on his policy agenda, and less on his biography.

The McCain campaign thinks this half hour may be a reprise of Obama's Berlin speech, and they argue it could go a little too far and will be a little presumptuous.

Spending millions of his vast campaign war chest, Obama's program will be broadcast on CBS, NBC, MSNBC and Fox at 8p.m. on Wednesday night.

It's unclear whether Obama will be making any new arguments. He'll likely be repeating the same things he has said before but may reach voters who have been checked out of the election.

This may reach voters who haven't been paying that much attention to the campaign. On the whole they are less partisan, more independent and moderate.

Obama is leading John McCain 52-45 percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post daily tracking poll.

Our latest ABC News/Washington Post poll finds there is only about 2 percent of Americans who are truly undecided, and those people are not likely to vote.

There is another group of about 10 percent voters called "movable voters" who tell pollsters that they've made their decision but could change their minds.

This is the group that McCain is really hoping to reach over the next six days.

The profile of the ideal McCain voter right now is an older, white woman who is stressed economically, a top McCain aide tells ABC News. These voters may be pulled toward Obama on economic issues but are leaning toward McCain on social issues and like his war-hero, prisoner-of-war biography.

The McCain campaign is hoping that if these people have held off from supporting Obama for this long, they're not likely to now.

However McCain really has to reach in to more than just undecided voters right now. He really has to move and change some minds in these next five days.

The McCain campaign is buoyed by some movement in the polls toward him on the issue of the economy, but he still has a long ways to go with little under a week left.

McCain has eroded some of Obama's lead in voter trust to handle the economy but Obama still leads his Republican rival by 9 percentage points, according to the latest ABC/Post daily tracking poll, down from an 18 point lead a week ago.

--George Stephanopoulos

October 28, 2008 in Barack Obama | Permalink | Share | User Comments (479)

User Comments

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mccain doesn't offer us anything but the same old broken economic policies republicans have been pushing for years.

Posted by: Jesse | Oct 28, 2008 10:36:06 PM

Watching a 30-minute NObama infomercial? YAWN.

Posted by: MyFellowAmericans | Oct 28, 2008 10:36:26 PM

I loved the Berlin speech and Obama having a press conference with Sarkozy. I thought he rocked.
Berlin was so spectacular and amazing and I loved every minute.
McCain was just jealous and lashing out like a petulant child after that.
And McCain is being a spoiled petulant child now because Obama has the money for a half hour prime time show and he does not.

Posted by: vwcat | Oct 28, 2008 10:37:37 PM

VOTE NO - OBAMA IS A BAD CANDIDATE - VOTE NO
------------------------------
Obama wants GOVERNMENT RUN Health Care
Obama has a 100% ANT-GUN voting record
Obama has a 100% Pro-PORK spending record
Obama thinks 'LIFE IS ABOVE HIS PAY GRADE'
Obama WILL TAKE FROM YOU
Obama WILL GIVE TO SOMEONE ELSE
Obama WILL INCREASE GOVERNMENT IN YOUR LIVES
------------------------------
VOTE NO - Mr Government OBAMA - VOTE NO

Posted by: Patrick | Oct 28, 2008 10:37:44 PM

Barack Obama is saying to Joe the plumber that he believes the power of government ought to be used to redistribute wealth in the United States," to take wealth from productive people and give it to people who have not been as successful. And that is socialism at best -- and I think you could even make a case that, in its own way, it's Marxism."

Posted by: dave | Oct 28, 2008 10:38:01 PM

VOTE YES - JOHN McCAIN & SARAH PALINE - VOTE YES

--------------------------
PRO GUN RIGHTS - "Believes gun laws do not reduce crime"

LOW TAXES FOR EVERYONE - "do not raise taxes on anyone"

PRO AMERICAN VALUES - supports the present Constitution. Does not believe it is 'flawed' like Mr.Government does

PRACTICES SOUND GOVERNANCE - he has never asked for Earmarks (Pork) in 26 years.

PEOPLE DRIVEN HEALTH CARE - supports private health care not run by the Government
--------------------------

VOTE YES - JOHN McCain & SARAH PALIN - VOTE YES

Posted by: Patrick | Oct 28, 2008 10:38:56 PM

Obama booked this time almosta month ago. Bud "Light" Selig put the WS game on the same day.

Posted by: NewTom | Oct 28, 2008 10:39:23 PM

a Vet, China changed to market economics/capitalist 20 years ago after Chairman Mao died, even they still have one party rule. That is why China thrived. Before the capitalist change, Communist China's made everyone equally poor and 30 million people died of starvation and political prosecution.

Posted by: China is capitalist now | Oct 28, 2008 10:40:42 PM

Didi,when are you going to give all us Haters the answer to why you support a man who thinks we are like Nazis!!!!If that doesnt give you a reflection into the mans soul,WHAT WILL????????

Posted by: chad | Oct 28, 2008 10:41:41 PM

All Obama supporters, do you really want to give any politicians regardless parties unchecked powers to control and change anything they want???
Think harder before you cast your freedom away and assuming Obama-pelosi-Raid will give you a few hundred Dollars. Absolute power corrupt people.
1. Barney Franks already promised to raise tax across board. Hold on your wallet.
2. Obama said that he would allow Bush's tax cut expire, another word for tax increase. Family making $25000 will pay $700 more, People make $50000 will pay $2500 more, Those make $75000 will pay $3000 more.
3. You pay more on things you buy, because business pass tax increase to you by raising prices
4. Millionaire Obama and his rich friends Kennedy, Pelosi and Fannie Mae CEOs do not pay more tax, only you the middle class pay more, because they hide their money in the Trust. They do not represent middle class.
5. Obama will raise Social Security tax, medicare tax, medicaid tax, unemployment insurance tax, capital gain tax, death tax, etc
Obama-Pelosi-Raid do not care about middle class, they only want your money to control you and to give to the people of his chosen such as voting fraud organization ACORN and his wife's hospital that doubled her salary to $300,000 in return.

Posted by: Go Foxnews | Oct 28, 2008 10:42:10 PM

What "middle class" person earns more than $250,000 a year!? I call this upper class. And he will only increase tax for the amount OVER the $250,000.

You have to love the misinformation coming from the Republican camp.

Posted by: BaltarGaius | Oct 28, 2008 10:43:06 PM

Here are the facts: Obama's plan calls for tax CUTS for the middle class. Families making $250,000 a year or less-- and that includes not only middle class workers but also 98% of small business owners--- will not see their taxes go up even one dime under Obama's plan. 95% of working Americans will get a tax cut under Obama's plan. Yes, "Joe the Plumber" actually gets a bigger tax cut under Obama's plan than under McCain's! McCain's plan leaves out l00 million hardworking middle class Americans. The middle class gets three times more tax relief under Obama's plan than McCain's. Everytime you hear McCain or Palin say Obama wants to raise taxes, they "forget" to mention one little detail: Obama is only raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans, those who make more than a quarter million dollars a year. And even their taxes will only go back to what they were during the Clinton years, when the rich did just fine. McCain-Palin want tax cuts for the rich! These are the facts. Let the American people decide what they want: tax cuts for the rich (McCain-Palin plan) or tax cuts for working families who make less than $250,000 a year (Obama-Biden plan). America, the choice is yours!

Posted by: Staton Rabin | Oct 28, 2008 10:45:23 PM

Today I receoved an e mail from the obama camp asking me to take election day off to vote. What the Obama people don't realize is that most blue collar americans can't just take a day off from work to vote. Their bosses will not allow it. Just one more example of how obama is out of touch with most of america. Obama is just politics as usual a black man with the same body parts as a white man. Nothing new new.

Posted by: al | Oct 28, 2008 10:46:43 PM

Did Biden really say the tax income level would drop from 250k down to 150k if Obama is elected? That's quite a drop. I guess 95% no tax increase is out the window. Now somewhere near 50%. Did Obama lie or did Biden? Maybe both. Oh well, what can you expect from the great O. Democrats drool.

Posted by: Damocles | Oct 28, 2008 10:48:31 PM

Of course he is not going to focus on him. There is still a lot of questions Americans have about Obama and the media refuses to ask and do their job.

Posted by: Marx's the One | Oct 28, 2008 10:48:45 PM

I've been a life long democrat who is not voting this election I fear that change we need, will become change we can't stand.

Posted by: al | Oct 28, 2008 10:49:16 PM

Obama was "bringing the threshold down" from $250,000 to $200,000, before Biden seemed to lower it to $150,000.

However, the Saturday ad was not the first time Obama talked about the $200,000 mark.

At the final presidential debate two weeks ago, he said his plan would provide "a middle-class tax cut for people making less than $200,000."

Posted by: Go Foxnews | Oct 28, 2008 10:49:53 PM

NO marxist is going to solve any problems other than to create revolution.....Its not a coincidence that our staunchest allies are the countries in eastern Europe!!!!!!They had generations of men like Mr. obama that ruled their countries!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: chad | Oct 28, 2008 10:50:21 PM

Interesting opinion piece by Campbell Brown of CNN, showing how Obama is keeping at least one of his campaign promises. I'm sure this is the first of many that he'll break:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/28/campbell.brown.obama/index.html

Posted by: HeSpeaksWithForkedTongue | Oct 28, 2008 10:50:21 PM

Voting early is vital, and proving to really help Obama. This election is far from over. We need to elect Obama into office.

Posted by: aam1978 | Oct 28, 2008 10:50:24 PM

Obama is biggest spender of your saved money
=============================
Incorrect.

Changes proposed by Obama’s campaign would mean the national debt would grow by $5.7 trillion over 10 years, while proposals spelled out by McCain’s campaign would add $10.9 trillion, according to the Tax Policy Center.

McCAIN HAS NO WAY TO PAY FOR HIS POLICIES!

WE CANNOT AFFORD THE SAME SPEND SPEND SPEND AND BORROW POLICIES OF GEORGE BUSH McCAIN.

Posted by: McCain Cost More tha Obama | Oct 28, 2008 10:50:35 PM

Stephanopoulos used to work for Clinton. What do you expect from him? Fairness? Ha, ha, ha, etc....

Posted by: Damocles | Oct 28, 2008 10:51:06 PM

Obama's tax plan has been praised by many economist and successful investors like Warren Buffet.

Its just an adjustment of the Tax brackets. Its happens all the time in countries that have adopted progressive taxation and the US is one of them.

Just because McCain campiagn spin doctors want to call it socilism, it does not become socialism in anyway. Lets grow a brain and not get carried away with the spin from either side.

Posted by: NewTom | Oct 28, 2008 10:51:37 PM

As for Joe Biden, he's in the same good olde boy crowd as Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Ted Kennedy of Mass. Both support Obama and change but Chris Dodd refuses to disclose the details of his VIP mortgage from Country wide and Ted Kennedy that great bringer of change refuses to leave the senate after 46 years even with terminal brain cancer. Change, if you want change its easy vote for term limits But nope that ain;t gonna happen.

Posted by: al | Oct 28, 2008 10:53:46 PM

Obama will pay for his policies by eliminating more of the mlitary. You do remember that Clinton neutered the military to balance the budget. Now that's a bad decision. Obama will finish the job Clinton started. Leave America open for attack from all sides.

Posted by: Damocles | Oct 28, 2008 10:54:00 PM

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