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Bill Clinton to North Carolina: Don't Let Them 'Stomp Your Voice'

April 30, 2008 9:31 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos reports: Bill Clinton ended a marathon day of campaigning with an argument to voters why his wife can still be the last Democratic candidate standing in this presidential election.

Standing on the front steps of the train station in Whiteville, N.C., the former president told the crowd that "she's gonna end this thing roaring" if voters give her a victory in North Carolina.

"Just remember this, she got this far because of people like you," Clinton said. "And if you show up and you vote for her in big enough percentages and big enough numbers, she'll go right on. And let me tell you something, last poll in Kentucky she was ahead 62 to 26. Last poll in West Virginia she was ahead two to one. She's gonna end this thing roaring."

With the crowd energized, Clinton continued his thought, telling the crowd to not let other people decide the election for them.

"And what are they gonna say if she wins the popular vote? 'I'm sorry, we are gonna give it to the caucus states that are going Republican in November?'" Clinton told the cheering crowd. "No. So all these people tell you she can't win and that are rushin' to get all the people to declare for it, to send it off, to cut you off, and stomp your voice -- don't you believe them. You are still in the driver seat."

It was a rousing ending to what some reporters felt was a never-ending, seven-event day.  Clinton managed to fit baseball fields, barbecue, community centers, front porches and even the Gen. William C. Lee Airborne Museum into the trip -- all the while assuring the voters of North Carolina that a victory in the state would bring Hillary Clinton one step closer to winning the Democratic nomination.

April 30, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | User Comments (132) | TrackBack (0)

Obama's Negatives Rise, Clinton Tops McCain in New Poll

April 30, 2008 6:40 PM

ABC News' Ed O'Keefe Reports: Barack Obama's recent woes may be having an effect in the polls.

A new CBS/New York Times poll released on Wednesday shows Sen. Obama, D-Ill., and presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tied in a hypothetical general election match-up, while Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., edges out McCain by a five-point margin.

Here are raw CBS/New York Times numbers now (among registered voters):

If the candidates were Obama and McCain, who would you vote for?
Obama: 45%
McCain: 45%
Undecided/Don't Know: 6%

If the candidates were Clinton and McCain, who would you vote for?
Clinton: 48%
McCain: 43%
Undecided/Don't Know: 5%

"Barack Obama's problems over the last few weeks, including his Pennsylvania primary loss and the continuing media coverage of his former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright, may have contributed to his weaker position compared to two weeks ago," read an analysis released by CBS and the New York Times.

Since their last poll four weeks ago, unfavorable views of Obama have risen 10% -- from 24% a month ago to 34% at present.  Obama's woes also appear to know few demographic bounds -- unfavorable views of Obama have risen among women, whites, independents and Democrats, according to CBS News and the New York Times.

Here are the raw CBS/New York Times numbers as of their last poll on April 3, 2008 (among registered voters):

If the candidates were Obama and McCain, who would you vote for?
Obama: 47%
McCain: 42%
Undecided/Don't Know: 7%

If the candidates were Clinton and McCain, who would you vote for?
Clinton: 48%
McCain: 43%
Undecided/Don't Know: 5%

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Monday found similar results.

In that poll, Clinton leads McCain by 9-points, 50-41, in a hypothetical general election match-up.  Obama, on the other hand, is "virtually tied" with McCain, at 46-44 percent. 

Obama strongly condemned recent comments made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, on Tuesday, a move that many political pundits consider high-stakes but necessary gamble by his campaign to control a spreading political firestorm.

Reacting to what he called the "spectacle" of his former pastor at the National Press Club, Obama denounced Wright saying, "What Rev. Wright said yesterday directly contradicts everything I have ever done or said in my life."

"Whatever relationship I had with Rev Wright has changed as a result of this," Obama said.

The candidate went considerably further than he has in the past in distancing himself from Wright, accusing him of "insensitivity and outrageousness" in his Monday appearance at the National Press Club in Washington.

"The person I saw (on Monday) was not the person I met 20 years ago," Obama said.

So, let's focus on Barack Obama and his campaign and see where things stand in aftermath of latest Rev. Wright events.

In his exclusive blog on ABCNews.com, former Bush campaign strategist and ABC News political contributor Matthew Dowd opined that "Obama's statements in last 24 hours of being passionately critical of Wright and saying he was out of step with America were the only choice he had left. It was his only option and he seized it well."

Dowd laid out four points he views as critical to an Obama comeback emphasizing, "The biggest damage to him is that he held a brand of being an unconventional candidate in a time America wants a shift from the conduct of politics as usual. But he and his campaign have seemed very conventional of late."

April 30, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (732) | TrackBack (0)

Hillary's Dream Date: A Republican?

April 30, 2008 4:58 PM

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Conspiracy theorists delight: Asked who she'd go out with on a date -- with any celebrity, living or dead -- and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton chose . . . a Republican.

Her fantasy date would be with President Abraham Lincoln, Clinton said in an interview being published in the People magazine hitting newsstands Friday.

The question: "If your husband gave you a pass for one night and you could go on a date with any celeb, alive or dead, who would it be?"

Clinton's answer: "That's such a dangerous question! How about Abraham Lincoln?"

Another surprising tidbit: Despite the 19-hour days she puts in on the trail, she's apparently never heard of the energy drink Red Bull. Asked if she's ever had one, she replied, "No. What is it?"

Clinton, D-N.Y., also equivocates on a few either-or questions: She refused to choose between comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, said she likes both wine and beer, and wouldn't select either "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars"; she said her mother -- who lives with the Clintons -- keeps her up to speed on both programs.

She did, however, choose Weight Watchers over the South Beach Diet -- but didn't elaborate on her own eating habits.

She also said she's never had cosmetic surgery: "People have to decide what's right for them. It's never been anything I thought was right for me."

Clinton weighs in on the Texas polygamy sect, expressing some sympathy for the women who entered into polygamous marriages.

"Many of these women were raised in the sect, isolated from the outside world from birth," Clinton told People. "It takes an enormous amount of independent thinking to lift yourself out of the circumstance you've been born and raised in to say, 'Wait a minute, this isn't right.' "

She also credits her husband with making the clinching argument in convincing her to run for president.

Said Clinton, "He finally said, 'Well, you have to decide whether you could do what your country needs -- and whether you'd be willing to subject yourself to the process.' Then he said, 'If we end up with another Republican president and you didn't even try . . .' And that kind of clinched it for me."

April 30, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | User Comments (218) | TrackBack (0)

Ron Paul Tops Amazon List at #1

April 30, 2008 4:38 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Texas Congressman Ron Paul has "wound down" his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, although his supporters continue to make a showing at state conventions from Missouri to Nevada - even even causing a ruckus that required the Nevada convention to be temporarily shut down.

His fans also catapulted Paul's latest manifesto, released today and titled appropriately, The Revolution: A Manifesto, to number one on the Amazon bestseller list.

That makes not just an erstwhile presidential candidate who cedes he can't win the race but is encouraging voters to support him at the polls, but a bestselling one at that. The next nearest candidate is Sen. Barack Obama, whose Audacity of Hope is at #113 on the Amazon list and whose Dreams of My Father is at #278. Things don't look as good in the cold hard online reality of Amazon for Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton.  McCain's Faith of My Fathers is way down at #4,758 this hour and Clinton's Living History is at 21,380, although those two books are years old.

The Amazon list is updated hourly and Paul's supporters, who have been waiting for the book, also know how to make their point online. So, it's unclear if Paul's one-day showing will catapult him into The New York Times Bestseller list, where Obama is currently at #4 and #8 on the paperback nonfiction list.

Paul says in Revolution: A Manifesto that campaign books have deservedly short shelf lives, but he wrote his more as an entrée to his revolution of freedom, peace and small government, notions which he says are on the rebound and are going, eventually, to unite Americans.

April 30, 2008 in Paul, Ron | Permalink | User Comments (101) | TrackBack (0)

Michelle Obama Declines Opportunity to Discuss Wright

April 30, 2008 3:54 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Back on the campaign trail, Barack Obama reitereated his disappointment in the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, defending his denoucement of his former pastor in a press conference on Tuesday.

"Frankly, what he said over the last few days and in some of the sermons that have been excerpted were unacceptable and weren't things that we believed in or cared about or cared to believe in," Sen. Obama, D-Ill., said in response to a voter's question at a campaign event in Indianapolis, Ind., "I've made a statement (on Tuesday) that was hard to make but it was I believed."

The questioner had asked about "turning his back on someone who had been a good friend" but Obama, with his wife Michelle by his side, did not take issue with the tone.

"I mean, it is true that part of the job when you're running for president is that anybody who is tangentially, you know, even remotely associated with you is somehow fair game and that's unfortunate because most of us in our lives –- we meet people, we know people, some people we work with or we sit on a board with -- we don't really go vet them and find out all the terrible things they might have done because, you know, we don't know or what they said to see if it's politically correct," Obama continued.

Obama changed the subject rather quickly to talking about how he and Michelle came from modest backgrounds, but when wrapping up, the candidate looked at his wife seated on a picnic table next to him and asked, "So Michelle, do you have anything to add to that?"

Mrs. Obama shook her head indicating no.

"You do but," the Senator said, trailing off, leaving the incomplete thought in the air before adding, "Remember there are a lot of reporters around though."

April 30, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (79) | TrackBack (0)

Does Clinton Have 'Testicular Fortitude'?

April 30, 2008 3:48 PM

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: At an event in Indiana, Sen. Hillary Clinton got a ballsy introduction by the president of the local steelworkers union who said it's "going to take an individual with testicular fortitude" to deal with solving the nation's problems.

While Clinton cracked a smile and then burst into laughter behind him, union leader Paul Gibson called for a president who would take a "strong, hard look" at trade and continued,  "I'm tired of these Gucci wearing,  latte-drinking, self-centered egotistical people that have damaged our lifestyle." He backed Clinton saying "I know the entire executive board has not made a move yet to endorse whoever in this primary, Paul Gibson is going to do it right here tonight, she's standing right behind me.”

Clinton addressed Gibson's racy comments – glossing over the slightly controversial part saying with a smile "I do think I have fortitude...women can have it as well as men.”

Clinton went on to address high gas prices, her plan for universal healthcare and highlighted trade issues to a very rowdy crowd of over a thousand union members.

April 30, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | User Comments (31) | TrackBack (0)

Hillary Clinton: Wright Remarks 'Offensive and Outrageous'

April 30, 2008 2:46 PM

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: In an "O'Reilly Factor" exclusive, Hillary Clinton rebuked Rev. Jeremiah Wright in her strongest language to-date.

Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., speaking exclusively to FOX News, called Wright's comments "offensive and outrageous," telling conservative talk show host Bill O'Reilly that she going to leave the controversy "up to voters to decide."

Here's the full exchange between O'Reilly and Clinton, as released by FOX News:

O'Reilly: "Can you believe this Rev. Wright guy? Can you believe this guy?"
Clinton: "Well, I'm going to leave it up to voters to decide."
O'Reilly: "Well, what do you think as an American?"
Clinton: "Well, what I said when I was asked directly is that I would not have stayed in the church.
O'Reilly: "You're an American citizen, I'm an American citizen, He's an American citizen, Rev. Wright. What do you think when you hear a fellow American citizen say that kind of stuff about America."
Clinton: "Well, I take offense. I think it's offensive and outrageous. I'm going to express my opinion, others can express theirs. It is part of just, you know, an atmosphere we're in today."

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

In an ABC News debate earlier this month, Clinton repeated the assertion she had made on the campaign trail that, if in Obama's position, Rev. Wright would not have been her choice in pastor.

"One's choice of church and pastor is rooted in what one believes is what you're seeking in church and what kind of, you know, fellowship you find in church," Clinton told moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos.

"But I have to say," she continued, "for Pastor Wright to have given his first sermon after 9/11 and to have blamed the United States for the attack, which happened in my city of New York, would have been just intolerable for me. And, therefore, I would have not been able to stay in the church."

You get to choose your pastor. You don't choose your family, but you get to choose your pastor. And when asked a direct question, I said I would not have stayed in the church," Clinton concluded, later adding she considered the issue "legitimate" in the minds of voters.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., strongly condemned recent comments made by his former pastor at a press conference on Tuesday.

Reacting to what he called the "spectacle" of his former pastor at the National Press Club, Obama, D-Ill., denounced Wright saying, "What Rev. Wright said (on Monday) directly contradicts everything I have ever done or said in my life."

"Whatever relationship I had with Rev Wright has changed as a result of this," Obama said.

Speaking the National Press Club in Washington on Monday, Rev. Wright called the recent criticism surrounding his sermons "an attack on the black church".

"This is not about Obama, McCain, Hillary, Bill or Chelsea, this is about the black church," Wright said, speaking before an enthusiastic audience of black church leaders at the onset of a two-day symposium.

Throughout his speech and a subsequent question and answer session, Wright defiantly argued that many of his critics had not heard his whole sermons and that the media had twisted his words.

Wright vigorously defended himself against accusations he is unpatriotic but in Washington, he went on to compare U.S. troops to the Roman legions that killed Christ, to praise Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farakhan, and to suggest that the AIDS epidemic was a racist plot.

The Reverend also said he was quoting a previous U.S. Ambassador to Iraq when he said African Americans should sing "God damn America" not "God Bless America" in his first sermon following the 9/11 attacks.

"You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back on you," Wright said on Monday. "Those are Biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright 'bombastic' principles."

Obama came out forcefully on Tuesday, insisting he was "disappointed" by Wright, and rejecting his one-time pastor's assertion that the controversy was an attack on the black church.

The candidate went considerably further than he has in the past in distancing himself from Wright, accusing him of "insensitivity and outrageousness" in his Monday appearance at the National Press Club in Washington.

"The person I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago," Obama said.

Wright has been Obama's pastor since the Illinois Democrat joined the church. He performed Obama's marriage ceremony and baptized the candidate's two daughters.

April 30, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (432) | TrackBack (0)

Clinton Commutes for Votes, Pumps Gas Tax Debate

April 30, 2008 11:26 AM

ABC News' Eloise Harper and Sarah Amos Report: Hillary Clinton is making the morning commute in search of votes.

Though, for the past 16 years, she's traveled in the security-mandated comfort of sleek black Secret Service suburbans in which traveling "shotgun" has an entirely different meaning, Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., is turning pain at the gas pump into an election issue.

Making her point on Wednesday in Indiana, Clinton rode to work with Jason Wilfing, a sheet metal worker from South Bend.

Wilfing picked up Clinton from her hotel in the boss's truck for arguably one of the nation's most unusual midweek commutes.  Trailed by several police cars and surrounded by two rather large suburbans, Wilfing drove with Clinton in the passenger's seat and an armed Secret Service agent keeping watch in the back.

The pair stopped at a gas station en route to work and pumped over $60 into the tank (Clinton paid but did not pump, admitting she had not pumped her own gas in a while given round-the-clock Secret Service protection and also, notably, properly upholding the "Wilfing flies, Clinton buys" rule).

While inside the station, Clinton attempted to buy a cup of coffee, making her way over to the coffee machine where she had a little trouble getting it to work. Her chief of staff quickly helped her fill up a French Vanilla cappuccino.  The clerk joked that it would be $10 prompting Clinton to comment that would be the most expensive cappuccino she'd ever had. The total was $1.23, she handed over a Lincoln and, as she departed added, "I'd love to have your support on Tuesday."

When Wilfing and Clinton arrived at the Sheet Metal Factor, Clinton delivered brief remarks, once again, expressing her support for a gas tax holiday and criticizing her Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for not doing the same.

HOW DO THE CANDIDATES COMPARE AT THE PUMP? WATCH THE "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" VIDEO BY CLICKING HERE

Several states away in North Carolina, former President Bill Clinton was on message, pumping rising gas prices and record oil company profits for votes.

"There's a difference between the two candidates here," Clinton told the crowd at one his seven events in North Carolina on Wednesday, "Her opponent says, 'Well, she's just pandering to voters.' That's not true. Look, folks, there are people out here who are choosing every week now between driving to work and having enough food for their kids, between driving to work and paying their medicine bills."

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

Clinton emphasized the difference between the candidates, telling the Apex, N.C. crowd, "She just disagrees with her opponent on this. Hillary has got a long record as an environmentalist. But to say that giving people a little slack on these gas prices is going to discourage us from switching to higher mileage cars is just factually wrong. We're dealing with people here that cannot pay their bills. And it's going to be a tremendous drag on the economy if we let this situation continue. So she believes that we should suspend (the federal gas tax), get people through the summertime, the high driving months."

All three presidential contenders traded jabs on the campaign trail on Tuesday regarding their varying positions on a gas tax holiday.

"This isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's designed to get them through an election," Obama told a Winston-Salem town hall crowd. "The easiest thing in the world for a politician to do is to tell you what they think you want to hear. But if we're gonna solve our challenges right now, then we've gotta start telling the American people what they need to hear. Tell 'em the truth."

Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., fired back at Obama on Tuesday, charging that the Illinois Senator doesn't fully grasp the current state of the U.S. economy.

"Barack Obama doesn't understand the effect of high gas prices on the American economy," Bounds said in a statement released to the press. "Senator Obama voted for a gas tax reduction before he opposed it, he has no plan for relief from record-high gas prices for Americans this summer, and he's the empty-tank candidate in this race."

ABC News' Bret Hovell and Sunlen Miller contributed to this report.

April 30, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (109) | TrackBack (0)

Bill Clinton Rallies Rural America Through Wal-Mart and Pundits

April 29, 2008 11:23 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos reports: Former President Bill Clinton has always been a prominent subject in the media's coverage of the Democratic primary. In the past week however, Clinton has found himself the topic of even more articles than usual -- many dissecting his role in courting the rural vote.

Lately, Clinton has been choosing not to ignore these often critical articles. Instead, he has found good use for his daily clippings in the past week, weaving a few choice ideas into his stump speeches.

In Oregon this past Saturday, Clinton told the crowd about an Associated Press article he read about his trip to rural parts of the state.

"There's an article, I just read an article in The Associated Press that quotes a Reed college political science professor who says that my coming to see you wont work. Now listen, he said that Hillary's decision to reach out to rural Oregon was -- quote -- 'old politics,'" Clinton told a crowd in Junction City, Ore., making sure to hammer home the point that Hillary Clinton cares abour rural America, no matter what others might say.

Today, in Elkin, N.C., Clinton had a different article to talk about -- but the same message to deliver.

"I love my duties in this campaign because I'm basically the ambassador of Hillary's campaign to rural America, to small-town America," Clinton told a cheering crowd in a gymnasium. "And a lot of the political and press elites that haven't been for her from the get-go have made fun of this. I noticed some fellow wrote an article making fun of me campaigning places lilke Elkin and he said, 'Next thing you know, Bill Clinton will be taking Wal-Mart greeters to the polls.' See, now he thought that was a put-down. You know what I thought? I thought that was a good idea, why didn't I think of that? That would run our totals up."

There was one problem with Clinton's re-hashing of the article. The New Yorker story he referred to actually took the Wal-Mart quote from a Clinton advisor, who joked that Clinton's Pennsylvania election day plans were "leading a caravan of Wal-Mart greeters to the polls."

But that error meant nothing to the small-town crowd before Clinton, many of whom reacted as though Clinton's comments were proof that the Clinton campaign really cared about them -- no matter what the political pundits might think.

Whether the former president takes offense at these articles is not always clear. There can be a mixture of insult and indiference in Clinton's delivery.

What is clear is the rallying cry the former president is attempting to build with such remarks. As Hillary's "rural hitman," Bill Clinton is out to prove that his wife is the candidate who really cares about the issues and people in rural America.

If the people in these crowds want a president "who is a tough enough politician to make her husband escort Wal-Mart greeters to the polls," they should support Hillary, according to Clinton.

And with seven stops across rural North Carolina planned for Wednesday, it is surely a point he isn't going to stop touting anytime before next Tuesday's primary.

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | User Comments (48) | TrackBack (0)

Bill Clinton Says Underdog Hillary Stayed Positive in Pennsylvania Primary

April 29, 2008 9:42 PM

ABC News' Sarah Amos reports: Former President Bill Clinton hit the trail in North Carolina today, continuing to use his wife Hillary Clinton's win in the Pennsylvania primary as momentum for her campaign.

"Most of what people have said in this campaign is wrong, including who's been more positive and who's been more negative," the former president told a crowd of more than 2,500 in Boone, N.C. "She's talked relentlessly about the solutions. She won in Pennsylvania after being hit with negative ad after negative ad after negative ad, and negative letters. And all she did was respond. She won being outspent three to one because the people knew she was in it for them."

While Clinton's account of the campaign in Pennsylvania put the blame for all of the negative campaigning on Sen. Barack Obama's camp, the voters of Pennsylvania largely disagreed. Many polls found that voters thought both candidates turned increasingly negative in the final weeks of campaigning.

Clinton also made a point to talk about the gas tax today, a topic he often mentions, but rarely dives into.

"In the short run, she would release some oil from our strategic petroleum reserve. It's full. The oil companies pay into it every month. You can release it, send it directly to the refineries, create more oil in the long run, more gasoline, and bring the price down through the summer months. Second, she would put an excess profits fee on the oil companies who are making record profits and give relief to the taxpayers from the gax tax in the summer months. If you did that you could lower the price of gas between 30 to 40 cents a gallon. It would make a huge difference, particularly to people who have to drive a long way to work," he said.

Clinton spoke on the campus of Appalachian State University, whose underdog football team rose to fame by beat perennial powerhouse University of Michigan last year. Clinton used that bit of history to remind the crowd that his wife is still the underdog in this race.

"Folks, I'm a sports nut, and I'm glad to be here at the home (cheering) of the greatest football upset in modern history, so I think it will have special meaning here if I begin with a line I always say today. Whenever somebody tells you you can't win, it's because they're afraid you will," Clinton told the cheering crowd.

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | User Comments (202) | TrackBack (0)

Dems Draw Distinctions on Gas Tax Plans

April 29, 2008 4:34 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller and Eloise Harper Report: The Democratic presidential contenders traded jabs on the campaign trail Tuesday regarding their varying positions on a gas tax holiday.

From a Winston Salem, NC town hall meeting, Senator Barack Obama painted Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton as supporting the tax plan for purely political reasons.

"This isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's designed to get them through an election," Obama said of the proposal which he does not support.  "The easiest thing in the world for a politician to do is to tell you what they think you want to hear. But if we're gonna solve our challenges right now, then we've gotta start telling the American people what they need to hear. Tell 'em the truth."

Obama said McCain and Clinton's support of the gas tax illustrates the problem with Washington.

"Oil companies like Shell and BP just reported record profits for the quarter. And we're arguing over a gimmick to save you half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the back and say that they did something."

But, a spokesman from the McCain campaign, Tucker Bounds, fired back at Obama, charging that the Illinois Senator doesn't fully grasp the current state of the U.S. economy.

“Barack Obama doesn’t understand the effect of high gas prices on the American economy," Bounds said in a paper statement.  "Senator Obama voted for a gas tax reduction before he opposed it, he has no plan for relief from record-high gas prices for Americans this summer, and he’s the empty-tank candidate in this race.”

Obama went on to say that some economists believe that the gas tax holiday will actually raise gas prices because people will start using more gas and demand will then go up.  He added that without a plan to pay for it, the money would come out of the Highway Trust Fund, and there's no telling if gas companies would pass the savings on to consumers.

"So you end up giving them more money and we've drained the highway trust fund," he said.

Clinton also raised the issue of increasing gas prices today, from a wood veneer factory in Indianapolis, IN.

"The oil companies keep making out like bandits, you know they have had the highest profits in the history of the world," she said after a tour of the facility.  "My gas price agenda is a jobs agenda. I have traveled all over Indiana and I have said my campaign is about jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs. Without good jobs everything else we are talking about is just not going to happen."

Clinton continued, "There are a lot of people in Indiana who would really benefit from a gas tax holiday, you know that may not mean much to my opponent but it means a lot to people who are struggling here, you know people who commute long distances to work farmers and truckers who are in the business of driving."

Clinton then knocked McCain's economic plan saying, "He wants a gas tax holiday but he won't pay for it. I don't think that's responsible.  His plan would slash the funds and the jobs that would go into repairing and keeping up our roads our bridges and our other highway interests."

"Senator Obama won't provide relief while Senator McCain wont pay for it," Clinton finished, adding, "I'm the only candidate who will provide immediate relief at the pump with a plan to make it happen turning talk into action."

Clinton went on to give several more details about her gas tax plan, explaining that it includes "lowering gas prices by temporarily suspending the gas tax for consumers and businesses. We will pay for it by proposing a windfall profits tax on the big oil companies --  they sure can afford it."

The former First Lady sought to draw a distinction from her position and that of Obama's saying, "This is a big difference in this race. My opponent opposes giving consumers a break from the gas tax, but I believe American people are being squeezed pretty hard by everything happening, the housing crisis, the health care cost and now of course this increase in gas costs."

Obama has still not commented on his support in the Illinois State Senate of the suspension of the 5 % state sales tax on gas in 2000.  But, today during his Winston Salem stop, he tried to reach out to people struggling to pay gas bills, saying just because he's a presidential candidate doesn't mean that he doesn't remember the feeling.

"It hasn't been that long since I filled up my own gas tank. And  you know, Secret Service now has taken over, but I know what it's like to fill up a gas tank and get sticker shock."

At a later event in Hickory, North Carolina, Obama, for the first time, attempted a short explanation for his support of a 5% state sales tax suspension while in the Illinois state senate in 2000.

"When I was in the state legislature," Obama told the crowd, "there was a bill like this that came up and I voted for it and six months later we decided not to renew it because it wasn't making any difference in people's lives. It wasn't helping."

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (35) | TrackBack (0)

Elizabeth Edwards Considers Pre-North Carolina Endorsement

April 29, 2008 4:00 PM

ABC News' Karen Travers and Teddy Davis Report: With a week to go before the North Carolina primary, two key Tar Heel State endorsements still remain unclaimed: John and Elizabeth Edwards.

The Edwards' have stayed on the sidelines of the Democratic nomination battle since he dropped out of the race in New Orleans in January.

But in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Elizabeth Edwards said she would not rule out making an endorsement before next Tuesday's primary.

"I'd be surprised, but things can happen any day. Never say never," Mrs. Edwards said from Orlando, FL where she is vacationing with her family. "My current inclination is not to say any more than I have said and John would have to speak for himself but as I said he's also on vacation."

In the past, Mrs. Edwards has said she endorses Clinton's health-care plan but remains neutral in the presidential race.

Mrs. Edwards said she did not think endorsements from Democratic Party notables like her husband and former Vice President Al Gore would have the effect of uniting the Democratic Party in this bitter nomination battle.

"If we thought that somehow there was a partial bloodletting that an endorsement would solve, that would be reason to do it. I don't think Vice President Gore or my husband think their endorsement would change that dynamic."

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (124) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Condemns Wright's Defense

April 29, 2008 2:34 PM

ABC News' Ed O'Keefe Reports: Sen. Barack Obama strongly condemned recent comments made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in a high-stakes gamble by his campaign to control a spreading political firestorm.

Reacting to what he called the "spectacle" of his former pastor at the National Press Club, Obama, D-Ill., denounced Wright saying, "What Rev. Wright said yesterday directly contradicts everything I have ever done or said in my life."

"Whatever relationship I had with Rev Wright has changed as a result of this," Obama said.

WATCH OBAMA'S PRESS CONFERENCE BY CLICKING HERE

Speaking the National Press Club in Washington on Monday, Rev. Wright called the recent criticism surrounding his sermons "an attack on the black church".

"This is not about Obama, McCain, Hillary, Bill or Chelsea, this is about the black church," Wright said, speaking before an enthusiastic audience of black church leaders at the onset of a two-day symposium.

Throughout his speech and a subsequent question and answer session, Wright defiantly argued that many of his critics had not heard his whole sermons and that the media had twisted his words.

Wright vigorously defended himself against accusations he is unpatriotic but in Washington, he went on to compare U.S. troops to the Roman legions that killed Christ, to praise Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farakhan, and to suggest that the AIDS epidemic was a racist plot.

WATCH THE WORLD NEWS VIDEO REPORT ON WRIGHT'S CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS BY CLICKING HERE

The Reverend also said he was quoting a previous U.S. Ambassador to Iraq when he said African Americans should sing "God damn America" not "God Bless America" in his first sermon following the 9/11 attacks.

"You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back on you," Wright said on Monday. "Those are Biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright 'bombastic' principles."

Obama came out forcefully on Tuesday, insisting he was "disappointed" by Wright, and rejecting his one-time pastor's assertion that the controversy was an attack on the black church.

The candidate went considerably further than he has in the past in distancing himself from Wright, accusing him of "insensitivity and outrageousness" in his Monday appearance at the National Press Club in Washington.

"The person I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago," Obama said.

Wright has been Obama's pastor since the Illinois Democrat joined the church.  He performed Obama's marriage ceremony and baptized the candidate's two daughters.

At a speech last month in Philadelphia, Obama made clear that while he disagreed with some of the sentiments Wright espoused in sermons, he would not "disown" a man he considered to be "like family to me."

"He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children," Obama said in that speech. "I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother -- a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

Obama did not say if would stop attending Trinity United Church of Christ on the South Side of Chicago. A new pastor, the Rev. Otis Moss, recently took over for Wright, after Wright's retirement from the pulpit.

The reaction was much stronger than what Obama offered the previous day and reflects a decision by the Obama campaign to try to directly confront the comments by Wright, after weeks where Obama tried to perform a more delicate dance where he distanced himself from the message but not the messenger.

"I have said before and I will repeat again that some of the comments that Reverend Wright has made offend me and I understand why they've offended the American people," Obama told reporters hastily gathered for an impromptu press conference on the tarmac in Wilmington, N.C.

"He does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign and so he may make statements in the future that don't reflect my values or concerns," Obama continued, later adding with a smile, "I think certainly what the last three days indicate is that we're not coordinating with him."

Clearly the Obama camp deemed that effort not enough and the decision to speak out again seems designed to quell concerns among Democrats -- including superdelegates -- about some of Wright's more inflammatory remarks.

But it also raises additional questions for Obama -- including why he maintained a 20-year spiritual relationship with Wright, and why he chose not to denounce Wright when the story first spread six weeks ago.

ABC News' Rick Klein, Sunlen Miller, Jake Tapper, Nitya Venkataraman, and David Wright contributed to this report.

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (881) | TrackBack (0)

Clinton vs. O'Reilly: The Interview

April 29, 2008 1:20 PM

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Hillary Clinton vs. Bill O'Reilly - it's finally going to happen.

First reported exclusively by the Drudge Report, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., will appear in a pre-taped interview on Wednesday's edition of "The O'Reilly Factor" on FOX News.

Neither Clinton nor Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., have appeared on the conservative talk show host's popular program although an Obama staffer famously tangled with O'Reilly at a New Hampshire event in January.

Marvin Nicholson, a veteran of Sen. John Kerry's, D-Mass., 2004 presidential campaign, put his 6' 8" frame between O'Reilly, his cameraman, and Obama.

Upset with Nicholson, O'Reilly maneuvered around a steel gate barricade, yelled expletives, and called Obama's national trip director "low class."

Secret Service quickly stepped in and told O'Reilly to get back. After the commotion, Obama shook hands with O'Reilly but has yet to go as far as Clinton, agreeing to appear one-on-one with the often combative host.

O'Reilly did attend a Clinton rally on the same day as the aforementioned Obama incident.  The Democratic crowd booed but Clinton complimented him on his willingness to show up at the event.

The much anticipated interview will take place via satellite with Clinton in South Bend, Indiana, on Wednesday.

ABC News' Sunlen Miller contributed to this report.

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (232) | TrackBack (0)

McCain Once Worried About Impact of Long-Term US Presence in Iraq

April 29, 2008 12:23 PM

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Mike Elmore Report: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., once seemed to reject a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq even if those troops were stationed in a fortified place. McCain's 2005 comments appear to be somewhat at odds with a position he has spoken favorably of in the 2008 campaign.

Appearing on MSNBC's "Hardball" on Jan. 31, 2005, Chris Matthews asked McCain if the US could get along without making Iraq "the home of a U.S. garrison".

"I not only think we could get along without it," said McCain, "but I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence."

The tension between McCain's 2005 position and his 2008 position was first reported this morning by HuffingtonPost.

The HuffingtonPost story neglects to include the portion of the Hardball transcript in which McCain showed consistency. Just as he has done in his 2008 campaign, McCain said in 2005 that "the key" is "not when the troops come home" but rather when the casualties will stop.

". . . the fact is that the key to it is not when the troops come home," said McCain. ". . .  It is the casualties that creates the discontent amongst Americans. We`ve been in Bosnia for, what, 10, 12, years, Kosovo for 10 years, South Korea for 50 years. Americans aren't upset about that."

Asked about the 2005 Hardball interview, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers sought to debunk what he called the "urban legend" of the Arizona senator's "100 Years" remarks at a New Hampshire town-hall meeting in January 2008.

"He has made very clear that any post-war presence would be subject to an agreement between sovereign governments," Rogers told ABC News. "He has never specifically said that it's desirable to have 50,000 troops in a garrison. What he said is that should you get to a point where it is in our interest and in the mutual interest of Iraq and American national security to have a long-term presence. He thinks that would be acceptable to the American people."

McCain's "100 Years" comments are currently the subject of a Democratic National Committee television ad targeting McCain on national cable.

April 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Clinton Makes Rocky Balboa Look like a Pansy?

April 29, 2008 10:05 AM

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley Tuesday morning in Raleigh, NC. After touring a bio-manufacturing training center, Gov. Easley, First Lady of North Carolina Mary Easley and Clinton held a ceremony at NC State University. The Governor formally expressed his support saying that there was "nothing I love more than a strong powerful woman." Easley concluded his remarks saying Clinton -- "makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy".

Easley said, "There’s a lot of 'yes we can' and 'yes we should' going on. Hillary Clinton is ready to deliver, that's the difference."

Watch the VIDEO HERE.

Clinton thanked the governor for his support and for all he has done in the state of North Carolina. She did not attack either opponent, but spoke about the solutions she will provide as president, and told the small audience that she would work with their governor.

Clinton also applauded the work the state had done improving green standards and efficiency.

"Mario Cuomo who famously said one time you campaign in poetry but you govern in prose.  I think that’s pretty descriptive cause when the lights are gone and the cameras are off and the speeches are over what you want is somebody who will deliver results and sometimes that's not very glamorous," Clinton said. 

Adding, "It takes a lot of work and some false starts and frustration. Bringing everybody together doesn't necessarily mean they will all agree. It takes leadership to set a vision to put forth the goals and the strategies that's what Governor Easley has done in North Carolina that's what I will do as your president.”

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | User Comments (104) | TrackBack (0)

Gingrich: Wright May Be Deliberately Trying to Hurt Obama

April 29, 2008 7:58 AM

ABC News' Nitya Venkataraman Reports: In a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., suggested that controversial pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright is angry with parishioner Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and may be deliberately trying to hurt his presidential bid.

Saying that Wright "went out of his way to weaken Obama" during Monday's address at the National Press Club, Gingrich told Barbara Walters "I think Reverend Wright has a greater interest in his self-importance."

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE!

Gingrich described Obama former pastor as "hard-line anti-American", and said "if Rev. Wright continues to talk that the burden that Sen. Obama carries becomes bigger and bigger. "

Gingrich described Obama's challenges as "two-fold", citing "left-wing relationships" calling the Illinois senator "disingenuous" about them.

Gingrich also referenced complications in the path to the Democratic nomination via Michigan and Florida. (Both states were stripped of convention delegates for holding their primaries too early in the 2008 process.)

"I don't see how they're going to have a convention and not have the fourth biggest state in the country represented," Gingrich told Walters.

Gingrich said "at the rate things are going" come November the winner might "not necessarily" be a Democrat.

"McCain could be the one Republican who could win the election this year," Gingrich said in a live interview with Barbara Walters.

Gingrich pushed back on notions of his own re-entry into the presidential candidate pool,

"That's an alternative history we'll have to come back and talk about some day," Gingrich said.

Gingrich appeared on Good Morning America to promote his new book "Days of Infamy", the former House Speaker's second historical novel about Pearl Harbor.  Gingrich said he wrote the book to "draw more Americans into the Pacific" for a new look at the region and learn "the very tough lessons of history" embedded there.

April 29, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (523) | TrackBack (0)

Gov. Jindal Flattered by V.P. Rumors

April 29, 2008 2:12 AM

ABC News' Kate McCarthy Reports: Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., appeared on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with host Jay Leno and said while he is flattered by the rumors Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., could choose him as a running mate, he is happy in Louisiana.

"I've got the job I want," Jindal, the Republican Governor of Louisiana, said. "I told the people of Louisiana this is a historic opportunity to fix our state. I want to be involved in doing that."

At age 36 Jindal is the youngest governor in the United States. A son of immigrants, he is also the nation's first Indian-American governor and would bring diversity to the Republican ticket.

But Jindal told Leno it would be presumptuous to comment on a possible vice presidential nomination.

"It would be like saying I'm not going with that pretty girl to the prom before she asks you," Jindal explained. "I want to be Governor of Louisiana. If they let me, I'd like to run for re-election."

Last week Jindal accompanied McCain on a tour of New Orleans. McCain said he will "rely on Governor Jindal for many, many things in the future," but McCain would not comment on the selection process of a running mate.

April 29, 2008 in McCain, John, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Says Opponents Focusing on Character, Not Policy

April 28, 2008 9:30 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: Sen. Barack Obama said today that the success of his campaign has caused his opponents to raise questions about his character, rather than talking about differences they have in policy.

"We've been so successful in this campaign that, you know, right now people aren't arguing with me about policy, people don't think they've got better ideas than me," Obama argued at a town hall in Wilson, N.C. "What now they're gonna start talking about is me."

Obama told the audience that people are focusing on and bringing up questions about his character through many different ways.

"They're gonna suggest, well, you know he's got a funny name, and you know, he hasn't been wearing a flag pin lately. So people want, you know, they are asking questions about my values and my character and my patriotism," he said.

Three times this past week -- at town halls in Indiana and Pennsylvania -- Obama fielded questions from voters who wanted him to clear up questions about his patriotism amid rumors of him being a Muslim or not saluting the flag.

"That's just not true," Obama told a voter in Kokomo, Ind. "Another way of saying it is, it's a lie."

Obama's caution to voters of North Carolina that between now and when they go to the polls on May 6 they are going to hear negative comments about him, comes at a time when he has tried to reintroduce himself to voters, playing up his humble roots to woo the working class demographic among which his support has been weak.

April 28, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (67) | TrackBack (0)

Obama on Wright: 'He Does Not Speak for Me'

April 28, 2008 6:06 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Sen. Obama says he can't be held responsible for the opinions of Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

"I have said before and I will repeat again that some of the comments that Reverend Wright has made offend me and I understand why they've offended the American people," Obama told reporters hastily gathered for an impromptu press conference on the tarmac in Wilmington, N.C.

"He does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign and so he may make statements in the future that don't reflect my values or concerns," Obama continued, later adding with a smile, "I think certainly what the last three days indicate is that we're not coordinating with him."

Speaking the National Press Club in Washington on Monday, Rev. Wright called the recent criticism surrounding his sermons "an attack on the black church".

"This is not about Obama, McCain, Hillary, Bill or Chelsea, this is about the black church," Wright said, speaking before an enthusiastic audience of black church leaders at the onset of a two-day symposium.

Throughout his speech and a subsequent question and answer session, Wright defiantly argued that many of his critics had not heard his whole sermons and that the media had twisted his words.

The Reverend said he was quoting a previous U.S. Ambassador to Iraq when he said African Americans should sing "God damn America" not "God Bless America" in his first sermon following the 9/11 attacks.

"You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back on you," Wright said at the National Press Club on Monday. "Those are Biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright 'bombastic' principles."

Wright also took on those who characterize him as unpatriotic, taking a dig at the vice president in the process.

"I served six years in the military," Wright said. "Does that make me patriotic? How many years did Cheney serve?"

Wright pointed to congregants at his Trinity United Church of Christ who have served in the U.S. military, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

"My goddaughter's unit just arrived in Iraq this week while those who call me unpatriotic have used their positions of privilege to avoid military service while sending over 4,000 American boys and girls to die over a lie," Wright said.

Wright did not seem to blame Obama for distancing himself from the now-retired pastor. "If Obama did not say what he said, he wouldn't get elected," Wright said.

"I am a pastor, he is a member. I'm not a spiritual mentor, I'm his pastor," Wright continued, sharing that he told Obama if he wins the White House "November fifth, I'm coming after you. Because you'll be representing a government whose policies grind under people."

"I do what pastors do, he does what politicians do," the Reverend said before injecting humor into his remarks. "I'm not running for office. I am open to being vice president."

The Obama campaign, however, might not be laughing.

The candidate, following a day of events in North Carolina, said, "He's obviously free to speak his mind, but I just want to emphasis he is my former pastor. Many of the statements he made both to trigger this initial controversy, and that he's made over the last couple days are not statements that I heard him make previously. They don't represent my views and they don't represent what this campaign is about. But he's obviously free to make those statements."

ABC News' Jake Tapper and Nitya Venkataraman contributed to this report.

April 28, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (72) | TrackBack (0)

Obama (Jokingly) Picks Running Mate

April 28, 2008 4:35 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Barack Obama has chosen his running mate if he wins the Democratic nomination. Well, not really.

But Jean Weiss, an 82-year-old woman from North Carolina, has gotten closer to joining an Obama ticket than anyone else to-date.

During a town hall in Wilmington, an exuberant Weiss stood up and received the biggest cheer in the room when she launched into a long speech about all the reasons she supports Obama.

"Don't hit on Hillary," Weiss advised, "Bring us all back. Let her do that stuff. Leave her alone, you don't need to do that. You are higher than that."

"Will you be my running mate?" Obama answered. "That's my running mate there, she's got me fired up!"

The Senator, and his potential Veep, hugged after Weiss stormed the stage and Obama stepped down to greet his biggest fan.

The Senator has been mum in the past about his choice for a vice presidential running mate should he becoming the nominee saying such talk is premature.  Obama has also dismissed talk of becoming a vice presidential candidate himself in the event Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., wins the Democratic nomination.

The idea of a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton dream ticket has been suggested several times over the course of the increasingly bitter primary fight.  In the ABC News debate in mid-April, neither candidate seemed willing to entertain the notion, and several Democratic heavyweights, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have dismissed it out of hand.

April 28, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (92) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Says McCain Has "Gall" for Criticisms over Gas Tax Holiday

April 28, 2008 4:25 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Sen. Barack Obama responded to Sen. John McCain's charge that he is "out of touch" and "insensitive" on issues of the economy.

McCain's criticism came yesterday in Florida, when McCain said of Obama's lack of support for the gas tax holiday, "Obviously Senator Obama does not understand that this would be a nice thing for Americans."

Obama returned the criticisms at a town hall today in Wilmington, North Carolina, saying that McCain's support of the gas tax holiday is not a proper fix for the problem of energy crisis, nor will it help people in the short term.

Watch the VIDEO HERE.

Obama said the savings would only amount to $25 or $30 dollars, "or half a tank of gas," and that McCain's plan and criticism are misplaced.

"He had the gall yesterday to tell me that obviously, because I didn't agree with his plan, I must not be sympathetic to poor people. That's what he said," Obama exclaimed, and then turned the table back at McCain, "This is at the same time that he is proposing hundreds of billion of dollars of more tax breaks for corporate interests to the wealthiest Americans, and he doesn't explain how it is that we're going to pay highway trust fund."

Obama said McCain's solution amounts to a quick fix where a politician can claim they are helping, but is really just pretending to do something about the problem.

"That's typical of how Washington works. There's a problem: everybody's upset about gas prices. Let's find some short term, quick fix. That we can say we did something, even though we're not really doing anything. Because if you actually took away the gas tax, what are the oil companies going to do? They're gonna raise your gas by 5 cents. You'll never see the savings. And then we pretend to do something."

Senator McCain's spokesman, Tucker Bounds, responded to Obama's argument saying, "It's clear Barack Obama's not strong enough to provide immediate relief at the pump, and it shows he doesn't understand our economy or have the ability to deliver for hardworking Americans. Senator Obama's arguments against John McCain's gas tax holiday are complete fiction, and the reality is that he used to support a gas tax holiday before he was running for President."

Senator Obama while in the Illinois State Senate in 2002, voted to suspend the 5% state sales tax on gasoline.

At a later town hall in Wilson, North Carolina, Obama for the first time, tied his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, to McCain on the gas tax holiday.

"John and recently Hillary Clinton they both I think are saying the same thing," Obama said explaining the gas tax holiday he called a "gimmick: which the other two candidates support.

Obama then questioned what Senator McCain has done with his time in the Senate to solve the gas crisis in the long term, "Where's John McCain's been for the last 25 years? What has he been doing to promote clean energy and to increase fuel efficiently standards?"

ABC’s Bret Hovell contributed to this report.

April 28, 2008 in McCain, John, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (52) | TrackBack (0)

Obama Pushes New Populist Message to NC Voters

April 28, 2008 3:28 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Senator Obama, struggling after repeated losses to white, blue collar workers, was singing a different tune today during a town hall in Wilmington, North Carolina, adding lines to his stump speech to make him more appealing to the demographic he has struggled to win over.

Obama's new populist message started with a direct appeal to the people, saying that in this race he is not against running against Hillary Clinton, but rather running against the very things that have made people's lives hard.

Watch the VIDEO HERE.

"I didn't get in this race, to run against Sen. Clinton. I ran to run against unemployment. I ran to run against lack of educational opportunity. I ran to run against lack of health care, and substandard housing and a war that we should not have been fought. That's why I'm running," Obama said and then repeated again, "I'm not running against Sen. Clinton."

Obama said he has gotten wrapped up in negative campaigning recently, which has distracted him from his reason for running, and said he spoke with his campaign team about changing the focus.

"I noticed over the last several weeks, I told this to my team, you know we are starting to sound like other folks - starting to run the same negative stuff. And it shows you  that none of us are immune from this kind of politics. But the problem is that it doesn't help you.  Having politicians bickering back and forth doesn't help you. Having them worry about superdelegates doesn't help you."

Again, Obama repeated his new focus, not the other candidates, but he says, the American people.

"This election is not about me. It's not about Sen. Clinton. It's not about John McCain. It's about you. It's about your struggles, your hopes, your dreams."

When wrapping up his slightly refigured stump speech, Obama delved deeper into his past than he has before within a stump speech, and criticized those who have publicly questioned if his past has been properly vetted.

He told the story of his grandparents working though the Great Depression, and his mother who was a single mom after his father left when he was two.

Taking heat on the issue of elitism, Obama reminded people that, although he had attended Columbia and Harvard, his family, like them, were still struggling to pay bills, "When my mom came of age, there were student loan programs that she could access so even if she was raising her kids she could go to school and there were scholarships so that she could send her son and her daughter to some of the finest schools in the world, even though there were times when she was on food stamps."

Obama's argument continued saying that his past struggles drove him to run, "When people ask me about why I'm doing this, what my values are, I try to explain to them it's about that history in my own family - how I've seen this country open up opportunity for people who are willing to work hard."

April 28, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (73) | TrackBack (0)

Clinton Tip-Toes Around Rev. Wright Issue

April 28, 2008 12:59 PM

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Senator Hillary Clinton knocked Republican presidential contender John McCain and the Republican party for politicizing the issue of Senator Barack Obama's pastor, Rev. Wright, but tip-toed around her reaction to her Democratic opponent's handling of the matter.

“I have said that that that was a personal decision of his I answered one question about it that made it clear I would not have stayed in that church under those circumstances," Clinton told reporters in Graham, NC.  "But, I regret the efforts by the Republicans to politicize this matter and I believe that if Senator McCain were serious he would do more than just send a letter he is the putative nominee I think he could very clearly tell the North Carolina party tell the Mississippi party that he would not tolerate those kinds of advertisements and I’m waiting to see if he does that.”

When asked if Wright’s comments were a reflection upon Obama, Clinton quickly and matter of factly said, “You will have to ask him that.”

Clinton refused to respond to whether she agrees with Gov. Dean’s proposed time-line - that one of the Democratic nominees must drop out after the June primaries - and instead said, “I think this has been good for the Democratic party.”  She added, “We are going to go through these next contests and see where we end up and well take stock of where we are when we finish but I also believe we’ve got to resolve Michigan and Florida.”

The former first lady was also asked if the divisiveness from the 1990’s should be a concern to voters to which the Senator responded that she was proud of the fighting she and her husband did on behalf of Americans.

“I guess I’ve read enough history and know enough about American politics to realize that if you are going to stand for change big change,” Clinton said. “ I don't think anybody should be surprised that they are going to fight back and they are going to fight back by coming after the people who are standing there fighting for the American middle class. So, I frankly wear that as a badge of courage.”

Clinton was also asked if her campaign is in discussions with the DNC to help begin fundraising for other Democratic candidates running in November. Clinton acknowledged that her campaign was speaking to the DNC, but when the reporter followed up about the status of those discussions, Clinton said, “you will have to ask the campaign.”

Clinton was asked if she thought Obama’s new appeal to blue collar voters will resonate – Clinton said “That will be up to the voters to decide. What voters know about me is that I have a long record of fighting for the interests.”

April 28, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (134) | TrackBack (0)

Clinton Proposes Debate on the Back of a Flat Bed Truck

April 27, 2008 10:15 PM

ABC News' Eloise Harper reports: Speaking outside in Wilmington, N.C., Sen. Hillary Clinton reissued her challenge to Sen. Barack Obama, her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, to join her in a debate –- this time she proposed it be on the back of a flatbed truck.

"I am very very regretful that my opponent will not agree to a debate in North Carolina, because I think these issues are worth debating, and, you know, the other day he turned down the debate that I agreed to here in North Carolina," Clinton said, adding that "20,000 people had already emailed in for tickets there was that much interest.

"So he said no, he wouldn’t do it, and I know his supporters say, well they did like the last debate in Philadelphia, the questions were kind of mean and they were sort of tough," she said. "You know, I've got to say, tough questions in a debate is nothing like the tough decisions you've got to make in the White House. I think that this state deserves a debate. So here’s what I’m offering. How about this -- no moderators just the two of us on a stage for 90 minutes asking each other questions, talking about whatever's on our minds, just like the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and I think, you know, we could even do it on the back of a flatbed truck, doesn’t even have to be in a fancy studio somewhere. You can tell I'm having so much fun in this campaign."

A crowd of hundreds gathered to hear Clinton speak in front of a river and the USS North Carolina. Clinton spoke about several issues including protecting the homes of soldiers abroad from home foreclosures.

Clinton was scheduled to spend Monday in North Carolina campaigning across the state.

April 27, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary | Permalink | User Comments (195) | TrackBack (0)