Obama: McCain Trying to Make Voters 'Scared' of Me

Subscribe to this blog's feed

« Previous | Main | Next »

Obama: McCain Trying to Make Voters 'Scared' of Me

July 30, 2008 2:13 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: While campaigning in a traditionally Republican district, Sen. Barack Obama attempted to beat back rumors about him– telling the Springfield, Missouri crowd that Republicans and Sen. McCain are trying to make voters “scared” of him because they don’t have another strategy.

“Nobody thinks that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face. So what they are going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama warned, “You know he's not patriotic enough. He's got a funny name. You know, he doesn't look like all of those other presidents on the dollar bills.”

Obama said the only strategy McCain has is to paint him as a “risky” candidate.

“He's risky - that's the argument,” an exasperated Obama said, “Seriously, that's basically the argument. It's like, well we don't have very much to offer but he's risky.”

The presumptive democratic nominee said what is far riskier, in his mind, is doing the same thing over – again relating McCain with President Bush.

“The question you have to ask yourself is - what's more risky? Going ahead and bringing about changes that we know that we have to make, in order to ensure that our children have a better future. Or doing the same things over and over again even though we know they don't work,” Obama asked the crowd, “We are in a time right now where it is too risky not to change.”

Obama is campaigning with Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill throughout the day, who also attempted to push back against Republican talking points during her introduction.

“They say that he's arrogant. That he's unpatriotic. Blah blah blah,” McCaskill said, “I know this man. He is humble. He is devoutly Christian. He loves his family more than anything else in the world. He cares about families. He reveres our men and women in uniform. And he is as red, white and blue as you could possibly get.”

In addition to pushing back against criticisms and questions over risk value – a feisty Obama also came loaded for bear in his first town hall since his overseas trip – attacking McCain on taxes.

Obama jokingly claimed that Wild Bill Hickock, a famous old Western gunslinger, was a distant cousin of his so McCain should be on the alert.

“I'm ready to duel John McCain on taxes. Right now, right here. I'm a quick draw,” Obama quipped.

“They're going to say, 'He's a tax and spend liberal Democrat’,” Obama warned, “But it's the same ad over and over again. So let me be absolutely clear: If you are a family making less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes go up.”

By comparison, Obama said that one quarter of McCain’s tax cuts would go to people making millions of dollars a year.

July 30, 2008 in Kucinich, Dennis, Romney, Mitt, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (187)

User Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Obama: McCain Trying to Make Voters 'Sacred' of Me Please fix typo in headline.

Posted by: James | Jul 30, 2008 2:25:15 PM

sacred? freudian?

Posted by: dl | Jul 30, 2008 2:27:38 PM

Yes, we are really scared Obama with his thin resume, value and judgment not because of his patriotism.

Posted by: Laura | Jul 30, 2008 2:27:45 PM

McCain is the "risky" choice NOT Obama. If we vote for McCain we are going to get another 8 years of the Bush/McCain economy.

Posted by: Tamrya | Jul 30, 2008 2:30:27 PM

comparing Obama to britney spears.??? HUH. A ditsy white girl to a intelectual black man>?? This is insane?? The McCain camp has now become an official train wreck, Sad thing is I cant even feel sorry for the campaign anymore, no matter what rapper "dises" them. I am almost embarrased for them. Look its time for the GOP to cut their loses and find another Nominee. Huckabee has some class, maybe he could at least bring some class back to the party, even if he doesnt win. Which at this point he would have a better chance at winning then McCain. They are actually haveing people submit there own ad ideas at http://www.webmademan.com
I guess the thinking is, Anyone could make a better ad then this. Wow. I guess it doesnt matter. I dont think McCain can win as the Nominee anyway. Could you imagine McCain even having enough energy to run your local Mcdonalds. Seriously. Think about it next time your in line watching the Mcdonalds manager run around taking orders and shouting orders. McCain couldnt do it. So I ask You, how will McCain be president??? Looks as though the RNC got behind the wrong candidate and they will pay for it., Guess they should of let the primary season play out without trying to minupulate the outcome.. Good news is i think McCain is just about done, I wouldnt doubt the GOP ditch him at the last second and run a younger more charasmatic charachter. Did you see him knock all that stuff off the shelf at the supermarket. the video is at http://www.mccanes.com all the while barack obama is looking like an NBA super star, (arrogence and all) even taking time to stop and have a cigar break video at http://www.theobamaplan.com

Posted by: Jane | Jul 30, 2008 2:31:01 PM

Senator McCain and the GOP are telling the truth and Obama is whining again. Senator Obama is a commercially packaged little man with a little resume made to look important and expensive. Voters are beginning to see the real Obama.

Posted by: Mary | Jul 30, 2008 2:31:20 PM

I am more SACRED of McCain! OMG! Someone help that poor old man.

Posted by: becky | Jul 30, 2008 2:31:48 PM

So what they are going to try to do is make you scared of me,” Obama warned, “You know he's not patriotic enough. He's got a funny name. You know, he doesn't look like all of those other presidents on the dollar bills.” WE ALL CONCEDE OBAMA THAT YOU ARE DIFFERENT. THE QUESTION IS NOT THAT YOU ARE BLACK BUT YOUR EXPERIENCE VERSES YOUR ROCK STAR IMAGE THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS PAINTING. THE QUESTION IS YOUR CHARACTER AND THE FRIENDS THAT YOU HAVE ASSOCIATED WITH FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS. THE QUESTION IS THAT YOU PLEDGE SOMETHING AND THEN CHANGE YOUR MIND (TOO MANY TO LIST). John McCain and campaign do not have to make the public scared of you----you are doing just fine all on your own. NOW YOU ARE PROPOSING WAR, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PEACE TALKS?

Posted by: Susan | Jul 30, 2008 2:34:07 PM

Mr. Obama,
Are you making voters like McCain???!!!

Posted by: alex | Jul 30, 2008 2:35:04 PM

Scary is electing an angry old man who may still have emotional problems from his time in Vietnam.

Posted by: Jim | Jul 30, 2008 2:35:18 PM

McCaskill is goofy for Obama ... Missouri voters won't give her a 2nd term ... such a ridiculous senator.

Posted by: Jackson | Jul 30, 2008 2:38:27 PM

This is another BS talking point from Obama. The Clintons were made into racists by the Obama compaign. McCain will be made into a senile old man who wants support the Iraq war for 100 years. Obama has taken McCain statement about Iraq out of line, out of context. Obama made himself less scary, that's scary in itself.

Nobody needs to scare us when Obama's wife says that she's not really proud of our country until Obama has a good chance of winning. Nobody needs to scare us when, for 7300 days, he is a devoted VIP member of the Trinity Church. Nobody needs to scare us when records show that he has spent only 143 days in the Senate before running for the Presidency. Nobody needs to scare us when he changes and shifts positions (Iraq, NAFTA, FISA, public financing, etc.) and characters for political expediency or leave a technical opening so he can further changes his mind back again.

And when we try to tell him, he says that we are dividing America. He is not America.

Posted by: young_voter | Jul 30, 2008 2:38:52 PM

“I'm ready to duel John McCain on taxes. Right now, right here. I'm a quick draw,” Obama quipped. Then why reject the offer of townhall meetings?

McCain need do nothing to scare the American public about Obama. Obama's doing an admirable job of it himself.

Posted by: Thomas | Jul 30, 2008 2:39:53 PM

Of course, people are scared of him. He spent 20 years in a church that preaches hatred toward white people, and said publically, "I don't think my church is all that controversial." I wonder how he'd feel if John McCain belonged to a church that preached hatred against blacks? Wasn't Obama the first to call for the firing of Don Imus for insulting black athletes? Yet he thinks it's perfectly okay for his mixed-race children to sit in a church where white people are blamed for all the ills of the world. That is, indeed, scary.

Posted by: Angje R | Jul 30, 2008 2:40:45 PM

They're right, this is exactly what McCain's campaign is doing right now. Trying to paint Obama as the tax-hiking, big-revolutioney, scary future. They're trying to make people fearful of change that Obama might bring.

If McCain has any chance of winning this thing, he needs to figure out WHY someone should vote for him other than because they don't want to vote Obama.

Posted by: Warren | Jul 30, 2008 2:42:26 PM

One can't the Republicans away from the race argument? Do these guys every learn?

To me the Obama patriotism question boil down to a question of race-scare tactic for the simple reason that I can't remember if anyone ever questioned Scharwzenegger's patriotism when he was running for governor of California.

Posted by: Lance D. | Jul 30, 2008 2:42:54 PM

Why can't the Republicans stay away from the race argument? Do these guys every learn?

Posted by: Lance D. | Jul 30, 2008 2:43:57 PM

Good Post Susan

Posted by: B | Jul 30, 2008 2:48:36 PM

Obama is already talking about being in Dollar bill. Americans are idiots if they choose this fake

Posted by: tim | Jul 30, 2008 2:49:40 PM

McCain's campaign handlers are again making it look like it's a third term for George Bush with a basis campaign message of fear and smear so voters can overlook McCain's daily gaffes, hypocrisy, and bad temper. That's not even counting the bigots who aren't with his campaign but are all too glad to help.

Posted by: bhciapol | Jul 30, 2008 2:54:25 PM

Post a comment