Blogging at McCain's! - Granite Grok

Blogging at McCain’s!

Update:  Link to the interview with Chuck Douglas has been fixed.  I also have other interviews to put up, but that will be later on today (after all, I have a real job to attend to).  Also put in the links to the Boortz site and to the FairTax site.

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Well, this should prove to be amusing!  So far, have been well treated – the local Communications Director, Crystal, warmly greeted me, made sure that I had access to the ‘Net and introduced me to a couple of folks.

Unlike my blogging at the NH Republican annual meeting, this blogging will be top-down, early to later.  Just too dark to do the Update 1 Update 2 and moving stuff to the "after the jump" area  tonight. Will fix it later.

Just did an interview with Chuck Douglas who is the co-chair of McCain’s campaign here in NH.  I did the interview with the ‘Grok’s newest toy – an Edirol R-09!  I will try to post the MP3 in a little while.

    Interview with Chuck Douglas here  

I also met Dave Welch, the Veterans Director.  I’ve asked to interview him for many reasons (and one is personal – my son is now a vet). 

In the process of doing that 15 minute interview, the room has really filled up with folks here to watch the debate.  I expect them to be rather loud during the debate….we will see what happens 

 Chris Matthews is now introducing the the candidates….WHAT are the Repubs thinking, having Matthews doing this after he just spent the last week bashing all the candidates!  Fair, balanced?  Not him!

I guess I’m going to have to talk to the Blogger Management here….since we are in a large room with the TV being projected on a temp screen, they’ve turned off the lights.  Which means that I cannot see my keyboard.  You know, I can type up to 60 words plus, but I still need to see some of the keyboard keys!  This will be difficult.

McCain just got asked about Iraq….he seemed really agressive, almost belligerent, going toe to toe with Matthews…..his answer was of the nature of "if we pull out, there will be chaos, absolute chaos!  Nothing good comes of failure.

Well, I was wrong – so far, the crowd here is rather quiet – I expected to perhaps hear a buzz when each of the other candidates give their answers – rather polite, actually. 

The questions, both from Matthews and the gentleman from The Politico are quite pointed, almost to the point of always being negative.  No softballs here!  So far, the answers have been pretty good (from the tier 1 to the last tier folks).

BTW, access for posting seems rather slow…I’ll have to update less often.

Also, btw, my goal was to watch the McCain supporters here tonite…I think I have to change focus because (1) I can’t see them and (2) they are being quite quiet. Estimate in the dark is about 100 folks here, including pro campaign staff (eager beavers, that crew).

Has Iran already done acts of war.  McCain 0- state sponsored terrorists, sending and training them into Iran, Hezbullah and Israel.  We have to ratchet up the pressure on them to get them to stop and try to build up the opposition inside Iran.  We cannot allow Iran to get the bomb.

Matthews – follow up – tripwire?  If our intelligence tells us that they get it….well, I don’t think he said "the what he’d do". 

No reaction from the crowd here. For or from any of the candidates or of the questioners.

Well, a laugh for the OBL question to McCain "I will follow him to the Gates of Hell"  BIG clapping and hooting and hollering.

Question – repeal of Roe vs Wade? – Everyone said yes!  Guiliani said "that would be ok" and everyone here laughed. 

 

Boy, they are really pounding the RvW, public funding, state vs fed, et al., aspects of this area.

Matthews-Can you McCain, restore that sense that Reagan gave the country – united.  McCain – most experienced, knows how to make the military work and how to make Congress work.  We have to restore faith in gov’t and in our future as a nation.

Nothing here from the crowd.

Note:  it may seem like I’m only blogging McCain’s answers.  Well, I can’t type fast enough to keep up with everyone, it’s dark and I keep missing the quote key, and besides, I’m at the NH HQ for McCain!

Ron Paul – I like the his stance on shrinking the size of gov’t, but he’s nuts with his military notions.

Matthews – I think it using the question about Catholic bishops denying those politicians that do not toe the line….have to admit Romney’s answer was good "I don’t talk to the Catholic bishops…they can do whatever they want.  It is not up to gov’t to tell religion what to do."

Matthews is an arse for using his questions trying to have the candidates declare that religion should play no role in determining morals….to me, an attack on those of faith.

I will say, however, that the questioning is fast, furious, and covering a WHOLE bunch of areas and topics.  To their credit, it seems like the candidates came loaded for bear and all of them seem fairly well prepared…I only can pinpoint one time where there was a lapse of a quick response.

McCain – went after spending in Congress…got a laugh here when he said he got an email from a drunken sailor upset about being compared to Congress.  He wants a line item veto, and will veto all pork and make each one famous throughout the land.  He wants all programs to justify themselves.

McCain on immigration – status quo is not good.  Have to secure the border, but we also need a guest worker program.  No reaction here.

McCain on embryo federal funding – McCain says to federal fund it…clapping here (the only one to say that).   

McCain – asked about Reagan’s tax cuts.  First against, now support.  Now, they need to be kept….hammered on the spending!  Again, large amount of clapping as he said that he would make famous the authors of the first earmarked bill presented for his first veto.

Tax he’s like to kill –  AMT.  Proposed a $3K tax credit for healthcare…wants a fairer, flatter tax.  Clapping again (but not a whole bunch).

FAIRTAX mentioned!!!!  I wish I knew who talked about it.  Guess I’ll find out from the Neal Boortz site in the morning (he is a founder of that consumption / prebate tax system). Tancredo also would like it.

    Update:  Meet The New Press will have a representative from the FairTax organization on this
    Saturday on WEMJ 1490am, 11am-1pm EDT.  We will also be live streaming at that time (click
    on the iPod to your right)

McCain – You;ve said that you’d give a cabinet post to a Democrat – other than Joe Lieberman?  McCain’s answer was Joe, Joe, and Joe.  Then went on to say that he;’d go out and get the best and brightest (e.g., made a lot of money with large companies) and bring their expertise into the gov’t to fix it, no matter what their party affiliation.  Longest clapping of the night from the crowd here.

McCain – believes in evolution.   mentioned that as he hikes the Grand Canyon, he see’s the Hand of God (clapping).

McCain on Bill being back in the White House.  No….Hillary in charge….and she would be able to
nominate Supremes….so no.  A little bit of clapping.

How will you be different than the present President? McCain – would not have mismanaged the war (clapping), vetoed a LOT of pork barrel spending, and just plain spending.

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