The Vote

McCain Picks Palin for VP

DENVER (AP) -- John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

Two senior campaign officials disclosed McCain's decision a few hours before the Republican presidential nominee-to-be and his newly-minted running mate appeared at a rally in swing-state Ohio.

Palin, like McCain, is a conservative with a maverick streak who has shown a willingness to clash with others in her own party. A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, she has been governor of her state less than two years.

Palin's selection shocked numerous Republican officials.

At 44, Palin is a generation younger that Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well - and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters.

In making his pick, McCain passed over several more prominent prospects who had figured in speculation for months - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge among them.

Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, and even as she awaited her formal introduction, some aides said they had believed she was at home in Alaska.

She is a former mayor of Wasilla who became governor of her state in December, 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.

More recently, she has come under the scrutiny of an investigation by the Republican-controlled legislature into the possibility that she ordered the dismissal of Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper.

The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama yields from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado.

Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead.

McCain has had months to consider his choice, and has made it clear to reporters that one of his overriding goals was to avoid a situation like the one in 1988, when Dan Quayle was thrown into a national campaign with little preparation.

Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image.

Two years ago, she ousted the state's Republican incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski in the primary, despite having little money and little establishment backing.

She has also distanced herself from two senior Republican office-holders, sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don young. Both men are under federal corruption investigations.

She had earned stripes - and enmity - after Murkowski made her head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. From that post, she exposed ethical violations by the state GOP chairman, also a fellow commissioner.

She and her husband Todd Palin, have five children. The latest, a baby, was born with Down syndrome.

Democrat Convention: Day 4

EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt Wiseman, 19, of Findlay, is a sophomore at Ohio Northern University majoring in political science and history. He is in Denver with The Washington Center, a nonprofit, independent group that places interns with various organizations at both political conventions.

By MATT WISEMAN

DENVER — You could feel the energy building all week in this booming city at the base of the Rockies. The energy is all about the Democrats’ excitement with the upcoming campaign.

Right now, I’m standing in the upper-deck seats of Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos. I’m very high above one of the end zones, but I am just to the right of the stage and I think I will have an excellent view of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech just after the sun drops behind the mountains.

People began filing into the stadium at 1 p.m., which was at least seven hours before Obama was scheduled to appear.

There’s a media tent on the field behind the delegates’ seats. It’s easy to see the reporters and the technicians racing around, setting up cameras and getting their gear ready.

The Democrats have completely changed the field and it doesn’t really look like football is played here. It really looks like the indoor convention with the roof torn off.

The stage is a lot like the one in the Pepsi Center. There’s a big video screen. The delegates’ chairs are set up in the same configuration. All over the stadium, there are a lot of red, white and blue decorations, plenty of flags, and plenty of Obama-Biden posters.

I’m not sure what my group from Ohio Northern will do after we leave the stadium. I hope we get into a party put on by the Ohio delegation because they’re more likely to welcome the 10 of us. After all, the Michigan delegation may give us a hard time.

On Wednesday night, we went to a "watch party" at the Denver convention center, which is different from the Pepsi Center. It was just a "watch party" because we watched the Pepsi Center activity on four big screens in the Wells Fargo Center. There wasn’t any food there, but we had good, comfortable seats.

There, we could tell that Joe Biden was more accepted by Democrats, who applauded often, than I thought he would be.

When his son, Beau, introduced him, the crowd I was in erupted, hooting and hollering and clapping.

We went back to our dorm rooms at Regis University, a Roman Catholic school which is about five miles to the west, where we’ve been staying for about $500 for two weeks’ lodging.

We’ve met a lot of other students through our program from New York and Missouri. We go into downtown with them, hang out and go to whatever delegation party we can find.

The parties have a lot of free food and alcohol for those over 21. I’m not included in that group. There was one at the ESPN Zone, a downtown restaurant, where delegates were playing video games.

Because there are a lot of 40-plus adults at these parties, and most of my friends are 19- to 21-year-olds, it’s not a normal party for us. Talking to someone my age is a lot different than talking to an adult who is a delegate.

On Friday, we’ll simply check out and head for the airport. We’ll be coming back home and taking some time to sleep and to relax. Some nights in Denver, I only had three hours of sleep. It’s been a pretty hectic two weeks for us here.

Democrat Convention: Day 3

EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt Wiseman, 19, of Findlay, is a sophomore at Ohio Northern University majoring in political science and history. He is in Denver with The Washington Center, a nonprofit, independent group that places interns with various organizations at both political conventions.

By MATT WISEMAN

DENVER — Downtown Denver’s protesters have been replaced by vendors selling all sorts of Democratic National Convention and Barack Obama keepsakes.

In addition, for a third straight day, the masses of people crowding the streets of Denver continue to grow. The laid-back attitude of Denver has been overtaken by the hustle and bustle of the New York Cities of the world.

While the city continues on its roller coaster ride through history, I was able to work with another part of history on Tuesday and Wednesday, that being foreign relations between the United States and the many Latin American countries we share this hemisphere with.

While working for the Inter-American Economic Council, I was able to see and meet some of the most influential men in this hemisphere. Ambassadors from many different Latin American countries were in attendance at a late Tuesday night reception and an early Wednesday Latin American Policy Forum.

This was a great experience for me as I have studied the Spanish language over four years now and keep a close watch on the news coming from Latin American countries.

I was registering and checking in foreign dignitaries as well as many invited guests in the morning. Once the speeches began I was allowed to watch these highly respected men speak.

The general message from the ambassadors was the necessity of free trade agreements that work for all parties. I especially enjoyed the ambassadors from Mexico and Costa Rica, both for their passion and their marvelous speaking ability.

Each speaker discussed the importance of a partnership between the countries of North, South, and Central America in building democracies and economies. While one may or may not have agreed with their ideas and hopes for the future, these two men captivated the audience and were great promoters of Latin American growth.

I found that the Latin American leaders care greatly about this election and yet very little. They care to the extent that they can work with the future president of the United States toward a better tomorrow.

Yet at the same time, in the same city as the Democratic National Convention and with two of Obama’s foreign policy advisers in attendence, the ambassadors made it clear that they do not care who becomes president, only that he will communicate with them as equals.

Democrat Convention: Day 2

EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt Wiseman, 19, of Findlay, is a sophomore at Ohio Northern University majoring in political science and history. He is in Denver with The Washington Center, a nonprofit, independent group that places interns with various organizations at both political conventions.

By MATT WISEMAN

DENVER — My day at the Democratic National Convention started with a vision of battalions of riot police roaming the streets.

While the great presence of police and security is a little overwhelming, it makes most people, especially me, feel safer and more comfortable while in attendance at one of the most historic events in recent memory.

Tuesday turned out to be a fairly slow day for me personally, but I met a lot of really cool people.

While I am not meeting the most powerful men in Washington, D.C., I am meeting a lot of people who are quite powerful in their own right.

On Monday, I met Ohio’s current treasurer, Rich Cordray, and was able to talk with him a little about the upcoming election as well as this week’s convention.

It was an experience to meet, shake hands with, and talk with an elected official, especially in the case of Cordray, who is now running for attorney general.

On Tuesday, I met two scriptwriters for the Democratic National Convention as well as a community organizer from the San Francisco area in California. She was absolutely ecstatic about youth, like me and my colleagues, getting involved in the political process.

That has been the most overarching message that has been conveyed to me, the importance of the youth vote. People stop me on the street and congratulate me for being involved in the convention and the election.

I volunteered for Rock the Vote, which is nonpartisan and represented at both conventions and is working to help register young voters all across America.

In Denver, every young voter I have come across is already registered to vote. While this is a national party convention and young people here are obviously involved in the campaign, it still makes me proud to be a young American surrounded by other, involved young Americans.

Democrat Convention: Day 1

EDITOR’S NOTE: Matt Wiseman, 19, of Findlay, is a sophomore at Ohio Northern University majoring in political science and history. He is in Denver with The Washington Center, a nonprofit, independent group that places interns with various organizations at both political conventions.

By Matt Wiseman

I arrived in Denver just over a week ago, in plenty of time to prepare myself for the festivities and hard work that were to come. And I still found myself utterly unprepared for what Denver would transform into just eight days later.

When my colleagues and I arrived on Sunday we expected a bustling city, and were pleasantly surprised with a laid-back town that happens to hold a couple of million people.

During our time here we have been able to literally stop any person to ask them about where to eat or what to do, or just have them brag about their beautiful hometown. We have spent a great deal of time in the area of the city known as LoDo, or Lower Downtown, in particular the 16th Street Mall where there are a multitude of shops and restaurants.

The best part of LoDo is the emphasis on locally owned businesses, such as the Ohio Northern University delegation’s favorite coffee shop, Peet’s. We have made it a nightly stop.

Last Thursday night, we were sitting and drinking coffee when the CEO of the Democratic National Convention, the Rev. Leah Daughtry, walked past.

Like every other person in Denver, she stopped and talked to us about reaching your goals as well as her personal mission to make people aware of the religious side of the Democratic Party.

After a few minutes of conversing, Daughtry asked us if we were able to get into the acceptance speech at Invesco Field on Thursday. We told her we were not. She proceeded to give us 25 tickets to see the acceptance speech.

Also at Peet’s, a few days ago, we were interviewed by a reporter from the British Broadcasting Corp.

Denver really has been a wonderful place so far, but in this past weekend, everyone saw what the calm, laid-back town would become.

From the multitude of protesters everywhere you look to the 10 fully armed riot police on every city block, Denver is not the same city it was just a week ago.

Many of the protesters have been pro-life supporters, who have quite the network of supporters throughout Denver. But it would be absolutely unfair to single this group out as there have been plenty of protests staged by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Hillary Clinton supporters, Christian followers against homosexuality and Islam, and even radical liberal protesters who do not believe Barack Obama would act swiftly enough to stop the war in Iraq.

All of these protesters have been kept on pretty good behavior, at least for one day, by the extraordinary influx of armed law enforcement. I have heard some grumbling about all of these police officers from the citizens of Denver, however, for the most part when I ask about the changes that have taken place, citizens reply with an, "Oh, I don’t know."

Essentially, the people of Denver seem to love the economic boon but hate the social consequences.

While the citizens are unsure of how to react to the DNC, the delegates and Democratic parties that have taken over the city have done their best to make the political world of Washington, D.C., feel welcome here in Denver.

On Saturday night we were able to get into a media party at a local amusement park with the entirety of the press covering the DNC. The media party was essentially every kid’s, both young and old, dream with free drinks, food, games, and roller coasters.

The first day of the convention has gone off without any major problems so far and hopefully it can stay that way for the rest of the week, both for the integrity of Denver, Colo. and democracy in general.

Obama Picks Biden for VP

Sen. Barack Obama picked Sen. Joe Biden to complete his ticket for the Democratic presidential nomination. Feel free to leave a comment below.

STORY: "Biden pick draws Democratic praise, GOP criticism" (AP, 8/23/08)

CHICAGO (AP) -- Democrats coalesced around Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate on Saturday while Republicans quickly seized on the Delaware senator's past criticism of the presidential candidate's inexperience.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Obama-Biden ticket will bring the change the country needs, including a filibuster-proof Senate majority.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign wasted no time to try to turn the choice against Obama, producing an ad featuring Biden's previous praise for McCain and comments critical of Obama from an ABC News interview last year. Biden had said he stood by an earlier statement that Obama wasn't yet ready to be president and "the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training." (Read More)

STORY: "Analysis: Biden pick shows lack of confidence" (AP, 8/23/08)

DENVER (AP) -- The candidate of change went with the status quo.
In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness - inexperience in office and on foreign policy -- rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.
He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate -- the ultimate insider -- rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn't even make his short list.
The picks say something profound about Obama: For all his self-confidence, the 47-year-old Illinois senator worried that he couldn't beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. The Biden selection is the next logistical step in an Obama campaign that has become more negative - a strategic decision that may be necessary but threatens to run counter to his image. (Read More)

STORY: "Biden speaks -- and speaks -- his own mind" (AP, 8/23/08)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barack Obama told everyone he wanted a running mate who will challenge his thinking, and now he's got one. Joe Biden's tendency to speak his own mind - and speak and speak - is entwined in his DNA.
The loquacious Delaware senator brings more than verbiage to Obama's side. Biden is a foreign policy heavyweight with a decade longer in the Senate than the seasoned Republican presidential candidate, John McCain. That's almost three more decades of experience than his new boss.
In Washington, Biden, 65, is known as a collegial figure even when he's competitive - one who can spin flowery praise one moment and biting fulmination the next. (Read More)

On the Campaign Trail with McCain

(Courier reporter Joy Brown will be part of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain's motorcade today as he campaigns through Ohio. Brown will "blog from the bus" and report on a campaign rally in Lima today, here and at www.thecourier.com.)

9:30 a.m.

It's about 9:30 on Thursday morning, and we're all just standing around in Marion. Doors are just now opening at the Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center in Lima, where a rally is scheduled, but Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign bus probably won't leave this town (70 miles to the east) for another half an hour yet.

As they often do on the campaign trail, plans have changed a little bit for the local media invited to ride along with McCain and his entourage. We will be stopping at a hotel in Upper Sandusky for a round-table discussion with the Arizona senator, rather than engaging in en route interviews. (That ought to make us even later in Lima.)

After the round table, the few local media folks will be kicked off the campaign bus and tucked into the bus for the national media for the last leg to Lima.

The good news, since I drove myself to Marion from Findlay, is that someone from the campaign will be shuttling me and others in my predicament back to Marion after the rally. No hitch-hiking on Route 30.

That's what I know for now. That, and McCain's wife, Cindy, also is scheduled to be with us today. Feel free to leave a comment, especially if you're hanging out at the Civic Center for the next few hours.

*****

9:45 a.m.

Let's hope I don't have to write a story like this one, from MiamiHerald.com:

"McCain's tour bus crashes in Miami" (Miami Herald, 8/6/08)

Politics is tough. So is driving in Miami. Just ask Sen. John McCain's tour bus driver.
The presumed Republican nominee's tour bus got tangled in a traffic accident at about 3 p.m. Wednesday on 55th and Biscayne Boulevard. No one was injured.

Sen. McCain was not traveling on the bus when the accident occured. He was in Ohio. The bus driver, Sen. Joe Leiberman and an aide were traveling southbound on Biscayne Boulevard when an accident occured with a blue van. The driver of that vehicle was the sole occupant.

''This was an unfortunate incident, but we're thankful that everyone is okay,'' said Mario Diaz, campaign manager for Sen. McCain for the Southeast Region.

*****

10:15 a.m.

OK, so we did get some interview time in with McCain on the bus. He talked a lot about the economy and the housing crisis.

When I asked him about his plans for the rest of his campaign through November, and whether he intended to focus on playing up his strengths in his ideas or criticizing his opponent, he said the Democrats started the negative campaign. He also said Americans expect the campaign to be tough from time to time, and that he felt he would be able to keep putting his ideas out there.

*****

11:00 a.m.

We're done with the round-table interviews in Upper Sandusky and are now headed to Lima. I'm riding in a van with the other media folks behind the campaign bus.

I did get the chance to talk to McCain about local residents who were impacted by flooding and who are still in the recovery process, and what he thinks he would be able to do for these residents as president. Again, he spoke a lot about how he intends to improve the economy.

I will be expanding on McCain's answers throughout the day as the story develops. For the moment, I'm just along for the ride.

****

1:00 p.m.

We're headed back to Marion after the Lima rally. McCain spoke about much of the same things he did on the bus, especially the economy and his energy policies. Lots of offshore drilling talk. More later!

The rally was a "town hall" style of meeting. Attendees raised their hands from the crowd and McCain picked which one he wanted to hear.

To read an Associated Press story on McCain's take on the thousands of Ohio jobs in jeopardy if DHL pulls out, click HERE.

*****

1:30 p.m.

I'm not sure what the count was, but there might have been 500 people in the Civic Center for the rally. The crowd was very supportive of McCain and seemed to have a lot of energy.

The media were swept into the center through a back door, so I'm not sure if any people were not able to get inside. There were no tickets for the event, and admittance was on a first-come, first-serve basis.

There were about 20 people standing outside the venue holding anti-McCain and other protesting signs.

*****

2:30 p.m.

Lance Booth, our photo intern, also attended the rally and will be posting an online gallery of pictures. One of the observations he made was that the crowd didn't seem to appreciate a woman who was asking tough and specific questions. As far as the fellow who asked something along the lines of: "When are you going to announce your pick for running mate? It's keeping me up at night," McCain basically deflected the question.

Booth is also happy to report that he is intact after accidentally falling over and landing on a Secret Service agent. (Photographers tend to get themselves into precarious spots just to get the best shot.) Yes, the Secret Service were there, and this agent had no problem absorbing the blow.

****

9:20 p.m.

I want a bus with marble countertops and a shower. OK, no I don't. The gas mileage would be horrible. But at least I got to ride in one today for half an hour, as a "reward" for working so hard lately on flood stories and Findlay city activities (so says the boss man). Twelve hours of work might seem like a lot to some, but for an assignment as interesting as this, it was worth it.

Now that I'm at home with a cold beverage in hand, allow me to summarize. First, the expected did happen. There was waiting. There was more waiting. And there were schedule changes. Five private minutes with McCain suddenly turned into a half-hour "roundtable" discussion with the man, with three other reporters vying for his attention. There was media herding. There was police dog sniffing. And did I mention there was waiting?

While we waited, we got the low-down on views from a local pastry shop owner, who showed up at the Holiday Inn Express in M.C. Hammer pants. He wasn't there for McCain, mind you, but to catch a gander at the senator's "hot wife." Not that his own wife isn't plenty hot, mind you, but... Please Hammer, don't hurt 'em.

The entourage made for great people watching. As it turns out, many of his staffers (and I suspect those of other politicians), use caffeine and nicotine to stay on the ball. They all looked fairly young, so they must do well in the paycheck department as well, unless Mom and Dad buys them their Gucci purses.

Before we were herded onto the back of the bus, we were herded into the Marion Bob Evan's, behind the pie counter, to watch the national press swarm upon McCain and friends. I think I was the only one who apologized to some of the workers for my (our) intrusiveness. "That's OK," said a waitress. "But if you stay here any longer we'll have to put you to work." Now THAT would be a job.

And so we come to the actual bus ride and interview. McCain was very approachable, just as he was a few years ago when he briefly came to Findlay, I asked him if he was going to run for president, and he wouldn't tell me. Seriously, he seems like the kind of person you'd feel perfectly comfortable with sitting at your kitchent table and griping about how much the Findlay water department charges for hookup ($200, folks). He made eye contact. He seemed comfortable. And he gave me the requisite politician wink.

He also had canned responses that I expected. He has plans, however vague, and he wants to tell people about them. Which he did on the bus after I asked him why people here, particularly those devastated by the flood and still struggling, should vote for him.

I spent Wednesday night, when I thought I was going to have five minutes alone with the man, trying to decide what to ask him. I got two decent questions in today, thanks to my fellow reporters, who were all very nice and non-aggressive. And I even got a plug in at the end by urging him to pay a visit to Findlay. But I didn't get to ask him some of the lighter questions I wanted, like how he maintains his energy campaigning day after day, an act that would exhaust Lance Armstrong. And I honestly wanted to ask him if he's heard any good political jokes lately, because I know a lot of people around here love those.

After the bus ride, we were herded onto the last van in the press caravan, where I did a pretty good job of keeping my nausea in check. Note to self: next time bring Dramamine. Sitting sideways on a swaying bus while looking to the back and taking notes can wreak havoc on the system, I realized. But I pulled through all right (I could've done the unthinkable, after all).

I was not surprised to find that many of McCain's statements at the town hall meeting mirrored those from the bus interview, although some of the interactions, which the national press corps probably won't cover, were interesting. Like the guy who told McCain he needs to announce a running mate because it's keeping him up at night. And the guy who said he votes only for pro-lifers. Then there was the disabled vet who simply asked to shake McCain's hand.

Did my face-to-face interaction with McCain offer any valuable insight? No it didn't. Was the experience rewarding? Absolutely. No matter what your political persuasions, the man is running for president and he's a bonafide war hero. This assignment was absolutely a reward.

As an aside, excellent comments, blog commenters! Do me a favor: read my coverage in Friday's paper and let me know how you think I did.

*****

AUDIO FILES:

McCain responds to a question about local residents recovering from the disastrous flooding last summer (4:30): LISTEN

The whole ride (25:00): LISTEN

McCain to Visit Lima

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain will make a campaign stop in Lima on Thursday, according to the Hancock County Republican Party.

McCain is scheduled to hold a "town hall" meeting at the Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center, 7 Town Square, Lima. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. McCain is expected to arrive sometime in the late morning; his press office is saying the event will start at 11:30 a.m.

Attendees will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be no tickets for this event.

Courier reporter Joy Brown will be riding along with the campaign from Marion to Lima. She will live blog on the road and at the rally.

Are you planning to attend the event? Leave a comment about what you hope the experience will be like.