McCAIN HOLDING HONEST' TOWN HALL EVENTS By John Landsberg, BLC 07-18-2008 In Denver earlier this week Republican presidential candidate John McCain was holding a traditional political "Town Hall" meeting event. These events are generally very tightly controlled from start to finish. That's why it was surprising when a man in a Vietnam Veteran-type black hat was called on by McCain for a question. After all, as a former P.O.W. in the Vietnam War, one could easily assume McCain was anticipating a softball question. He was wrong. The man proceeded to blister McCain for his supposed lack of support for veterans. The "veteran" quoted facts, figures and various bills where McCain did not seem to support issues impacting veterans. The attack seemed a total set-up. To his credit, McCain was able to keep his composure and try to address the issues. Even when the questioner continued his rant McCain tried to calmly answer the questions. He finally had to cut him off when it became obvious no answer was going to satisfy the man. Two things came to mind during this exchange: 1. The questioner was very likely a Barack Obama plant, who was there specifically to disrupt McCain. 2. McCain is actually taking real questions at his events. In a story in the Wall Street Journal (7/12) it was noted: "This past week was the debut of the campaign relaunch, with veteran message man Steve Schmidt, a senior aide, put in charge of day-to-day communications. Mr. Schmidt remains committed to keeping Sen. McCain in his best formats, even if that means an ask-anything atmosphere." During his recent Town Hall event at Union Station in Kansas City (7/17/08) McCain's PR folks did a superb job of choreographing much of the event. That's their job. It is important his handlers try to have him portrayed in as positive a light as possible. McCain's events are not nearly as managed as the "Town Halls" done by Vice President Dick Cheney during the last presidential campaign. Cheney's Town Halls were scripted from start to finish. They often were "invitation only" to only loyal supporters and held in private venues (protestors are not allowed anywhere near private venues). To eliminate potentially embarrassing questions, the Cheney staffers planted specific folks within the crowd with pre-planned questions on colored cards (easily identifiable). Most questions were along the lines of "Mr. Cheney you have been a major supporter of our our men and women fighting for our freedom in Iraq (pause for cheers)... What kind of programs do you have planned that will support of our troops in the future?" Whereas McCain sat down and did one-on-one interviews with Kansas City media folks, Cheney's PR folks would only allow a "pool reporter" to report on his activities. The pool reporter would then give a report to other media attendees. One-on-one interviews were allowed. In this day and age it is refreshing to see a candidate willing to hold a Town Hall meeting where he genuinely wants to hear real questions from real people. People are tired of totally managed events. Yes, it can be difficult when the opposition plants operatives who try and embarrass the candidate, but the public can often see through the dirty tricks. They admire the candidate who is not afraid to deal with tough questions. After all, they are running for the top office in the country. They will face a lot tougher issues as President.
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