Obama energized about energy plan

Sen. Barack Obama's energy plan is "more robust" than Sen. John McCain's plan said Obama Senior Campaign Adviser Kenneth Berlin at a discussion forum. He said that Obama's plan was more aggressive in combatting climate change, and radical change in energy policy was needed because "we are falling behind."

Berlin said that both campaigns have made energy reform a big part of their campaign. According to Berlin, One difference between Obama and McCain is that Obama's goal would be to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent while McCain only wants to reduce those same emissions by 60 percent.

There are some myths about Obama's energy policy said Berlin. Obama has "strong support for clean coal technology," which Berlin said has been lied about in this campaign. He also said that Obama does support the development of nuclear power if the United States can deal with the issue of proliferation, and find a clean and secure way to get rid of nuclear waste.

The future of health care

"How could McCain get a Democratic Congress to pass his plan with an unregulated insurance plan?" and "How could Obama pass his plan with the current financial crisis?" Joanne Silberner the Health Policy Correspondent for National Public Radio, began a panel by outlining each of the presidential candidates individual health care reform plans.

According to last week's poll by the Los Angeles Times asking readers which candidate was best fit to take care of health care, Obama received 54 percent approval, while McCain passed with 25 percent. Obama's plan would mandate employers to cover their employees and mandatory for children. McCain's plan would cause employers to lose their tax exclusion and would leave the current tax and insurance system intact.

Dr. Uwe Reinhardt, a professor of economics and public policy at the Woodrow Wilson school, showed GDP charts that spanned the past four president's terms and estimated the expenditures to reform not only health care, but the whole insurance market approximately $298.7 billion. Reinhardt said that America cannot afford the changes necessary for universal health care, "We can no longer afford to be our brother or sister's keeper."

Dr. Robert Moffit, senior fellow of the Heritage Foundation, said that America is "doing many things right" as far as health care goes. He said that the U.S. is a leader in medical science and technology, as well as pharmaceuticals and vaccines. He said the real problem with America's health system is really its financing and tax policy. His conclusion was that health insurance must become accessible for individuals regardless of employment.

John Rother, the AARP's Executive Vice President for Policy, outlined five necessary elements for the health care reform discussion. He advocated a federal regulatory agency to oversee health care with congressional oversight. He also had a warned for the next president, "Unless health care reform is luanched in the first year of the President's term, it is not likely to succeed."

Senate looks for a way out

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he did not except much out of the White House meeting today on the bailout discussing during a Senate Leadership pen and pad session at the Capitol. Instead He focused on the difficulties finding a proper solution of the ongoing bailout battle. "Im not picking a fight, I just want to see a way out of this," Reid said.

Reid highlighted the importance of recognizing that the markets need help in the current economic crisis, without leaving American taxpayers suffering. Reid assured that Congress is working to come up with an economic recovery plan solving the situation on Wall Street. Washington State Senator Patty Murray agreed with the Majority Leader stating that the golden parachute deals existing on Wall Street cannot continue.

Reid said that all aspects in the potential recovery package need consideration. He also brought up the absence of Sen. John McCain, saying that his return is not beneficial to the situation with Americans waiting for answer to the financial dilemma. "We're willing to negotiate on this," Reid said.

McCain campaign on bailout: 'Trust me' is not good enough

Campaign advisers said that Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain is in consultation with senate colleagues and the ongoing developments on Capitol Hill as the Congress negotiates with the administration on Wall Street bailout legislation. Campaign manager Rick Davis said that McCain is going to participate in this legislation and plans to vote on it, if and when it reaches the floor.

McCain has express some concerns with a plan that would allow the U.S. Treasury to purchase illiquid assets from major financial companies in order to inject liquidity into the financial system. The campaign said that McCain has called for "unprecedented transparency" for unprecedented power and also feels that there is potential for too much power to be concentrated on a single authority. McCain has called for sufficient oversight to accompany the legislation. "Simply trust me is not good enough," said Davis.

With 43 days to go until Election Day, McCain senior advisor, Steve Schmidt made his feelings about the media clear in a call...with the media. In the call, intended to roll out a new campaign commercial highlighting some of Barack Obama's associations in Chicago politics, Schmidt said that the ad was necessary because the media is under reporting some of Obama's controversial friendships. He zeroed his scope on the New York Times.

"Whatever the New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard, a journalistic organization It is a pro-Obama advocacy organization that every day attacks the McCain campaign, attacks Senator McCain, attacks Gov. Pain and excuses Senator Obama...Everything that is read in the New York Times that attacks this campaign should be evaluated from that perspective," he said.

Obama is a divider not a uniter says McCain campaign

"Sen. Barack Obama talks the talk, but never has nor never will walk the walk," said Clinton Delegate-at-Large Luchy Secaira today during a conference call hosted by the McCain-Palin presidential campaign. The conference call was geared for Sen. McCain's appeal among hispanics and women. The McCain campaign said that registered Democrat Secaira had chosen to put her country before her party and vote for Sen. McCain because he has spent his life standing up for his country.

Hillary Clinton Senior Advisor, Miguel Lausell, said "McCain is a man of experience and a man of soundness. You know what your getting when you vote for him. The same cannot be said for Obama." Lausell, also a registered democrat, said that Sen. Obama may have a beautiful life story but that doesn't mean he can run the country.

Both Lausell and Secaira said that McCain cares more about the Hispanic and female community because he has met with Hispanics at town hall meetings and decided to have Sarah Palin as his running mate. They both agreed that Obama's downfall was not choosing Sen. Clinton or Sen. Bill Richardson as his running mate.

"Obama is politically naive. During these hard times the United States is facing, we should not have an inexperienced senator for president," said Secaira about the difference between McCain and Obama. Lausell said that McCain and Obama are a lot alike, in that they both have similar plans. The only difference they say is that Sen. McCain will put his plans into action, while Sen. Obama will let his remain on the table.