After presidential debate #3 at Hofstra University, the media swarmed in on senators, governors, mayors and campaign managers in spin alley. Below are some of the exclusive questions asked by Black Enterprise.com.
Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL)
BE: Sen. Daschle said that Sen. McCain came off as mean-spirited, if so, how do you think Obama responded?
In a way that the American people would like to see. He rose above it and talked about things that they are concerned about, which is the tighter economic position they find themselves in. Given that they are working harder, earning less and paying more I think that Barack answered the charge when he needed to and rose above it which is what the American people needed to see. On style and on substance, Barack consistently has done what he did in the first two debates, look and sound presidential.
BE: McCain brought up Ayers, he brought up ACORN, why didn’t Obama bring up the Keating Five?
Obama succinctly answered the question on Bill Ayers and took care of it. He didn’t need anything more. Ayers doesn’t work. Keating is a little more relevant, time-wise to the scandal here, but what is more relevant is [McCain] has economic policies that will repeat the same policies that George Bush had. Barack spent his time on things that mattered to people.
BE: What was the most important thing that came out of this debate for you?
This is the last bend in the road before you have open running field. There is nothing changed about their two positions right now.
David Axelrod, chief strategists for Sen. Barack Obama
BE: In the coming weeks Mr. Axelrod what does the Obama campaign plan to do to attack voter suppression and voter caging by the RNC?
We have as large a legal team, as has ever been engaged in an election. Our goal is to make sure that everyone who votes is eligible
to vote and everyone who is eligible to vote has the opportunity to do so and we’re not going to allow anyone to be deprived of that right. It is a major focus of our campaign. The American people want change we’re not going to allow those kinds of tactics to interfere with that.Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts:
BE: Gov. Romney how will McCain’s free trade policies affect automakers in Michigan and across the country?
The best way to have a bright economic future for America is for us to be able to trade on a fair and level playing field around the world. John McCain believes in trading with other nations and making sure the trade is done on a fair basis. If someone is cheating. You stop them from cheating. You have to make sure in every agreement that these agreements work for us and that they are fair agreements. At the same time, people who think we can’t compete and that we have to put
up trade barriers and tariffs to keep from competing they make things good for a couple of years, but ultimately if our products are non competitive with the rest of the world we become a second tier economy and fall just as far behind as the Soviet Union did when they tried the same thing.Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico
BE: Gov. Richardson McCain stands on not meeting without precondition, whereas Obama wants aggressive diplomacy, where do you stand on those policies?
Well, I think it is very clear Obama is ready to meet our adversaries. We have to remember, you don’t make peace with your friends, you make peace with your enemies. I agree with Obama. He’s ready to meet with the leaders of North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, but you’ve got to do it with preparations and McCain basically takes the same policy position as George Bush: anybody we disagree with we don’t talk to. That does not make sense. That does not serve our interests.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, U.S. Senator from Conneticut
BE: Sen. Lieberman what do you think of Sen. Obama’s proposal to allow people to withdraw from retirement plans without penalty?
Both of them have pretty good proposals. McCain’s is a little better, but Obama’s is a step in the right direction too. I think McCain’s is better because it will make it a little easier on people who need [to make] a little withdrawal, but it won’t make it too easy so that everybody is pulling out of the stock market which I fear that some of Sen. Obama’s proposal might do, which will bring prices down further.
Marcia A. Wade is a reporter at Blackenterprise.com