January 14, 2008
As he closed his town-hall session, Sen. John McCain said he believed Americans need to be inspired again. The crowd agreed and sent him out of his town hall meeting with a hearty round of applause.
Just over an hour ago, McCain received a warm welcome from the stand-room-only crowd of well over a thousand people inside Crystal Gardens in Genoa Township.
"I'm grateful to be here," McCain said. "This is a great manifestation of what democracy is all about."
He then told the crowd that
"Michigan's best days are ahead,"acknowledging the state's current economic straits.
"I believe Michigan can be a leader in green
technology."
"I'm going to see that no state is left behind," McCain said to thunderous applause from the crowd.
He promised to veto every single pork barrel bill that would come across his desk if elected. "I will fix the problem," he said.
McCain also acknowledged the veterans in the audience, asking them to stand. The veterans were greeted by a hearty round of applause.
"We are not giving our veterans the (health)
care they deserve," he said. "We need to fix (the veterans health care system)
not only because of our debt to them, but also for the future." He proposed a
system that would issue a health care card to all veterans that they could use
at whatever doctor or facility they wished.
On a national service program, McCain said Americans young and old want to serve this country. "After 9-11, we should have asked people to serve, rather than take a trip or go shopping," he said. "I'm going to give people the opportunity to serve. ... I believe that they are eager."
On campaign finance reform: "If money is speech, then people with the most money have the biggest microphone," McCain said. "I don't believe in that."
On border security: "We'll secure our borders first, and have governors certify that their borders are secure. I know how to do that, I come from a state with broken borders. I will get the borders secure first and then get a (worker program). We'll handle this as humanely as possible."
First thing to work on after he's elected? Security, McCain said. "We have to do a better job. The battleground is going to be in cyberspace. Then we need to restore confidence."
McCain said in the wake of all that's happened, he will then have to restore trust and confidence. "We need to tell people the truth, not what they want to hear," he said.
Health care? "It needs to be available and affordable," McCain said.
Line item veto: "We have to have line-item veto," McCain said. "We got it once, but we wrote it wrong, so it was declared unconstitutional. We've got to have it back. It's a vital tool."
How will he use his Boy Scout experience? "If there's one true always valid indicator of someone who'll achieve success in life, it's (being an) Eagle Scout." McCain said he would encourage Scouting for everyone.
Great Lakes water diversion: "There's a Great Lakes compact. The states will decide what to do with their water."
Removing FEMA from Homeland Security? McCain said he would vote to remove it, but that would be like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Improving response to disasters?
"Why not involve private businesses, large and small," he asked.
"I'm not going to call up a soldier in Iraq and tell him I'm deporting his mother."
A large crew of national media members were set up for the event. In the audience, people who've never been to a political rally mixed with national politicians and pundits, including Chuck Yob and Joe Klein, author of "Primary Colors."
Klein said that this -- his eighth presidential race -- is the most exciting he's covered. "People are concerned," he said.
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