McCain Town Hall Meeting Held At Burlington County College, New Jersey

McCain Introduced by Joe Lieberman at Burlington County NJ Town Hall Meeting

GOP Presidential hopeful, John McCain, held a major Town Hall meeting at the Burlington County College (BCC) auditorium, a host to many past political events because of it's facilities and location.

I was curious to see what McCain was like outside of the sound bites that are normally presented on the news.  Barack Obama was also appearing in the Delaware Valley, but BCC was much more convenient, easier to reach and the meeting was open to anyone.

There was the typical long line getting in through security but I arrived about 45 minutes before the 10 a.m. starting time and was in the air conditioned auditorium by about 15 minutes before it started.   There was still a long line after I selected a seat, but everyone that arrived on time was seated inside before McCain appeared.

The program started with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a convocation prayer which included requesting blessings for the county, military and our leaders, including the candidates.  Then local political figures running for Congress and the Senate were briefly introduced and spoke a few quick words.  Jim Saxton, who is retiring after his current 12th term in Congress expires, was recognized for his 25 years of service and given a standing ovation.   There was a lull for about 10 or 15 minutes, then the McCain entourage appeared just off to the back left side of the stage and the Town Meeting was on...

Leading off was Senator Joe Lieberman, who gave strong, passionate reasons why he, a Democrat, was supporting McCain for president.  He then introduced former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, who had headed up the independent 9/11 Commission task force sanctioned by McCain, Lieberman and others in the Senate.  Kean then welcomed McCain to a rousing ovation that seemed would last forever, but everyone finally settled down to hear what McCain had to say.

McCain started off with some prepared remarks, relying occasionally on some 3x5 index cards for notes.  I believe the press, which had a large presence, obtained a lot of useable sound bites and newsworthy items from his speech.  He continued his challenge to Obama for a series of Town Hall meetings.  He corrected some misunderstandings about his stance on issues such as social security, taxes and energy independence.  He commented on what he felt was a bad decision by the Supreme Court regarding non-citizen military detainees.  He also noted that 30 of the detainees that had been released have already attempted to attack America again.

McCain is not a great orator. I don't believe I am making a statement that anyone will consider surprising.  However, he holds your interest as he is obviously very sincere about what he believes and he presents his views in a forthright manner. You feel while listening to him that what he says is heartfelt. 

When asked numerous questions by the audience, McCain listened (a couple of times taking notes), then answered them directly and confidently.  The only time he hesitated was when someone was discussing his position on a disabilities bill by its bill number, at which point he explained that he does not remember them by their number, but went on to answer the question. 

He answered questions about America's dependence on oil and the need for development alternatives.  McCain stressed that he was, for both economic and security reasons, supporting federally sponsored pure research (not subsidies that often negatively alter free markets such as with ethanol), nuclear energy and developing other sources of oil.  At the same time he was for correcting causes of global warming.   

In another reply, McCain stated that he is for providing PTSD support services for military personnel and providing them with a card for obtaining solutions to everyday maladies from standard medical providers.    He also committed to capturing Osam Bin Laden and bringing him to justice.

The time went quickly and about a little after 12pm, McCain thanked the people and concluded his remarks.  He then spent some time shaking hands with members of the audience.

If you ever get a chance to attend similar Town Hall meetings for either party, I encourage you to attend.  They allow a more complete, unfiltered view of the candidate(s) that, with the possible exception of C-SPAN, is sorely lacking from the regular news sources.



Press Section at Town Hall Meeting...




 

 




Joe Lieberman with McCain watching...





















Joe Lieberman handing off to Tom Kean...

John McCain (Lieberman and Kean setting on the left side)...

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.