Vice presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden grabbed center stage on the campaign trail during the day Wednesday, focusing on economic issues during tough-talking stops in battleground states.
With presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama preparing for their debate, the running mates hit the road in states that are becoming more important as the race winds to its conclusion Nov. 4.
On a day when a leading conservative newspaper in New Hampshire endorsed McCain, Palin campaigned in the Granite State. Biden was in the second day of a swing through Ohio. Republicans carried the state in 2004, but Democrats have made inroads since.
Biden will have made six stops in two days in eastern and central Ohio. He is scheduled to spend the rest of the week in New Mexico and Nevada, both considered key states that Democrats are hoping to capture.
In Athens, Ohio, Biden, who will be 66 next month, played off Palin’s gibe that she was in 2nd grade when the Democrat was first elected to the Senate. Palin, 44, often uses the line to emphasize the difference in their ages.
“Well, I’m inclined to tell her that she was in 6th grade the last time John McCain had a good idea on the economy,” Biden fired back. “John McCain does not offer anything new. And that’s why I think you’re seeing — which is surprising a lot of people who know John McCain well — that’s why you’re seeing John’s campaign become so erratic and so negative.”
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At her first campaign stop in Dover, N.H., Palin employed the folksiness that she has used since McCain selected her as his running mate.
“You’re a lot like the people of Alaska,” she said. “We all love good moose hunting, I know that. We both so enjoy our great lands, with clean water, fresh air and abundant wildlife and good fishing. We love being outdoors.”
But on a day when the stock markets continued their gyrations, Palin stayed on message, accusing Obama of favoring tax increases and big spending programs.
“Here in Dover, there’s home to two kinds of people: the fine people of New Hampshire, and the fine people of Massachusetts who got sick of paying all those taxes,” Palin said. “That should tell you something. The rest of the country is looking at this area and saying, ‘What is it that New Hampshire wants?'”
Although it has a reputation for rugged individualism and backing Republicans, New Hampshire has become increasingly Democratic. Democratic challenger Jeanne Shaheen leads incumbent John Sununu in a race for one of the state’s Senate seats, and Obama has a double-digit lead over McCain, according to state polls. Obama will visit New Hampshire on Thursday.
He and McCain are both expected to appear Thursday night at the annual Al Smith dinner in New York.
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Who’s the underdog?
Michelle Obama says it’s her husband, The Swamp reports: chicagotribune.com/swamp