McCain Chicago Drake Hotel fund-raiser Pool report.

From Perry Bacon, Washington Post.

Subject: MCCAIN POOL REPORT #1 6/18/08

McCain Pool Report #1

6/18/08

No news. McCain spoke at fundraiser at Drake Hotel. Before he walked into the main ballroom, he spoke privately to a members of his Chicago finance committee and the campaign said he then took about 200 pictures with donors.

The hours were all pushed back, but campaign said McCain met with finance committee and appeared for photos.

The main ballroom was about half full with lots of empty space in the back, while several hundred people crowded into the front. Gerald McRaney who played Major Dad praised the Senator and then there a five-minute video touted both his military record and his stances on conservation issues.

His speech was about 25 minutes long and mainly hit on themes from the past two days. Here are some quotes:

Americans are facing tough challenges right now, we know that particularly in the heartland of America, some of them recently lost their jobs, some of them are sitting around the kitchen table trying to figure out how theyre going to make their next loan payment on their home, we have challenges in America.

My opponent Senator Obama keeps saying it will be a third Bush term, McCain said. When I look at him dusting off the old, failed policies of the 1960s and 1970s, Im beginning to think if he would be elected itd be a second Jimmy Carter term.

Senator Obama has said quote I am not a proponent of nuclear power, McCain said. I dont know exactly what that means, but I am proponent of nuclear power my friends.

Of Obama, he said In Ohio, he said he wanted to unilaterally renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Weve got to train the displaced workers, weve got to give them the education and training they need, we need to help them reenter the workforce, we can do that. We cant build walls between ourselves and our two two closest alliances, so Ill stand on free trade.

Perry Bacon

The Washington Post