Here in Ohio, John McCain's democratic rivals tend to hold raucous rallies, projecting promises to thousands of enthusiastic supporters. They rarely take questions from the audience, let alone reporters. John McCain's event in Rocky River then was quite a contrast.
McCAIN: Thank you! Now if someone will just raise your hand. We have some people..yes sir, right there.
Photo Gallery 
Senator John McCain records interviews with local affiliates from the Idea Center 
Straight Talk Express Arrives in Rocky River 
McCain Campaigns in Rocky River |
McCain likes to hold what he calls Town Hall Meetings where he spends as much time answering voters' questions as giving speeches. Campaign staffers say the audiences, which tend to be smaller than the democrats’, are not vetted and that there are no planted questions. Aides say McCain likes to mix it up so much that sometimes it's hard to get him off the stage. In Rocky River, he was questioned about immigration and took the opportunity to ease the concerns of some more conservative voters.
McCAIN: We must secure our borders first and that's the message!
McCain said he'd have border-state governors certify that the borders are closed, and then create tamper-proof documents for legal temporary workers.
Here in Ohio, though, immigration tends to take a backseat to trade. Many workers here believe the North American Free Trade Agreement-or NAFTA-has sent thousands OF their jobs out of the country. Obama and Clinton blast NAFTA but McCain says the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico has helped the u.s. economy by increasing exports. Here's what he told WCPN’s David Molpus in an interview at the Idea Center.
McCAIN: Sure, and I think that I have statistics to prove that. But that doesn't change the fact that many American manufacturing jobs have gone to Mexico, or Canada or overseas to china or other countries.
McCain says the way to get jobs growing again is to invest in environmentally-friendly energy sources. On this point McCain and his Democratic rivals sound a lot alike.
McCAIN: The innovation, the base here, to develop green technology, eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, and address greenhouse gas emissions. We can do it. And I would spend money on pure research here in Ohio.
But he's also quick to say...those manufacturing jobs that moved overseas...they aren't likely to come back. That kind of talk has cost him votes at times, but his success is also largely due to taking such risks. He did that big time when he wholeheartedly supported President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq last summer. McCain can arguably now claim though that he was right...that "the surge" has reduced the level of violence and the number of Americans killed in the war has gone down considerably. That may be why .now....he gets standing ovations when he talks about "winning" the war against terrorism. He considers Iraq part of that war.
McCAIN: We will never surrender. We will never surrender. And they will. I assure you of that.
Talking with reporters Monday morning, McCain said that if he can't convince the country that the Iraq policy is working, he will lose the presidential race. He quickly retreated from that stance though in clarifying statements.
For the moment, McCain rarely mentions his potential Democratic opponents by name nor does he want to get in between the current Obama-Clinton rock throwing contest. Here's what he told Cincinnati TV station WLWT.
McCAIN: Well, since they were taking shots at each other, they weren't taking shots at me! (laughs)
The Arizona Senator does give a glimpse though of what we can expect in the general election whether he faces Senator Obama or Senator Clinton. McCain told WBNS in Columbus that he is a true conservative.
McCAIN: You name it, they're liberal democrats. Senator Obama was judged by the National Journal (a publication in Washington) as the most liberal senator in the United States Senate. I'm a very proud conservative.
That kind of conservative mantra seems to be winning over some of the skeptical who turned out in Rocky River. Brian Palasios of Amherst says he's only now warming up to McCain.
PALASIOS: Yeah.. I was kinda looking at Romney and Huckabee.
ME: DO you think he'll have enough support among the conservative base? That's one of the big concerns right now.
PALASIOS: Yeah, I think they'll come out of the woodwork. Once they hear him more often, especially in Northeast Ohio. It will definitely have an impact.
McCain says he's well aware that no presidential candidate has reached the white house since 1964 without carrying Ohio, so he’ll be back.