AP Photo

OCALA, FL –-The Palin family sat down with Greta van Susteren on the Straight Talk Two last night outside of Harrisburg, PA. Husband Todd, 13-year-old Willow, 7-year-old Piper, and her 6-month-old son Trig joined Governor Palin after the family went trick or treating.

Palin told van Susteren at this stage in the campaign she is not really talking to her running mate about strategy because “we both are so confident that we are on the right path.”

She added that the GOP ticket is in the underdog position, but that “is the place we need to be.”

Palin is “confident” about a win on Election Day and is looking forward to the McCain-Palin administration’s first 100 days in office. “So from there, the first 100 days, how are we going to kick in the plan that will get this economy back on the right track and really shore up the strategies that we need over in Iraq and Iran to win these wars?”

Palin added, “I think the momentum is on our side. Again, we’re hitting our stride and — the campaign itself and the message gathering that second wind that is needed right at this most appropriate time. I see nothing but good things in store on November 4th.”

Van Susteren and Palin also discussed uniting the country after the bruising election, national security issues, and illegal immigration.

Palin said she knows how to bring the nation together if she becomes Vice-President even though the election will be close and half the country will have voted for Barack Obama. She stressed that she would start “by not discrediting or invalidating someone because of a position” they have that is different than hers and that it is important to find “middle ground” on issues.

“I think it bodes well, too, where we’re going here with our family, that’s quite diverse, different politics all mixed into our family.” She said as she glanced at husband Todd, “That’s been a good, solid foundation for me, understanding how maybe we disagree on some of the particulars on an issue. We don’t have to be screaming at each other, though. Let’s find a way to work together and solve a problem. That’s what we’ve done in our family and in my businesses and also in governance.”

Van Susteren asked Palin if she was called on to fill the role of President and there was a national security emergency what her initial reaction would be.

“You assemble your national security team right then. And of course, everybody’s always going to be standing by, ready to assist,” Palin said. “But you do not blink when you have to make a decision to defend on the home front, to defend American lives.’

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AP Photo-New Port Richey, FL

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL –Sarah Palin warned senior citizens in this Sunshine State crowd that Barack Obama is trying to fear monger among the elderly in Florida while the GOP ticket is committed to protecting Social Security and Medicare.

“We’ll also keep our defining commitments to our senior citizens. Barack Obama goes around promising a new kind of politics, but then he comes here to Florida and he tries to exploit the fears and the worries about Social Security and Medicare to our retirees and that is the oldest and cheapest kind of politics there is.” Palin said, “And enough is enough of that. John McCain and I are committed to protecting and preserving Social Security and we will not cut a single Medicare benefit. And we are committed to controlling the costs of health care.”

She said her running mate is always truthful with senior citizens and warned her supporters that Barack Obama wants the federal government to take over the health care system.

“Now Barack Obama wants to have government take over health care, and does anyone serious believe, does anyone believe that’s going to make things cheaper? No. Florida, John McCain is a man who has always kept faith with America and he will always keep faith with America’s senior citizens. I promise you that,” Palin said.

Obama campaign spokesperson Tommy Vietor responded to Palin’s claim, “Governor Palin should try reading her running mate’s record before lying about Senator Obama. The fact is that John McCain’s support for George Bush’s scheme to gamble the retirement of our workers in the stock market is a bridge to nowhere for millions of Americans who count on a secure retirement.”

Although, Barack Obama consistently says he will protect gun owner’s rights, the Alaska governor told the crowd he would deny those rights.

“We believe in the forward movement of freedom, not in the constant expansion of government, and we believe that the virtues of freedom are still worth fighting for.” Palin said, “And though Barack Obama disagrees with some of that freedom, it includes the full rights and liberties under the second amendment. “

With November 4th three days away she asked the crowd in this toss-up state for their vote, “We are just 3 days away from the election and the time for choosin’ is near. Florida are you ready to help carry your state to victory? Are you ready to make John McCain the next president of the United States?”

AP Photo

Come on over boys. There’s plenty of room.

After the Obama campaign announced it’s removing reporters from the Washington Times, New York Post, and Dallas Morning News from the campaign plane, spokesman Bill Burton encouraged exiled media members to travel with Obama’s number 2, Joe Biden.

As a member of the Biden traveling press, I’d like to formally extend an invitation to our ousted brethren. In fact, I’d recommend the change of scenery. Traveling with the VP nominee has its advantages. For instance:

1) Space. There’s a lot of it. I mean, a LOT. The Obama campaign says they had to kick certain news outlets off the plane because of excessive demand for seats. On the Biden plane, every reporter has his own row, and there are even a few with nobody in them at all. And that’s AFTER we had reporters from the New York Times, Reuters, the Washington Post, and Time Magazine join up just in the last few days. Get in while you can still get the extra leg room.

2) Pressure. Minimal. Sure, the candidate may something crazy every now and again, but nobody’s really paying attention. Biden himself often says “Vice Presidents aren’t much,” and he’s even the second banana among the second banana candidates — Sarah Palin gets twice the media coverage. So if you’re sick of always having to work, work, work to come up with content for your editors, this is the plane for you.

3) Access. OK, so Biden won’t talk to you either, but according to CBS the Obama plane smells terrible, so I think Biden comes out ahead. (For the record, I always thought the Obama plane smelled like a combination of leather and Fabreeze, which is not at all unpleasant).

So to all you reporters feeling unloved and unwanted on the big boy plane, hop on board O Force 2. We’ve got a seat in the press file and an extra boxed lunch waiting for you.

LIMA, OH — The muzzle is off.

Joe Biden stopped by a local burger joint for late night take-out, but wound up taking 12 minutes of questions from national reporters who haven’t been able to talk to the Delaware Senator since a flight to Kalispell, MT on September 7th.

So did the gaffe-prone VP nominee feel pressure from the campaign not to talk to the press?

“If I’m muzzled, I don’t know,” Biden said. “I’ve done 200 interviews. I’ve been doing, you know, half a dozen to a dozen satellite feeds everyday. I’m doing shows, I mean, so, no one said anything to me about it.”

Biden told the small media throng inside the classic Lima diner that while he feels good, he expects a tight race.

This election is going to be a lot closer than everybody thinks it is,” Biden said. “I think it’s going to be close in Florida, it’s going to be close here, it’s going to be close in Missouri, I think it’s going to close - I don’t think it will be that close in Pennsylvania, I feel very good about Pennsylvania.”

“I think it’s going to be close in North Carolina, um, you know, Virginia feels really good but, you know, it ain’t till it happens,” he laughed. “We’re going everywhere. Montana, Arizona, I mean we’re everywhere we can be.”

McCain, he said, isn’t going away quietly. “One of the things I’ve admired about John, and I’ve considered him — why I’ve considered him a friend. He does, he never gives up,” said Biden. “I just hope when it’s over, win or lose, you walk up and you shake hands and say John, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The VP nominee said he’s glad to hear that McCain is closing out his TV campaign with a positive ad. “I hope John ends this campaign with his strength,” he said. ” I think it’s just not a good thing to, win or lose it’s not a good thing to end in sort of this tough environment. No matter what.”

As for his relationship with the man he calls a good friend? “I hope it’s intact,” he said.” John and I haven’t had a chance to speak. We have not had a chance to speak.”

“I just think that, uh, I think – I believe when this is over, win or lose, John and I are likely to be around, you, in one form or another, in one job or another, and I hope, uh, my hope is we can work together. Because folks, it sounds corny, you cannot do this stuff unless you start to get a little purple here. You can’t make these big decisions. I mean, you need, you need cooperation, no matter how.”

AP Photo

YORK, PA –-At a Halloween day rally here standing behind pumpkins carved in the likeness of her and John McCain, Sarah Palin went after the Democratic nominee calling his tax plan “so phony” and said it is “starting to unravel.”

She cited  Bill Richardson’s comments from this morning–where he told a radio station that there is going to be a tax cut for people making under $120,000 instead of the $200,000 threshold Obama cites in his tax plan–as evidence of the unraveling.

“First, remember, it was defined as those making under $250,000 a year.” Palin said, “And just this morning, Gov. Bill Richardson, a top surrogate for the Obama campaign, he who is working so hard to get Obama elected, Richardson said Obama’s tax plan would define middle class as $120,000 a year and under.  So now, we’re down to less than half the original income level and, just give it a little more time, and Barack Obama will be back to raising taxes on folks earning $42,000 a year.”

Richardson’s spokesperson, Pahl Shipley said that he misspoke and meant to say 250,000 dollars, which is still incorrect because under Obama’s plan only those making under $200,000 will have there taxes cut. Those people who fall between $200,000 and $250,000 will see no tax cut or tax increase.

The Alaska governor—who is in her last 4 day push before Election Day ––said now is a bad time to raise taxes on any Americans and mentioned the nation’s GDP number for the first time.

“Just yesterday, we learned that America’s GDP actually fell in the third quarter of this year, and that confirms what we already know, and that’s that our economy right now is shrinking. This is the worst possible time to raise taxes, but Barack Obama still wants to.” Palin said, “Sen. Obama, see, has an ideological commitment to higher taxes.”

Her next stop on her Pennsylvania bus tour is going trick or treating with her daughter Piper-dressed as a snow princess for Halloween.

KETTERING, OH — It’s getting scary on the Biden campaign trail.

With Halloween just around the corner, the VP nominee’s wife Jill engaged in some family fright after introducing her husband at a rally for 1500 in westeron Ohio. 

After passing Jill as he came on stage, Biden laughed upon approaching the podium. “I tell you what, some thing things never change,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t let the press know this, but you know, Jill walked back up here a moment ago you know what she did? She put a little rat on the thing here!”

“Everything’s Halloween with this lady!” Biden laughed. “Happy Halloween.” Turning to his wife, he said “You are bad!”

But it’s not rubber rats that scare Joe Biden — it’s Republicans. 

“Look. I know it’s Halloween. I know its Halloween. But John McCain dressed as an agent of change is a costume that just does not fit,” Biden said — repeating a line that’s been a stump speech staple for weeks. 

And as for those scary Republican attacks on Barack Obama? “The Republicans have gone way over the top in my view, calling Barack Obama every name in the book. And the problem will get worse in the next three and a half to four days,” Biden said.

“If you look at who he is, what he’s done, and what he plans to do for this country. If you work for us in the closing days and choose hope over fear, after this Tuesday, the very critics will be calling him something else. They will be calling him the 44th president of the United States of America. Our commander in chief, Barack Obama.

AP Photo - Palin With Ridge

ERIE, PA–Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge introduced Sarah Palin at a rally in his hometown—just days after he said that he would have been a better pick to capture Pennsylvania for the Republicans than Palin.

The crowd was still enthusiastic for the Alaska governor—a crowd of 7,500 coming to see Palin, but it didn’t get off to such a good start when she congratulated the crowd on the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series last night, “So glad to be here in your beautiful hometown here in Pennsylvania, and I am thrilled to be here in the home state of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies.”

The crowd booed as Erie is split between fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Indians.

She referenced her earlier speech on national security and accused the Democrats in Congress and the “far left” of wanting to cut defense spending.

“It’s the far left leaning Democratic party, not mainstream thinking, but way far left, the Democrat party, they’re preparing to take over the entire federal government, and according to their own stated plans, the first thing to go will be one fourth of the United States defense budget, “ Palin said. “One of the Blue Star moms said, ‘what are we supposed to do, throw a bake sale?’ What are they thinking? John McCain and I have a better idea, lets not retreat from wars we’ve almost won, and lets not gut the defense budget at a time of multiple conflicts and obvious dangers. This is a time where we need to grow our military, and let’s not entrust all the powers of the federal government to a one-party rule of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.”

She has been warning voters on the stump about the potential “monopoly of power” if Obama is elected.

Palin will continue stumping in  Pennsylvania tomorrow doing a bus tour of the Keystone state. The GOP Vice-Presidential candidate will make stops in Latrobe, Somerset, New Paris, Breezewood, York, and Mechanicsburg hoping to close the polls in this must-win state.

AP Photo-Erie, PA

ERIE, PA –With just five days before Election Day, Sarah Palin held a roundtable discussion focused on national security with advisers including former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge and gave a speech on why the GOP ticket will keep America safer than Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Palin made the case for her running mate saying that he is the man that can protect the country from terrorism and Obama may be able to fill his events, but he does not have the experience to be president.

“I think in this campaign a lot of Americans are realizing that a man can be admired in many ways, and he can show great promise, and yet still not be ready for the most important and demanding job in the world. Rousing speeches can fill a stadium, but perhaps cannot keep this country safe though. For a season, a man can inspire with his words. But for a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his heroic and trustworthy deeds.”

She told the crowd made up of College Republicans at Penn State University-Erie and professors that the country used to be able to pick a president according to what priority was greater: domestic issues or national security concerns, but those days are over and they are now intertwined.

“Even if a most immediate concern is economic, our recovery will still depend on leadership that can protect and advance security and our vital interests in the world,” Palin said.

The Alaska governor said it was “understandable” that Americans are more concerned about the economy when they may be losing their jobs, homes, and health insurance, but she warned that the country can not lose “sight of what matters most.”

She said that the outcomes of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will either keep Americans safer or place the country in greater danger and then went after Obama calling his 30 minute television ad last night an “infomercial” and accused the Democratic nominee of wanting to take the focus off of national security.

“Barack Obama didn’t have much to say in that long infomercial of his last night about the stakes in the wars that America is fighting, or about the need to support the troops in the field, or why he supported cutting off funding for our troops in the war. He prefers it seems to wrap his closing message in a kind of that warm and fuzzy commercial message—that was scripted.” Palin said as she read off of a teleprompter, “He wants to soften the focus in these closing days, hoping that your mind won’t wander to the real challenges of national security that I believe he is incapable of meeting. But in this time for choosing, what we need is clarity! Now more than ever we need clarity. We need an alertness to the dangers that are still in our power to contain.”

AP Photo-Cape Girardeau, MO

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO– Sarah Palin rallied a crowd of 7,800 inside the events center of Southeast Missouri State University today. Palin asked the Show-Me State for their vote and told the crowd that her ticket’s “Country First” slogan–which is emblazoned on all of the GOP ticket’s signs, posters, and podiums—would be more than a catchphrase.

“So we’re gonna put government back on your side. It will always be country first, and I promise you after that victory on November 4th, those “Country First” posters won’t just be put away in some warehouse, just as some campaign slogan. That’s gonna be printed on every page in the federal employee handbook. Country First,” Palin told the cheering crowd.

Before the GOP Vice-Presidential nominee took the stage, she was introduced by the Republican Senator of this state, Kit Bond who criticized Barack Obama’s judicial philosophy. Bond attempted to accuse Obama of not wanting to appoint straight constitutional judges to the Supreme Court and said that the Democratic nominee wants judges who “show compassion” for minorities, teenage mothers, the disabled, and homosexuals.

“And speaking of fairness, just this past week, we saw what Barack Obama said about judges. He said, ‘I’m tired of these judges who want to swallow what the founding fathers said in the Constitution. I want judges who have a heart, have an empathy for the teenage mom, the minority, the gay, the disabled. We want them to show empathy, we want them to show compassion.’” Bond said, “He thinks this country should be a government, not a government of laws, but a government of compassion and empathy, not of laws.”

Palin’s next event is a national security roundtable in Erie, Pennsylvania where she will review security priorities with various advisers including former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. According to Palin aides, she is also expected to stress why the GOP ticket best understands the terrorist threat over Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

AP

ARNOLD, MO — Joe Biden ripped into John McCain for wanting to give tax breaks to oil companies when the GDP shrank in the third quarter and Exxon Mobile revealed record profits — but not before the Delaware Senator broke off on a mini-detour.

Delivering his longest speech in days - just under 27 minutes - to a crowd of 1,000, the VP candidate many describe as “gaffe prone” and undisciplined interrupted his riff comparing McCain to President Bush when he noticed Fox Senior High marching band in the stands of the high school gym. “Now look folks – hey, I didn’t even see the band up there. Hey folks! How you guys doin’?” Biden said. “Thanks for being here. That’s really nice of you. Thank you.”

“Um, that’s what you call getting off message,” he said to laughs. “But I tell ya, you guys look good.”

Biden has been described as “muzzled” in recent days, as Washington reporters accustomed to the verbose and free-wheeling Biden of Capitol Hill begin to notice the 15 minute speeches and ubiquitous tele-prompter on the trail.

But for Obama staffers, a muzzled Biden just means a candidate who’s getting better at delivering their message of the day without mucking it up with extraneous comments. Today, that message was bad economic numbers.

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