ELECTION 2008:

Family members star in campaigns’ last act

Obama’s wife, McCain’s daughter make late pitches for early votes

Leila Navidi

Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Barack Obama, enters a rally Monday at Doolittle Park in Las Vegas. She urged the Democratic presidential candidate’s backers not to be complacent, saying, “Barack Obama is the underdog until he’s sitting in the Oval Office.”

By J. Patrick Coolican (contact), Michael Mishak (contact)

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Michelle Obama stumps in Las Vegas

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Michelle Obama Rally

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Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, visits Las Vegas.

Steve Marcus

Meghan McCain, left, daughter of Sen. John McCain, visits phone bank volunteers Monday in Henderson, with Linda Ramone, center, and Chuck Heath Jr., Gov. Sarah Palin's brother.

Dave Clark

Meghan McCain, center, daughter of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, greets volunteer Sunnie Dotson, 56, of Henderson at the McCain campaign headquarters Monday.

2008 Election Guide

Obama rallies supporters in Las Vegas (10-25-2008)

Both presidential candidates are using every available body — starting with their families — to press for early votes and round up volunteers for a final push.

Michelle Obama is swinging through the Western states that may decide next Tuesday’s outcome, serving as something of a coda to her husband’s presidential campaign. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was here Saturday.

On Monday, she returned to Las Vegas from California, where she taped “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and then went to a fundraiser at the Wynn. At Doolittle Park, she admonished her husband’s supporters to finish their job.

“Sit down with your parents, your sisters and brothers and aunts and uncles,” she told them. “You all know folks who aren’t engaged ... who aren’t inspired ... folks who don’t think their vote matters. Tell them they’re wrong. Challenge them to rise to this moment. Make sure they know about early voting here in Nevada ... and make sure they know how easy it is, and important it is, to vote in this election.”

Her visit came on the heels of what aides have called Obama’s 10-day “red state tour,” which culminated in a two-day swing through three key Western states, including Nevada. Michelle Obama will reinforce her husband’s message today in New Mexico and Colorado before heading to North Carolina Wednesday.

Michelle Obama was a Princeton- and Harvard-educated corporate lawyer before taking a leave to help her husband, and she’s become a key campaign asset, despite a moment in which she said she was proud of America for the first time following her husband’s electoral success. She’s since said she meant she was proud of America’s politics for the first time.

Cognizant of the landscape and the fight for women, Republican Sen. John McCain sent his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to Henderson last week, where she made a custom-tailored appeal to women.

McCain’s daughter Meghan and Palin’s brother Chuck Heath Jr. fired up volunteers at the Arizona Senator’s Henderson headquarters Monday afternoon.

Meghan McCain, accompanied by Linda Ramone, the widow of punk guitarist Johnny Ramone, also visited volunteers in Pahrump and Las Vegas Monday.

McCain, who has become something of a campaign celebrity with her own blog, thanked the volunteers in Henderson and said she loves Las Vegas, with a knowing tongue-in-her-cheek, which seemed to mean she enjoys the night life here.

Volunteers and staff were set to grill pork chops outside the office, as a way to remind taxpayers that they’ll have to pay for a lot of pork-barrel spending if Obama is elected.

Surrogates will be doing much of the campaigning here, as Obama and McCain spend most of their time fighting it out back East in states that President Bush won four years ago.

McCain and Palin will be focusing on Florida, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri and Indiana in the closing week of the campaign. The Republican ticket is also making a play for Pennsylvania.

In Nevada, both campaigns are putting the focus on turning out their supporters early.

Through the weekend, nearly 26 percent of Clark County’s active voters — 211,178 — had cast ballots in early voting.

Saturday was the single largest day of early voting as 26,839 people cast ballots.

So far, Democrats have outpaced Republicans in early voting, 116,541 to 60,230. That’s not an indication of which candidates are winning, however, because only the voters’ party identity is known, not their choices at the polls.

Western states such as Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico could be decided by Hispanic voters, which is why the Obama campaign went up with an aggressive Spanish-language ad campaign this week, which the campaign announced Monday. Obama, borrowing a page from President George W. Bush, speaks Spanish in the ad.

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

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By neiman1

Oct. 28, 2008

3:23 a.m.

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McCain has tried to do more for the Hispanic community than anyone in Congress. He actually worked to find a solution to the immigration problem that could pass in Congress. Working with Ted Kennedy is not very "right wing". Obama just wants to keep the border open and give everyone the right to a drivers license. How many more Mexican Mafia kidnappings will come from that.
By johnevegas

Oct. 28, 2008

4:07 a.m.

Suggest removal

"Obama just wants to keep the border open and give everyone the right to a drivers license."

A crass and polarized over-simplification as seen through the eyes of an ultra right-wing conservative.

"How many more Mexican Mafia kidnappings will come from that."

Fear bating to reinforce your view.

How much more privilege will you need to enjoy before you find some compassion in your heart?
By sbnative

Oct. 28, 2008

12:54 p.m.

Suggest removal

Incredibly, we have no definitive explanation of why a global financial crisis suddenly materialized just six weeks before U.S. elections. IF SUBPRIME loans hadn't happened in the FIRST place there wouldn't have been PRODUCT to bundle, sell and mutilate. DEMOCRATS headed the FINANCE committees that fought reform. The CRA was "revised" during Clinton's reign leading to SubPrime abuses--which ultimately ABUSED low-income people, esp. HISPANICS here in the West.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008...
Then left-leaning hedge fund operators who profited off Mortgage-Backed-Securities (i.e., THIEVES with offshore accounts to avoid taxes) poured their profits into Obama & the Democrats--who want more government because THEY need jobs!
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/soros-bets...
Beyond the Dems, Who Is the Economic Meltdown REALLY benefiting?
HAMAS PRAISES OBAMA AGAIN -- and Biden, Too. Ahmed Yousef says that the terrorist group would send Obama a congratulation letter "the moment he will win the election." BIDEN warns us to "gird our loins."
AL-JAZEERA FOR OBAMA http://www.aim.org/aim-column/al-jazeera...
From The Audacity of Hope: "I will stand with the MUSLIMS should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."
Before you VOTE please visit: http://www.actforamerica.org/ & see VOTER GUIDE. Act for America is dedicated to educating the West about the spread of radical Islam.
By Johnvet

Oct. 28, 2008

1:18 p.m.

Suggest removal

LIBERAL HOUSE OF HORRORS. Sen Ensigns has mailed out comic books in MN critical of Obscene Franken. In Des Moines I had 3 signs with Halloween masks. Obama;Financed byHollywood. Franken: Obscene Franken-Hollywood take over America.Hillary Witch: Liberal House of Horrors, weak natl defense, high taxes. Please duplicate my signs to elect McCain and save us from liberal agenda. There must be signs & comments all over USA critical of Hollywood/Franken. Obama cancadicy represents Hollywood liberals trying to take over America.
By redferret

Oct. 28, 2008

1:26 p.m.

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Franken's in the Midwest, and basically champions midwest values. And where's this Hollywood connection. Can you prove studios are bankrolling Obama, or are you just pointing out some celebrities who vocally endorse Obama? Also you act like Hollywood is in lockstep for Obama. There are plenty of conservative actors, filmmakers, and the like who just keep quiet about the issue.
And real mature there the house of liberal horrors? What of Bush's tax the poor and give to the rich? What of Palin's policy of charge the rape victim for her own rape kit? What of the Gonzalez politicizing the justice department?
Just keep spouting talk radio talking points to try and scare voters. That's all you got anymore.
By animalsrule

Oct. 28, 2008

4:30 p.m.

Suggest removal

No true aniaml lover will vote Palin into office after watching this:
http://www.defendersactionfund.org/
Send it to everyone you know, so they are aware that Pro-life Palin doesn't care about the lives of imperiled wildlife. She's the devil in disguise.