Shields and Brooks Mull Campaign Rhetoric, Senate Indictment

KWAME HOLMAN:

Barack Obama and John McCain took their campaigns to the swing state of Florida today with a new poll showing them locked in a dead heat there.

Obama was in St. Petersburg this morning, where he proposed giving families a $1,000 energy rebate, paid for by taxing the windfall profits of oil companies.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), Illinois: So that rebate would offset the rising costs at the pump over the next four months. Or if you live in a state where it gets cold during the winter, it will help offset increased heating bills.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Obama was interrupted in the middle of his remarks by hecklers holding a banner that read, "What about the black community, Obama?"

SEN. BARACK OBAMA:

That's all right.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Later, one of the protestors asked Obama why he hadn't stood up for the black community on issues such as predatory lending and racial profiling.

PROTESTOR:

Why is it that you have not had the ability to not one time speak to the interests and even speak on behalf of the oppressed and exploited African community or black community in this country?

SEN. BARACK OBAMA:

These are issues I've worked on for decades. Now, that doesn't mean that I'm always going to satisfy the way you guys want these issues framed. And I understand it, which — which gives you the option of voting for somebody else. It gives you the option to run for office yourself. But those are all options.

KWAME HOLMAN:

McCain, meanwhile, addressed the National Urban League in Orlando. He criticized the substance of Obama's proposals, saying they fell short of his words.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), Arizona: And if there's one thing he always delivers is a great speech. But I hope you'll listen carefully, because his ideas are not always as impressive as his rhetoric.

KWAME HOLMAN:

After his speech, McCain engaged the conference in a lengthy question-and-answer session. One audience member asked McCain about his support for a ballot initiative in Arizona that would dismantle affirmative action programs at state and local institutions.

QUESTIONER:

Why, in an America where there are disparities, alarming disparities in employment between management, between income wealth, health, would you want to eliminate programs that document that so we understand where we are and can plan for where we need to go?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN:

Well, let me say that affirmative action is in the eye of the beholder. I think the United States of America has reached a point where we should provide equal economic opportunities for all Americans. And I do not — and Americans reject — have rejected a quota system. And that, frankly, is something that I don't think helps anyone and has not helped anyone.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Obama will speak at the Urban League conference tomorrow.