Obama Visit Coming to Jacksonville.

[thelakelander]

He feels that cities should pay for their own improvements which makes sense to me.  Why should someone in California fund our mass transit?  Why dont we fund our own?

Ideally, it would be best to develop a network that connects the cities in the country, just like the Interstate highways do.  To effectively pull off such a plan, the Federal Government will have to play a role.  Nevertheless, here's a portion of that speech that may answer your question.

But understand - while the change we seek will require major investments by a more accountable government, it will not come from government alone. Washington can't solve all our problems. The statehouse can't solve all our problems. City Hall can't solve all our problems. It goes back to what I learned as a community organizer all those years ago - that change in this country comes not from the top-down, but from the bottom up. Change starts at a level that's even closer to the people than our mayors - it starts in our homes. It starts in our families. It starts by raising our children right, by turning off the TV, and putting away the video games; by going to those parent-teacher conferences and helping our children with their homework, and setting a good example. It starts by being good neighbors and good citizens who are willing to volunteer in our communities - to keep them clean, to keep them safe, and to serve as mentors and teachers to all of our children.

That's where change begins. That's how we'll bring about change in our neighborhoods. And if change comes to our neighborhoods, then change will come to our cities. And if change comes to our cities, then change will come to our regions. And if change comes to our regions, then I truly believe change will come to every corner of this country we love.

Throughout our history, it's been our cities that have helped tell the American story. It was Boston that rose up against an Empire, and Philadelphia where liberty first rung out; it was St. Louis that opened a gateway west, and Houston that launched us to the stars; it was the Motor City that built the middle class; Miami that built a bridge to the Americas; and New York that showed the world one clear September morning that America stands together in times of trial.

That's the proud tradition our cities uphold. That's the story our cities have helped write. And if you're willing to work with me and fight with me and stand with me this fall, then I promise you this - we will not only rebuild and renew our American cities, north and south, east and west, but you and I - together - will rebuild and renew the promise of America. Thank you.

full speech: http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/blog/2008/06/obama_to_mayors_we_need_city_h.html

Now, what is McCain's plan to deal with our failing infrastructure?  It has to be more than saying its the sole responsibility of individual municipalities.  That line of thinking ended up with a bridge collapsing during rush hour traffic in Minneapolis, flood water taking over New Orleans and Iowa and Jacksonville residents being forced to pay high gas prices with no realistic transportation alternatives available.

[RiversideGator]

Perhaps I misspoke.  That is my plan for helping cities.  Let them help themselves by lowering the overall tax burden on individuals.  Then, cities can feel free to tax their people as they please and provide whatever level of amenities which the people of those cities deem appropriate.  McCain probably has some basic level of federal funding with which he is comfortable.  I have not read his position on this topic.

As for creating a national mass transit network, I agree that this should be the jobs of the feds.  This is where public subsidies for Amtrak could help tie the nation together better.  However, even if McCain opposes this, I am not a single issue voter and the balance of the issues for me weigh in favor of McCain.  Again though, I do not know his position on this topic.  He is not a fan of what he perceives as wasteful spending though, I can tell you that.

[RiversideGator]

Obama bought in $1mm tonight in Jacksonville. 

Very respectable.

And yet McCain has narrowed the money gap significantly:

McCain closes the cash gap against Obama

By JEANNE CUMMINGS | 6/21/08 6:23 AM EST

For the first time in the campaign, Republican John McCain in May raised about the same amount of money, $22 million, as Democrat Barack Obama.

McCain also closed the gap in the amount of cash the two parties’ presumptive presidential nominees have in the bank at their respective disposals as they enter the first phase of the general election.

McCain reported having about $32 million in cash for primary-related expenses at the end of May.

Obama reported having $43 million in hand at the start of June â€" but about $10 million of that is dedicated to the general election.

Obama’s fundraising in May marked a sharp dropoff after months of record-breaking donations. Even in difficult times, such as the key loss he suffered in Pennsylvania in April, Obama brought in a steady flow of cash that usually topped $30 million a month.

The surprising cash parity between McCain and Obama means the candidates begin the general campaign more evenly matched than many experts expected, although things could change swiftly given Obama’s ability to raise money through small online contributions.

According to Obama’s campaign, the drop in donations was caused in part by a shift in focus from bringing in big money to homing in on the delegates needed to clinch his party’s nomination.

At the same time, he was forced to burn through his cash reserve in the final round of primaries, which were hotly contested by a significantly underfunded Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The New York senator raised just $16 million in May and spent $19 million. Her campaign ended the primary with more than $20 million in debts, including $11 million in loans from her own bank account.

According to Clinton fundraisers, her priority now is raising enough money to pay off vendors who have waited months for payment. Some of those bills are due in Iowa, home of the first presidential caucus in January.

Obama spent $27 million in May, about $6 million more than Clinton.

The Illinois senator doled out $4 million for television ads, $3.3 million for travel, $3 million for direct mail, and nearly another $3 million for phone banking. He spent another $1.7 million on print advertisements and nearly another million dollars on Internet ads.

Meanwhile, McCain spent just $12 million.

The Arizona senator dropped about $3.5 million on television ads and spent another $1.4 million on postage. No other spending category for the month of May reached a million dollars.

Having effectively wrapped up his party’s nomination, McCain spent the month focused almost exclusively on replenishing his coffers. His schedule was dominated by money-generating events that helped produce his biggest fundraising month to date.

It won’t be known for another month whether June produced a rush of donations for Obama after Clinton conceded. In 2004, Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry received a windfall of $44 million in the month after he emerged as the nominee.

But even if McCain has closed the gap as of now, Obama could open it back up quickly. His fundraising schedule this month has been ratcheted up. Next week, he will attend a star-studded fundraising event in Hollywood. Also next week, Clinton will publicly join forces with Obama, sending a signal to her formidable fundraising arm to do the same.

Still, his near-equal financial position with McCain may have played a part in Obama’s decision this week to forgo public financing and unleash the full force of his fundraising apparatus in the general election.

In interviews, Obama's Campaign Manager David Axelrod has cited the Democrats' prolonged primary, which gave McCain a head start on fundraising for the general election, as a key reason for opting out of the system that would otherwise have given each candidate $84 million to spend in the general.

By opting out, Obama hopes to use his likely financial advantage to stretch the presidential battlefield and force McCain to spend money defending what had been traditional Republican strongholds.

This week, he began a $4 million ad campaign in nearly a dozen swing states. They range from perennials such as Missouri, Ohio and Florida to new battlegrounds in Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia and Alaska.

The presumptive Democratic nominee has also used his funds to station nearly 20 full time workers in Georgia to build a broad grass roots operation and register new voters.

Experts estimate that more than half a million voting-age African-Americans are not registered, and the campaign is aiming to put as many of them on the rolls as possible.

It may already be working: While most polls give McCain a ten-percentage point edge in the Peach State, one new poll released this week shows McCain and Obama running even there.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11241.html

Note that these numbers are through the end of May only and do not include recent fundraising by either campaign.

[RiversideGator]

BTW, the Minneapolis bridge collapse looks to have been caused by a design flaw rather than a failure to invest in infrastructure.  While this story makes a good Democrat talking point, its accuracy is clearly in doubt according to the NTSB:

As of early 2008, the NTSB has not determined the likely cause of the collapse, but did identify a design error that may have contributed to the failure.[13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_Bridge

There has been concerns about this and the bridge was slated to be replaced in 2020, but the bottom line is the design did not have enough redundancies built in to hold it up in case of a small structural problem.  Also, improvements were being made at the time of the collapse so the weight of the equipment may have contributed to the disaster:

Officials with DHS said there was no indication that terrorism was involved.[122] Although officials emphasized that the cause of the collapse had not yet been determined, Peters cautioned states to "remain mindful of the extra weight construction projects place on bridges."[123] Within days, bridge inspections were stepped up throughout the United States.[124]

FHWA advised states to inspect the 700 U.S. bridges of similar construction[125] after a possible design flaw in the bridge was discovered, related to large steel sheets called gusset plates which were used to connect girders together in the truss structure.[126][127] Officials expressed concern about many other bridges in the United States sharing the same design and raised questions as to why such a flaw would not have been discovered in over 40 years of inspections.[127] This flaw was first discovered by an independent consulting firm hired by MnDOT to investigate the cause of the collapse.[127]

On January 15, 2008 the National Transportation Safety Board announced they had determined that the bridge's design specified steel gusset plates that were undersized and inadequate to support the intended load of the bridge,[128] a load which had increased over time.[129] This assertion was made based on an interim report which calculated the Demand to Capacity ratio for the gusset plates.[128] The NTSB recommended that similar bridge designs be reviewed for this problem.[128][130][131]

    "Although the Board's investigation is still on-going and no determination of probable cause has been reached, interim findings in the investigation have revealed a safety issue that warrants attention," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. "During the wreckage recovery, investigators discovered that gusset plates at eight different joint locations in the main center span were fractured. The Board, with assistance from the FHWA, conducted a thorough review of the design of the bridge, with an emphasis on the design of the gusset plates. This review discovered that the original design process of the I-35W bridge led to a serious error in sizing some of the gusset plates in the main truss."[13]

On March 17, 2008, the NTSB announced an update on the investigation. The announcement gave updates in the areas of load capacity, design issues, computer analysis and modeling, digital image analysis, and analysis of the undersized and corroded gusset plates. The investigation revealed that photos from a June 2003 inspection of the bridge showed gusset plate bowing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_Bridge

[Lunican]

River, doesn't it seem a little premature to be such a sore loser? The election is months away.

[Driven1]

For the first time in the campaign, Republican John McCain in May raised about the same amount of money, $22 million, as Democrat Barack Obama.

McCain also closed the gap in the amount of cash the two parties’ presumptive presidential nominees have in the bank at their respective disposals as they enter the first phase of the general election.

i think this is a trend you will see continue.

[RiversideGator]

River, doesn't it seem a little premature to be such a sore loser? The election is months away.

I am neither sore nor a loser. 

[02roadking]

Obama is making a fundraising stop in Jacksonville on Friday, June 20th at the Prome Osborne. General seating at the reception is $500/person and VIP seating is $2300/person, standard rates for a political fundraiser. There have been discussions about providing for a "General Admission" that would not include the sit down event, but would probably get the ticket holder entrance to the venue. No word yet on if the General Admission will actually happen, but there has been pressure from the local party office to allow more of the general public attend the event.

Silly me...and I thought 500 bucks was a little high for a seat.
  From the Atlanta Journal:

Obama visit confirmed
Saturday, June 28, 2008, 02:39 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will be in Atlanta on July 7 raising money, his campaign confirmed Saturday.

It will be Obama’s first visit to the state since securing the nomination earlier this month. It is the first visit to the state by either Obama or John McCain since March, when McCain visited shortly after wrapping up the GOP nomination.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a copy of the invitation to the long-rumored Obama event. A trip here by Obama has been the topic of much speculation for several weeks but the campaign had until Saturday not been willing to confirm details.

According to the invitation, the event will begins at 6 p.m. at 103 West, on West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. Tickets ain’t cheap: $2,300 per person for the general reception and $10,000 for a VIP reception and photo line.

You can see the invitation after the jump.

Co-chairs for the event, according to the invitation, are: Pinney Allen and Buddy Miller, Donna and Michael Coles, Barb and Kirk Dornbush, Norrene and Eugene Duffy, Daniel Halpern, Steve Leeds, Karol Mason, Marianne Spraggins and Chris Womack, and co-hosts are Cathy Hampton, Michelle and Kenneth Taylor and Rodney Strong.

The event itself is a joint fund raiser for Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. The first $2,300 of any contribution will go to Obama’s primary campaign account, which must fund his campaign until the convention in late August. The next $2,300 from the same individual will go to his general election account and up to an additional $28,500 will go to the DNC.

â€" Aaron Gould Sheinin

[Lunican]

I am neither sore nor a loser. 

lol