Off The Air

Peter Feldman of the McCain Campaign

Here's my exclusive interview with Peter Feldman, Regional Communications Director for the McCain campaign in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It's set to air this Thursday at 5pm as part of WPRB's The Dispatch's continuing campaign coverage. In the interview, Feldman addresses the McCain campaign's efforts to win Pennsylvania, their GOTV efforts, how they see the economy as being issue number one and the youth vote. I also ask Feldman about the reports that the McCain campaign tried to push the Ashley Todd false beating/mutilation story. Listen now: To read our coverage of the Todd story and its remarkable similarity to the Francisco Nava affair here at Princeton, read this post.

Campaign Volunteer Pulls a Francisco Nava

By Sebastian Jones- WPRB News

If you've tuned into cable news in the past few days, you've no doubt heard about how a young woman named Ashley Todd from Texas, who had been in Pittsburgh, PA working for the McCain campaign, claimed she had been assaulted by a "6'4" black male", who upon seeing her McCain/Palin bumper-sticker proceeded to scratch out a "B" (for Barack, we must presume) on her cheek. Turns out she made the whole thing up. KDKA in Pittsburgh reports on what will probably go down as the most flagrant case of race-baiting this election cycle, if not in recent memory:

"Police say a campaign volunteer confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter B in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker; now she's facing charges. At a news conference this afternoon, officials said they believe that Ashley Todd's injuries were self-inflicted. Todd, 20, of Texas, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police."

The whole incident is eerily similar to the Francisco Nava affair last December here at Princeton, which wound its way into the national press. From Time:

Behind McCain's Robocalls

 By Sebastian Jones

You might have heard one of John McCain's robocalls recently but probably not much about the people behind  them.  Until now.