John McCain On "Fox News Sunday"

John McCain
Interview On Fox News'
"Fox News Sunday"April 6, 2008

John McCain On Campaigning Across The Country:

FOX NEWS' CHRIS WALLACE: "Your advisers say that you are going to campaign in places that Republican presidential candidates usually don't -- inner city, rural Alabama, Appalachia -- do you plan to run as a different kind of Republican?"

SEN. MCCAIN: "I believe that the party of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, that that's a tradition of the Republican Party. That we need to go all over America, and not just the specific places you're talking about, but compete hard in every section of the country. For example, California. California can no longer be written off in my view. And that means going to all parts of that state and reaching out to Hispanic voters, independents, others. I know that you know, Chris, that one of the recent trends which may not have been as understood as well as some other things is that there's this dramatic rise in the independent voter registration, whether it be in my state or all across America. The independent voter will make an even larger difference I think in the 2008 election. So I have to energize our base, get the independents and the old and new, quote, Reagan Democrats."

Watch John McCain Discuss The Campaign On Fox News' "Fox News Sunday"

John McCain On The Housing Crisis:

SEN. MCCAIN: "Look, Americans are hurting right now. Americans are sitting around the kitchen table as we speak trying to keep the American Dream, and that is ownership of their own home. They don't know if they have to get another job. The challenges are enormous right now and Americans are hurting. The key to it is not to bail out people who speculated or people who engaged in unsavory practices. The key to it is get the lender and the borrower together. We know how hard that is because of identifying the lender, but there's ways to do it.

"The key to it is support this legislation which is going through the Senate right now which I think will move the ball forward down the field such as individual deductions for and larger deductions for home loan mortgage payments, the purchase of mortgages which are bad by local authorities, increasing funds for counseling so that people who are having difficulty will recognize what their options are. Of course, there's a role for government, but it's not to -- it's not to reward greedy speculators. It is not to reward people who misbehave and it certainly isn't a huge expenditure of taxpayers' dollars which in the long run could exacerbate the problems that exist.

"On the issue of Bear Stearns very quickly, every financial expert I know says that if it had failed, it would have rippled throughout the entire financial community and would have caused greater problems which eventually would have come down on the average citizen if our economy continues to decline the way that it's been doing. So I'm ready to act, and I understand how terrible this is for so many millions of American families, and I understand the challenges and I'm prepared to meet them. And that is limited government intervention. But where government is required, let's go ahead and do it. We passed a stimulus package. People are going to be getting checks in the month of May. Maybe they'll help boost the economy a little bit. But there's no magic wand here that can be waved."

Watch John McCain Discuss Housing On Fox News' "Fox News Sunday"