1. You’re tired of special interests and lobbyists writing the federal government’s fiscal and foreign policies, and you want a candidate who passed the most comprehensive ethics reform bill since Watergate.

2. You want your government to be more transparent and open about how they spend our tax dollars. See the “Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008” – (S. 3077)

3. You make $250,000 or less and want a $2,200 tax-cut (McCain’s plan would only provides a $1,200 tax-cut for that range according to the independent group the Tax Policy Center).

4. You believe senior citizens drawing $50,000 or less per year in social security should not pay income taxes at all.

5. You don’t think the recent economic policies have been good for the country (McCain) and that we are just a nation of whiners (Phil Graham – McCain’s Chief Economic Adviser).

6. You believe that every American has the right to affordable health care.

7. You think we need a sound energy independence policy that won’t be written by oil companies who make record profits while we pay record prices for gas.

It’s time we all stopped believing the stereotypes and started getting the real facts about the candidates’ policies. In short, stop repeating talking points and start thinking for yourselves.

1. First Presidential Debate:

* Date: September 26
* Site: University of Mississippi
* Topic: Foreign Policy & National Security
* Moderator: Jim Lehrer
* Staging: Podium debate
* Answer Format: The debate will be broken into nine, 9-minute segments. The moderator will introduce a topic and allow each candidate 2 minutes to comment. After these initial answers, the moderator will facilitate an open discussion of the topic for the remaining 5 minutes, ensuring that both candidates receive an equal amount of time to comment

2. Vice Presidential Debate

* Date: October 2nd
* Site: Washington University (St. Louis)
* Moderator: Gwen Ifill
* Staging/Answer Format: To be resolved after both parties’ Vice Presidential nominees are selected.

3. Second Presidential Debate

* Date: October 7
* Site: Belmont University (Nnashville)
* Moderator: Tom Brokaw
* Staging: Town Hall debate
* Format: The moderator will call on members of the audience (and draw questions from the internet). Each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond to each question. Following those initial answers, the moderator will invite the candidates to respond to the previous answers, for a total of 1 minute, ensuring that both candidates receive an equal amount of time to comment. In the spirit of the Town Hall, all questions will come from the audience (or internet), and not the moderator.

4. Third Presidential Debate

* Date: October 15
* Site: Hofstra University
* Topic: Domestic and Economic policy
* Moderator: Bob Schieffer
* Staging: Candidates will be seated at a table
* Answer Format: Same as First Presidential Debate
* Closing Statements: At the end of this debate (only) each candidate shall have the opportunity for a 90 second closing statement.