Barack Obama and John McCain

John McCain’s campaign just released the text of a TV commercial that will be broadcast in select states tonight during coverage of the Democratic National Convention. The ad is a classy salute to Obama. Here’s what it says:

Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America. Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, congratulations.

How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we’ll be back at it. But tonight Senator, job well done.

I’m John McCain and I approved this message.

Today is the 45^th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. 

45 years ago today

Jim Ogsbury

U.S. House candidate Jim Ogsbury said he’s knocked on the doors of 26,000 Republican voters in the 5^th Congressional District since entering the six-way GOP primary.

During that time, he’s had enough memorable moments to fill a book, he said. Here’s story one…

On one particular day in Scottsdale, he was having an awful time of it. It was hot. Most voters weren’t home. Others weren’t answering the door. A few gave him a rough time.

Finally, an older resident invited him to step inside, out of the heat. After a few minutes, the old man told Ogsbury that he reminded him of a politcian from his home state of Massachusetts.

“Just like you, he was going door to door, talking to voters,” Obsbury recounted the old man telling him.

“He had been around the block a time or two. He went to this one house and started to introduce himself and this lady says, ‘Yeah, I know who you are, you SOB! You get off my property right now or I’ll sick the dog on you! If my husband were here, he’d punch you in the nose!’” Ogsbury remembered the man telling him.

“So that old pol goes back to his car and turns to his aide and says, ‘Put her down as undecided.’”

That old pol was neither the Scottsdale resident who told the story nor anybody famous; just somebody trying to get into office. Still, Ogsbury likes the story so much, he’s worked it into his stump speeches.

Here’s another story from the campaign trail…

Once in Ahwatukee Foothills, Ogsbury knocked on another door.

“I could hear this little girl, the pitter-patter of little feet,” Ogsbury said. “I hear her call out from the other side of the closed door, ‘Oh no Mommy! It’s just an old bald man in a suit!’”

Ogsbury laughed at the memory. “You learn how humbling retail politics is,” he said.

That door-to-door business also is somewhat dangerous.

Presidential candidate John McCain, who often jokes that he has more scars than Frankenstein’s monster, attributes his bouts with skin cancer in part to his first couple of campaigns in Arizona, going door to door in some of the same areas that are now a part of the 5^th District.

Ogsbury usually has worn long pants and polo shirts – rather than suits – but he hasn’t worn hats to cover his old bald head.

“I am a little concerned about that. I use my clipboard and my brochures to try to shield my head as I go door to door, and I just slather on the sunscreen,” he said.

In any event, the campaign will end for five of the Republican challengers Tuesday. The winner will get the opprotunity to knock on doors through the Nov. 4 general election against Democratic Harry Mitchell.

The 5^th District takes in Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills, Ahwatukee Foothills and west Mesa.

Initially, members of Arizona’s contingent at the Democratic National Convention were miffed with their seating at the Pepsi Center in Denver, according to conventioneer Kit Filbey, a Mesa business owner. They didn’t get choice floor seats and instead found themselves in the stands at the furthest point from the stage.

As they soon discovered though, their seats were just below and in front of the luxury suits that have been assigned to presidential candidate Barack Obama and vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and their families.

“It’s really exciting,” Filbey said.

“This has been for the Arizona delegation, I think, one of the most – and for me, I would say, the most – exciting part of the convention. We feel like really part of it,” she said.

The Arizonans have been able to watch the comings and goings of political VIPs such as former President Jimmy Carter, and have chatted up some of them.

Filbey, for instance, offered her congratulations to Michelle Obama just after her speech earlier in the week. Others have spoken to Biden.

“We have had fun. I mean, this is the most exciting part of the whole arena there, because that’s where all the dignitaries come,” Filbey said. “It is so much fun to feel that we are right with the Obamas and Bidens.”

The lone drawback is that news photographers also have discovered the advantages of the location, crowding the walkways, she said.

Phoenix residents and Democratic National Convention delegates Howard and Lisa Bell have spotted a number of political VIPs while in Denver. The most surprising, though, came during a bus ride earlier today.

“We were on the bus going to our next event and we saw this big throng of people outside of a little pulled-pork barbeque stand, which is in the middle of this little park,” Howard Bell told me during a phone interview.

About 400 or more convention attendees, reporters and other people seemed to cluster around someone in the center of the crowd, he said.

“We were thinking, ‘Who’s that over there?’ As we were passing, we just saw the top of his head, but there was no mistaking the top of Joe Biden’s head,” Bell said. “We said, ‘Stop the tram!’ and everybody jumped off.”

Secret Service agents kept the crowd at a distance, but the white-and-wispy haired vice presidential candidate worked the crowd, and Bell said he was able to snap a few photos of him. After Biden grabbed a quick meal, he walked back across the street to the hotel where he’s staying, Bell said.

“That was an interesting day for us,” Bell said. He said he’ll try to e-mail the best of his Biden photos to me, so I’ll post them when they arrive. Check back.

Rebecca Schneider

Democratic congressional candidate Rebecca Schneider said she isn’t overly concerned by Republican incumbent Jeff Flake’s showings in his 2006 and 2004 re-elections.

In 2006, Flake got 75 percent of the vote in Arizona’s 6^th Congressional District. In 2004, he got 79 percent.

“Well, of course he did,” Schneider told me late last week. “There was nobody against him. It’s pretty easy to win with margins that big when you don’t have anybody running against you.”

Sort of. No Democrats ran against Flake in those years. Libertarians ran against him, though.

In 2006, Libertarian Jason Blair chipped 25 percent of the vote. In 2004, Craig Stritar made off with 21 percent.

The last time Flake faced a major-party opponent was in the three-way 2002 race. That year, Flake earned 66 percent, Democrat Deborah Thomas got 32 percent and Libertarian Andy Wagner slipped in with 2 percent.

This year will feature a three-way race again. Flake will face the winner of the Democratic primary between Schneider, a librarian, and Chris Gramazio, an account manager for a trucking firm; and Libertarian Rick Biondi, an insurance agent.

Schneider is looking for better fortunes for the non-Republicans this year. “People are tired of the status quo. People are tired of Jeff Flake not helping them,” she said.

The 6^th District takes in parts of Mesa and Chandler, plus all of Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction. And for anyone who’s misplaced his political map, that’s all Republican Territory.

For more on the race, check out my story in Sunday’s Tribune.

This shouldn’t take too long – black, brown, gym, hiking, old hiking/yardwork and flip-flops.

Yep, John McCain has more houses than I have pairs of shoes.

Here’s the reference.

Jon Kyl

During a one-on-one interview at his Phoenix office on Monday, U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl discussed his views on a number of political matters, including his plans to crash the Democratic national convention later this month.

A story on those plans appears in today’s Tribune.

In addition, Kyl offered his insight on two of the most intriguing political dramas of the moment – the Republican and Democratic veepstakes.

They’re both rather ho-hum stories, according to Kyl.

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will get much benefit by naming a vice presidential running mate, because each candidate already is so clearly defined politically. No matter who the vice presidential nominees turn out to be, their personal political views will fall deep into McCain’s and Obama’s shadows, Kyl said.

Besides, historically, veep nominees have done little to tilt votes to presidential candidates.

The last vice presidential nominee who made a perceptible difference in the vote count was Lyndon B. Johnson, who helped John Kennedy win Texas in 1960, Kyl said.

There’s an argument to be made that last vice presidential candidate to help round out the top man’s résumé was Dick Cheney, who had the defense and foreign policy experience that George W. Bush lacked in 2000, Kyl said.

 “Potentially, Obama could have somebody that demonstrates more of an experience factor for his administration,” Kyl said.

“What does McCain need? McCain doesn’t need that. The only thing McCain would want to avoid is somebody who older than he is,” he said. “You need to have somebody, obviously, younger. But all the people are younger, so it doesn’t matter – I mean, all of the people he’s been talking about.”

Other than the 1960 and 2000 races, recent veepstakes have been mostly uneventful. Still, picking someone to fill the No. 2 spot on the ticket is serious business.

“My personal view is that most of the time with these selections, the upside potential is much less than the downside potential. You can be applauded for a good decision if you avoid making a bad decision,” Kyl said.

In that regard, both candidates seem to sticking to safe choices. Most of the buzz for Obama’s potential veep goes to Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana; while public discussion concerning McCain’s choices generally focuses on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and former director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Rob Portman of Ohio.

“These are not dynamics-changing options. They’re more playing-it-safe options,” Kyl said. “Frankly, that’s probably better governance for both of them. You don’t want to make some big dramatic political statement. You want somebody who’s competent to help run the government.”

Incidentally, Kyl said that while he has been one of McCain’s closest political allies for years, he doesn’t have any special insight into McCain’s decision for a running mate.

Jesse Ventura

Former professional wrestler, past Minnesota governor and emerging independent political commentator Jesse Ventura will sign his new book “Don’t Start the Revolution Without Me” in the Valley in September.

In the book, Ventura looks back at his time as governor and at life and politics in America since he left office in January 2003, according to promotional material prepared by his publisher, Skyhorse Publishing of New York.

Ventura also discusses his interactions with world leaders including President Bush, John McCain, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and Fidel Castro, among others.

Lately, “The Governing Body” has been urging voters to vote for “none of the above” in November. He’s disappointed with both Republican presidential candidate McCain and Democratic candidate Barack Obama, and feels voters should be given more options, because neither represents what most Americans really want: a pullout from Iraq and an end to the $9 trillion national debt.

The former Navy SEAL and action-movie actor already has bona fide credentials as a political commentator with talk radio and TV gigs. “Don’t Start the Revolution Without Me” marks Ventura’s third outing as an author. His first two books, “I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed” in 1999 and “Do I Stand Alone?” in 2000 were both national bestsellers.

He’s also entered into the debate about whether there’s more to the terrorist attacks in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, than is publicly known. In fact, his book-signing dates sandwich his scheduled appearance at a 9/11 forum on the anniversary of the attacks.

Ventura is scheduled to appear at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Drive, in Tempe, starting at 7 p.m., Sept. 10.

He’s set to be at Barnes & Noble, 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., in Phoenix, starting at 7 p.m., Sept. 12.

John McCain

Arizona voters, unlike voters everywhere else in the country, generally are a satisfied group.

Consider this: A survey released Monday shows Republican Sen. John McCain with a 53 percent approval rating, and Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano with a 54 percent approval rating.

That’s unusual, said Tom Jensen, a pollster with Public Policy Polling, a firm based in Raleigh, N.C., that conducted the Arizona poll of 1,000 likely voters statewide last week.

“Almost every time we do a politician’s approval rating right now, it’s in the 30s. When we do various governors and senators and congressmen, voters are not very happy with their elected officials. But Arizona really was an exception to that,” Jensen said.

“We haven’t had a single politician anywhere in the country with over 50 percent approval ratings in our polls over the last three months, so it’s interesting that two folks on different sides of the aisle are very well thought of by their constituents,” he said.

We’re happy campers here in Arizona. Well, mostly.

The survey also shows McCain garners a 31 percent negative rating, while Napolitano carries a 37 percent negative rating.

In a hypothetical head-to-head 2010 U.S. Senate race between the state’s political titans, McCain leads Napolitano 50 percent to 43 percent.

“Even though they are both quite popular, McCain has the advantage there for now, by 7 points, which is a close enough margin that I think if that race did actually end up happening, you could see it pretty close,” Jensen said.

For more on Public Policy Polling’s survey numbers, including the firm’s findings on the presidential race between McCain and Barack Obama in Arizona, check out my story in today’s editions of the Tribune.