Governor Ed Rendell

"Tonight was John McCain's last chance to turn this thing around, and he
came up short. John McCain talked about kicking Barack Obama's
'you-know-what.' He didn't. The truth is, Barack Obama's economic ideas
are just much better than John McCain's. That's why he won tonight's
debate and that is why we must elect him President of the United
States."



Senator Bob Casey

"Barack Obama once again showed his steady leadership in a time of
economic crisis and offered concrete solutions tonight in a debate where
his opponent did little more than make the same hollow character attacks
that have defined his increasingly unpredictable campaign. This was
John McCain's last chance to somehow convince the American people that
he can provide the kind of leadership we'll need to get our country
moving in the right direction again, and he didn't meet that test.
Pennsylvanians don't want to hear more of John McCain's desperate
personal attacks. They want help. They want to hear plans for creating
good-paying jobs, protecting retirement savings and improving health
care. According to a new report, more people in Pennsylvania lost their
employer-sponsored health care than in any other state except for
Michigan. John McCain's proposal to tax employer-provided health
benefits would mean even more Pennsylvanians would lose coverage."



Obama-Biden campaign manager David Plouffe

"We came into the debate with two thirds of the American people thinking
that John McCain is running a negative campaign, and Senator McCain
spent 90 minutes trying to convince the other third. Once again, Barack
Obama won a clear victory because he made the case for change for the
middle class, while John McCain just had angry and negative attacks.
Barack Obama showed the steady leadership that the American people need,
and offered specific plans on the issues that matter to the middle class
- creating jobs, cutting health care costs, building a new energy
policy, and getting our economy moving. Senator McCain said that George
Bush isn't on the ballot, but he couldn't name a single way that his
economic policies will be any different. This was John McCain's last
chance for a game-changer, and he didn't get it."


Sean Smith

Pennsylvania Communications Director

Obama for America