NEW YORK, NY June 13, 2008 —Sen. John McCain spoke at Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan last night in the first of a series of town hall meetings that his rival Barack Obama declined to attend.

WNYC’s Andrea Bernstein has more.

REPORTER: The event was billed as a forum with “real voters,” but the approximately 200 people who attended the televised town hall meeting were largely area Republican party activists. There were no tough questions. Instead the audience lobbed a series of softballs about McCain’s independence, his tax policy, and his energy proposals.

McCain repeatedly stressed his experience and ability to work across party lines. He noted his unsuccessful effort to reform immigration law with Sen. Ted Kennedy and his successful reform of campaign finance with Sen. Russ Feingold, both Democrats.

The crowd, many of whom once backed former Mayor Rudy Giuliani for President, had a warm response, applauding particularly loudly when McCain said he’d cut corporate taxes.

For WNYC, I’m Andrea Bernstein.