All About McCain

[3894]

Originally Posted by Tom

McCain just announced that he is suspending his campaign and returning to Washington to work on the economic crisis. He is asking Obama to do the same and asking to reschedule Friday's debate.

Reaction 1: He needs more time to study.

Reaction 2: It's the president's job to handle more than one thing at a time. If that's too much for McCain, he needs to let the American people know.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Tom

McCain just announced that he is suspending his campaign and returning to Washington to work on the economic crisis. He is asking Obama to do the same and asking to reschedule Friday's debate.

I thought you were joking. You're not.

The snark in me says this is another deflection. I mean, many other important things have been going on in Washington in all the time McCain has been campaigning (and not voting) and I am sure is the same for Obama (I'm just saying, I've not looked for verification for either).

Again, the snark in me thinks McCain wants some debate practice time! 3894 beat me to it, great minds think alike?

[3894]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

3894 beat me to it, great minds think alike?

Hey, Snowflake - do you smell blood? I bet the Obama team does.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by 3894

Hey, Snowflake - do you smell blood? I bet the Obama team does.

I'll bet you are right!

[Stan4dSteph]

Perhaps this is an attempt to show that McCain is "strong on the economy," since Obama appears to have an edge in people voting on that issue?

I can see the logic to wanting to set aside time for working on Senate issues, but this just seems like a political maneuver.

[Tenigma]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

Again, the snark in me thinks McCain wants some debate practice time! 3894 beat me to it, great minds think alike?

There is a college instructor on a list I'm on, and she said, "Every semester, someone's grandma always dies right before the midterms."

Someone else said, "I can't do the debate because my dog ate my homework!"

The problem is that McCain isn't actually *ON* any of the committees that are working on this bill. He can't actually DO anything. And because he's got this reputation as a maverick, he doesn't actually have a whole lot of friends in Congress... so it's not like he can go there and shore up a lot of support for whatever idea he's got.

I (of course) thought Obama's response was great. That he's been talking to Paulson everyday and keeping up with stuff (Chris Dodd told Rachel Maddow on her TV show that he's been speaking with Obama everyday and hadn't heard from McCain at all until he heard about the announcement on Wednesday--and Dodd is the CHAIR of the committee working on this).

And basically, Obama said this is EXACTLY the time when Americans should be hearing from the candidates to find out exactly how they feel about all this and what they plan to do when they get saddled with this mess in January.

Oh... and that a president should be able to multi-task and do more than one thing at a time. That was some pwnage action.

David Letterman was REALLY pissed off at McCain for ditching him... especially when Letterman found out that McCain was NOT "going back to Washington to deal with the crisis and that's why he couldn't go on the show" but in fact, Letterman got ditched for an interview with Katie Couric! Yikes!!!

So what did Letterman do? As a pinch hitter interviewee he invited KEITH OLBERMANN. Hahahahaha awesomeness.

They were talking about what would happen on Friday if McCain didn't show up... Letterman said McCain should let his VP nom step forward and pinch hit. I completely agree. I take it one step further--since McCain hinted at postponing this debate to have it on the date of the originally scheduled VP debate, I say Friday's debate can be Biden and Palin!! Woot!! After all those foreign dignitaries she met this week she must be really ready now!

I've heard McCain's announcement as a Hail Mary pass but I think most people will see it for what it is: an effort to stall and call a time out.

Cheap. Cheap cheap cheap.

Oh wait, I'm not done. Anyone see Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric? Truly cringe-worthy. The woman never answers questions. She just rephrases the questions, or repeats the same answers when Katie tries to probe further. What a Stepford automaton!

[scaeagles]

I read this differently (duh). It doesn't speak kindly of McCain either, but I don't think it is a lack of ability to mutlitask or debate. McCain has been begging Obama for face to face stuff in townhall settings and Obama has refused. It also isn't like McCain is nursing a lead he wants to protect, which is often times what poll leaders do.

This is definitely a political calculation, and not a bad one either. If Obama says no, then the obvious response is that Obama doesn't want to put his current business as a Senator in front of campaigning. Can't really campaign and be on the floor of the Senate at the same time. If Obama says yes, McCain is setting the agenda and this moves makes McCain "look like the bigger person" (even though I recognize he isn't - this is a political move).

On the left, the spin will definitely be on the McCain sucks side. No doubt. However, I think the scheduled debate topics were Foreign Policy and with that in mind, I think this plays well to the undecideds and independents.

Again, just so everyone knows I am saying this, it is a political move. I just think it's a pretty good one.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

This is definitely a political calculation, and not a bad one either.

I agree.

Substantively, I don't see any reason why they would need to suspend their campaigns, as long as they spent some time in Washington for votes and negotiations. The campaigns actually would provide a way for them to publicize their plans for the economy and to hear from actual people what they think. And it should certainly be possible to both debate on Friday night and work on the economy.

The Obama campaign has said that the two campaigns will be releasing a joint statement on the economic crisis later. The Obama campaign also just announced that they are still inclined to hold Friday's debate.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I think this is less "needs more debate practice" than "I thought of this first so I find the economy more important than you do". Will be interesting to see how Camp Obama reacts.

[scaeagles]

I think this puts the Obama camp in a tough place. They can't get upset about it because that plays to McCain and makes them look like the campaign is more important to them than the economy. The best they can do is agree with McCain, but that also makes McCain look good.

Political move. A very smart one.