All About McCain

[mousepod]

I guess I could try and second guess what the candidates are trying to do, but instead, I'm just going sit back and enjoy watching this whole debate strategy play itself out.

Last week, there were arguments that Palin would do well in a debate that is structured the way the Veep debate was agreed to be - and that Joe Biden would have to be careful as to not appear to be a bully. Now, the McCain campaign has decided that should Friday's debate not happen (a unilateral decision, by the way), they want to postpone it to the time set aside for the Vice Presidential debate.

I already know who I'm voting for, and most of my friends who are both pro-Obama and pro-McCain will almost definitely not be swayed by anything that might be said in these debates, but I can't help but think that there's some amazing back-room stuff going on right now.

I can't wait for the book.

[Gemini Cricket]

The thing is, this might not hurt McCain at all in the long run. November is over a month away. People's memories are short. Which is why I watch some of these poll numbers and then think they don't mean a whole lot at this point. The only ones this might affect are the people that are voting early...

[Not Afraid]

The way Obama handled this was spot on. The sky may be falling on Wall Street but the rest of the world will continue to go on, we will have an election and a new president.

"The American people deserve to hear directly from myself and Sen. McCain about how we intend to lead our country," Obama said. "The times are too serious to put our campaign on hold, or to ignore the full range of issues that the next president will face."

Bravo.

[Tom]

I had that thought this morning as well, that after all the sturm and drang over McCain's decision, that there could be a deal in place practically before he arrives in Washington, the campaigns and debates could resume as planned tomorrow and all this could be forgotten in a week.

By "all this," I mean the campaign suspension and such, not the economic crisis.

[Alex]

I agree with scaegles that if the actors were reversed the reponses would be largely reversed.

I disagree with scaegles that this was a good political move by McCain. And while if we assume the hypothetical of reversed actors he is right that the responses would mostly reverse, I do think it says something that in the real world it was McCain that did the stupid thing.

[innerSpaceman]

To answer a question so one hour ago ...

scaeagles, I can't remember all the places I learned and heard about Obama's links to the banking industry ... but obviously those links must have been talked about and written about in the press for me to find them.


I do NOT research blogs.


(Not to say blogs don't have accurate information, but too much more research is required to determine which ones do.)


So yeah, it's out there. Obama Cultists may deny it, or may not know about it. But Obama's a tool like any other Senator. D'uh.


But this is an election between two senators, so let's all accept the groundwork that both candidates are toadying slaves to their financial interest masters of the universe.

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

. . .

You might be right, but part of the problem is that the two campaigns were preparing to issue a joint statement regarding a bipartisan approach to the issue, and then McCain jumped the gun. I think if Obama had pulled a similar stunt, that would be an instance where I would dub him too clever by half.

Fair enough.

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Me, too, sleepy. Obama-supporter here who would criticize him roundly for pulling the McCain.

I don't doubt it....you are certainly not a partisan.

Originally Posted by mousepod

But he didn't.

Someday, maybe a few months after the election, someone from the Obama camp will write a book.....maybe my suspicion that Obama was on the verge of doing the exact same thing will be proved....maybe not

Originally Posted by Alex

I agree with scaegles that if the actors were reversed the reponses would be largely reversed.

Exactly!

What LoT actor would have played my part?

[Alex]

I don't know. Group dynamics fail at the level of the individual.

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by Alex

I don't know. Group dynamics fail at the level of the individual.

Oh darn, I was hoping it would be someone really cool. Surely I am equally partisan, mathematically speaking, to someone here on the LoT.

[Alex]

The trouble is that there is essentially a 2 to many ratio in the swapping. It is going to pretty much be you and scaeagles taking the Republican line on positions. There are plenty of people who can take the Democratic line so really you're at a disadvantage.

You 2 pretty much always have to participate in the hypocrisy of actor-dependent position taking since there is no depth on your side. But for the other side they can take turns in it giving themselves the cover of sometimes not being involved in that hypocrisy. Once three or four people do it, the rest can step back and say "ah, that's not quite fair and I'm above it all." At least until their turn comes and then they get so say "yes, it might look hypocritical but if that is what was driving me wouldn't I have been hypocritical in all these other situations?" when in fact they were relieved of that burden by being in the majority position.

It really just emphasizes the structural disadvantage you two have on this board when it comes to arguing politics.