Phew. Forty days left you say? OK, here's where we are at the moment with the tangled web of the state of the debate, the economy, McCain's campaign suspension:
- Both candidates spoke this morning at the Clinton Global Initiative. McCain appeared live and Obama via satellite. McCain's speech is set to be his last official campaign appearance before returning to Washington to participate in the economic proceedings on the Hill saying, "The debate that matters most right now is taking place in the United States Capitol and I intend to join it."
- McCain's speech focused on the economy calling the $700 billion bailout a "staggering amount" and saying "I'm an old Navy pilot and I know when a crisis calls for all hands on deck. I cannot carry on a campaign as though this dangerous situation had not occurred, or as though a solution were at hand, which it clearly is not."
- Not everyone appreciates McCain's plan, Letterman included, and Democrats have said the following: “I thought we were trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain campaign,” said Rep. Barney Frank, “This notion of rushing to Washington and grandstanding — it’s silly, it’s impulsive, it’s erratic,” said Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, and “With all due respect to my friend John McCain, we’re doing just fine,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
There's so much more. To see Obama's response, and the fate of the debate, read more.
- Barack Obama appeared via satellite at the Clinton Global Initiative after lobbing some pointed criticism at McCain's suspension saying, "Part of the president’s job is to be able to deal with more than one thing at once.”
- Obama's speech summed up his position on McCain's suspension: "Later today, I’ll be traveling to Washington to offer my help in getting this deal done. Then, I’ll travel to Oxford on Friday for the first of our presidential debates. Our election is in 40 days. Our economy is in crisis, and our nation is fighting two wars abroad. The American people deserve to hear directly from myself and Senator McCain about how we intend to lead our country. 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."
- Both candidates will be meeting with the president later this afternoon, at 4 p.m. EDT, and the fate of the debate could be decided today.
Forty days left! What do you make of all this?
Robe Di Firenze
Cath Kidston
Sonia Rykiel
aw dave dont be upset that you are dwindling into irrelevance.
1I think this just might cost McCain the election, I just saw a poll that only 14% of all voters agree with McCain's decision to postpone his campaign.
2Nah, I think Dave's rant was pretty well thought-out, personally, and I think "irrelevance" is more suited to freakshows like, I don't know, Rush Limbaugh (or fill in the blank with any liberal butjob with a show here)? No name-calling, said he respected him, called him a hero...if it was just "McCain's a jerk! WAH WAH WAH!", then I'd think differently.
Annnnyway, yeah...still think this is all pretty lame (and would think the same thing if it were coming from Obama's camp, too), and it'll be interesting to hear McCain talk about all of this deregulation/regulation stuff going on, while Palin's asking Couric for an extension on her final paper...
3Haha, "nutjob", not "butjob". Man that sounds dirty.
4So, if McCain were President and we had another financial crisis at the same time as a situation in say Iraq that demanded attention, which would he choose? Personally, I've found that bad stuff tends to happen all at once...it's not like the cosmos is going to spread it out so he can take his time and focus on one thing.
5Good job with the grandstanding there. Oy.
Did anyone else see Bill Clinton on the Daily Show the other night? He was great--getting out of politics really brings out his good side.
6You know, McCain is 71 – his senile mind probably can't handle more than one thing at a time. Well, no, I take that back. My grandfather is 86 and is more on the ball than McCain is, so maybe McCain just can't handle the presidency at all. Either way, I think his campaign is quickly going down the tubes.
7They're probably postponing the debates because they watched Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric last night. Major bomb. She had no idea, and even admitted to it, how to answer a question about McCain and regulation. And the deafening silence after she was asked about Rick Davis and Freddie Mac was just painful. It's quite obvious at this point that the McCain campaign is feeling a great pinch. The polls are not in their favor. The FoxNews poll even has Obama ahead. Postponing everything was a major gamble and one that I think they should not have taken. It's clear people are only seeing it as a political ploy. Furthermore, as someone else already said--to be president is to multitask. If he can't handle several major issues at once then he shouldn't be running for president.
8I am loving this. McCain took a gamble, he thought he could out-maneuver and manipulate Obama, and Obama, god love him, just said...no. No. Presidents can do two things.
I keep thinking about this little blurb in Newsweek about how McCain loves to play craps, and Obama loves to play poker and how it reflects their style more generally, McCain liking the big risk and Obama being more of a methodical gambler.
9it's very, very disheartening.
letterman's right, it does smell bad for mccain. as an american during this whirlwind time i want to hear what our potential leaders have to say, what their thoughts and plans are. i don't want to see them running scared from their campaign with their tail between their legs.
because either way i vote, one of them will be president, so i want to hear what BOTH of them have to say.
10Jude--saw him, and loved it. It's also probably a bad sign when you think the "news" figure who asks the best questions, in the best manner, is Jon Stewart.
11(...which is what I've been thinking about Stewart these past few weeks...)
12I was talking about that exact thing with my man last night, em! I don't go to Stewart for the news itself, but the analysis they do sure cuts through a lot of bullsh!t.
13Exactly. His interview with Blair was also spot-on.
14I'm not sure I want an old Navy man who crashed five planes working on the bailout.
15The Blair interview was hilarious because John Stewart was so obviously star struck. It was adorable.
Ahhh... I love me some John Stewart.
16[I keep thinking about this little blurb in Newsweek about how McCain loves to play craps, and Obama loves to play poker and how it reflects their style more generally, McCain liking the big risk and Obama being more of a methodical gambler.]
So McCain's crapping out or crapping his pants....lol
Obama's completely right on this.
17I think this shows that he actually will stand up and do the job he currently has instead of furthering his political aspirations. I.E. he is putting the country first. He is actually representing the constituents who voted for him unlike his blue counterpart. Just my opinion. Go ahead and jump me since I am the lone dissenting voice.
18And steph, you are above that. How many planes have you flown in war time? None, wow, you truly are an expert.
19GS, just curious, when's the last time McCain showed up for a vote in the senate?
20Personally I'd rather have someone who accidently crashed some planes while protecting this country leading it than someone who likes to hang out with a known terrorist, but I guess that's just me.
online.wsj.com/article/SB122212856075765367.html
21Torg, you can't even begin to compare their voting records. And when push comes to shove, who is stepping up? McCain.
22even amidst all of the crap thats going on right now i'm comforted by the fact that americans are standing up to the unbelievably ridiculous bush administration bailout package, and that they are calling mccain out on this unbelievably transparent attention-grab to save his own ass (and the ass of sarah palin). what we are witnessing is the downward spiral of mccain AND the GOP. enjoy it, folks!
23While I don't necessarily like the way it was put, I agree with stephley. The man himself has admitted that he's lacking in economic experience and knowledge. What exactly is it he brings to the table here?
24Frankly, I'm starting to get sick of all of this political hooplah - but it's like watching a train wreck, you just can't stop listening or watching it. I think McCain took a big gamble, that's going to backfire in his face. The American people are burnt out and can see through the smoke. I'll be attending the VA Obama rally this weekend!
25Soapbox time:
I just don't understand why people so upset with McCain asking to suspend the debate and for him going to Washington to do his job (he's still an active senator, and so is Obama, the last time I checked). The election isn't being postponed, there'll still be 39 something days 'till then, the debates will still be happening, only different dates. I don't see the big deal about it, beside the fact that I'll just have to watch something else this Friday night. (DAMNIT)
With both candidates talking in public how dire the economic crisis is, how this is the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression (I believe it's Obama who made the latter statement--I've not really watched what McCain said after the 'fundamental' thingie), I'd assume BOTH candidates should have been going to Capitol Hill to work with their respective parties and each other to get this bill either passed or amended or whatever best for the interest of the American people.
As for McCain suspending his campaign, it's his own damn choice, if anything, it'll most likely damage his (slipping) standing in the election. I actually thought he was a fool for doing what he's doing.
But, I actually respect his decision to go back and do his job in the Senate (whether it's going to or not), especially during such a 'big economic crisis.'
I've been watching C-Span for the last couple of days, things did not look good to get anything done a couple days and even yesterday. I do completely disagree with with McCain's (so is Obama's) opinion about the bail out, since I completely disagree with the bail out plan (for once in my life, I actually agree with the Conservative Republican and whoever who voted 'no' on this :eek: ). I think that they should've sought different alternative to get out of this bind (because even Bush said last night, this is somehow a short term fix).
No, I'm not a Republican (sorry), I'm not believer in both parties. This has been the weirdest election I've ever gotten to see. EVER.
26It is clear to me that this is a menial grasp at anyone trying to have any kind of discussion about politics. This election is so polarizing that the same blues are going to go this way and the same reds are going to go that way. It really seems moot everyone coming here everyday and, big surprise agreeing with the political candidate of their choice. The other stories I can see even making an effort to discuss, but these election ones. Nope. And it isn't even discussion anymore. It is ripping apart the characters of the candidate you don't like. Mentioning senility and plane crashes while he was serving the country. How do you debate that? You can't it is childish at best. No one is going to change anyones mind about their choice. No one on this board besides popgoes even begins to be undecided.
27M2 - I think what he brings to the table is his history of bipartisanship... I mean, even Harry Reid said the bill can't pass without McCain's help.
28GS, you're right, you can't compare records, because McCain has missed more votes than Obama, and actually more votes than any other Senator in 2007! So when push comes to shove and he's down 12 points in the polls, yeah, he comes through with a political stunt to distract us.
29One of the biggest complaints about Bush from the left is that no one can pass anything because he vetoes it and that he's not able to work well with the other side, well McCain can do that and thats what we need right now, we need something to happen and some kind of choice to be made fast. Is he the most knowledgable person on the economy? No. Is Obama? No. But thats what they have advisors and all the other people who put in their 2 cents.
Would I trust McCain to be out there by himself solving this all on his own? No. Would I trust Obama? No, and neither should anyone else. Do I trust McCain to be able to work with both sides to get some resolution? Yes, I do.
30>Harry Reid said the bill can't pass without McCain's help.
Source please. Last I saw Harry said thanks but no thanks to McCain muddling everything up with presidential politics.
31Set me straight, hausfrau.
32TS - McCain maybe missed the most votes, but out of the top 5 vote missers (
) 4 are
Dems. In fact, though the Pubs have 2 more members, the Dems miss 1% more votes.
33Obama, Clinton, Biden, and Tim Johnson round out those 4
34Um, great. I don't see how that changes the fact that McCain suddenly decided it was time to do his job when he was down in the polls and knew it would change the focus of the media coverage.
35because the proverbial Sh!t hit the fan, true
36I think the snarky comments would be best left for Liberal Sugar and Conservative Sugar, but Citizen should be free and clear of it. We each have our own groups that we can be snarky about the opposing candidate, but why do the same people insist on being
everywhere?
It's just childish around here.
37TS - Thats what he said after he said that it can't pass without McCain, back pedalling! youtube.com/watch?v=j3f0BwyZKMw
M2 - Just providing another side!
38Right, because they were all running for president. But of all of the Sens. running, McCain missed the most and it never seemed to bother him until now.
39TS - While I agree that its at least 60% stunt motivated, I don't think its entirely true that its solely a stunt. He's always said he'd put country first and thats what he's doing. If he hadn't, do you HONESTLY think that Obama wouldn't be going around saying "he says country first but he did nothing!"
40GS, you are SO not alone. I'm right there with ya, so if they're jumping you, they're jumping me.
I could care LESS about a presidential campaign or the debates right now, I want to see this financial situation resolved. McCain is a smart man and he knows that the intelligent voters respect what he is doing. Another debate and more campaigning gets us what? more lies and smears against both parties? Yeah, I could take less of that.
41sh*t hit the fan Monday. Ten days ago. At which point he said our the fundamentals of our economy are strong. And now suddenly, he thinks he's we're in crisis and he's the one who needs to go save the day?
42But does it matter if its the most? Or does it matter more if its on something important?
Or does voting present actually mean something? If we take out all those present votes by Obama, I think we'll see its a pretty level playing field.
43do you guys even know why the republicans and democrats are having a hard time deciding on this bailout? because even the republicans in congress are not siding with the bush administration on this... they have constituents who are up in arms over this plan, and there actually is a great deal of bipartisanship already taking place in the senate to protect the taxpayers. it's the executive branch of the government, bush, paulson, etc, THEY are the ones that need to see the other side of the argument. so again, what is mccain going to do to "speed" this debate? convince his fellow republicans to buy into the bush plan? no thanks mccain.
44I disagree GS, I'm an independent voter and though right now (and for the past few months) I have been decided on Obama I feel that I can always change my mind. This economic crisis is a great test of a future leader, one that either could have failed. I still am waiting to see what happens, but it seems just a little sketchy to me that McCain had to announce he was going to stop but he is still doing this interview and that appearance but not others.
45I also haven't seen any real policy discussed by McCain in ages, I watched his stump speech when he was in my area a few days ago and it was all about he has done and not about what he is going to do.
So to all the McCain supporters here is your chance - an open minded independent voter that you can convince to vote for McCain. But you have it do it with real policy plans. Go!
First of all, postponing the debate IS a big deal, esp to Ole Miss who has spent 5-odd million dollars preparing for this debate, and has stated it might not be able to accomodate a rescheduled date - it is a university with a calendar, after all. Lets consider the economic impact there. Second, if you are not capable of doing what is needed to resolve the financial crisis while simultaneously addressing other issues (such as telling the nation what you are going to do with the mess you are inheriting) - i don't need you as my president. Its called MULTITASKING, and I think it is imperative that we elect someone who can address a crisis without bringing daily business to a grinding halt. McCain is setting a scary precedent. No pun intended
46Harry Reid said McCain needs to let them know where he stands, in that video, and that the Republicans need to come up with the votes to do their part on the bipartisan effort.
47And I'm not trying to make a case about who missed the most votes. It's about who missed the most votes but then suddenly, when it was good for his campaign, decided to make it really important not to miss this one.
48Yeah, but look at the issues McCain missed voting on. The most important thing, at this point, is to get the economy back on track. McCain, by suspending his campaign, proves that he's in it for the people not just to be crowned with the title of President of the United States.
As far as Obama saying that the president has to be able to do more than one thing at a time - that's true. The president also has to be able to prioritize and set aside (for the time being) the not so pressing issues so that what really matters can be taken care of.
49[And when push comes to shove, who is stepping up? McCain.]
It was Obama's idea first -- McCain took it as his own for political reasons.
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