McCain Lurches Again
| Wed Sep. 24, 2008 1:21 PM PDT
McCAIN LURCHES AGAIN....OK, let me get this straight. After spending a full week flailing madly, tossing around wild charges almost daily, and careening from free market deregulator to the second coming of William Jennings Bryan — after all that, John McCain is now trying to gravely present himself as a man above politics: suspending his campaign, asking for Friday's debate to be postponed, and calling for a statesmanlike bipartisan bailout compromise.
Spare me. Let me guess: the debate should be postponed until October 2, which, sadly, will mean eliminating the vice presidential debate entirely. What a bummer, eh? And the guy whose campaign is funded by federal funds thinks all fundraising should be suspended. Imagine that. And the senator who hasn't showed up for a roll call vote since April suddenly thinks Capitol Hill is the place everyone needs to be. That should speed things up and calm down the financial markets, shouldn't it?
The cynicism is pretty stunning. Instead, how about switching the subject of the first debate to economic issues and actually hearing what John McCain thinks we ought to do? He does have a serious grasp on the issues, doesn't he? Why discuss them only behind closed doors?
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Comments
Thankfully, Obama isn't falling for this crap. And Harry Reid's not going for it either.
I guess when you get to be McCain's age, you just can't concentrate on more than one issue at a time. Yet another reason he shouldn't be President.
Submitted by cleek (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 1:26 PM PDT.
McCain hasn't cast a Senate vote since March. and now he wants to get down to business?
what a grandstanding asshole.
Submitted by Ted Lehmann (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 1:31 PM PDT.
It's difficult for me to see this as anything other than a desperate move on McCain's part. When he calls for suspending politics, he's whistling in the dark. Like it or not, all is politics. I'm perfectly willing to assume that Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives genuinely believe the positions they take. The differences are real. The discussions in Congress and the responses from the countryside represent real positions, fears, and aspirations. I can't see any way that either McCain or Obama can make much of a difference aside from issuing the joint statement Obama suggested. I guess, I also think that McCains temperament is also up for real questions once again.
Presidents don't get to call "time out." Not at 3am, not ever. Unless there's a vote on the Senate floor at that exact minute, McCain has a responsibility to share his ideas for fixing this mess with the American people. Unless he'd rather go hide in the Senate, which would be fine, too.
Also, this stunt has a definite whiff of the poultry.
I predict that sometime around mid-October that McCain will fire his entire campaign team and get on his bus with Sarah and declare that "He's back!" the wild and crazy straight talking reformer. Seems like that worked in the Republican primaries and will allow him to display once again his talent for apologies. Until then, he'll suspend his campaign for the good of this great country. You can't make this stuff up.
Submitted by Yellow Dog (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 1:52 PM PDT.
Osama von ...: Not even close to the snidest. You must be new.
Seriously... is this man trying to lose the election? Btw, I don't think Kevin is being snide... just stating the obvious.
McCain is scared s__tless to face Obama in a debate... as he should be. Especially since, as he put it, is not good at dealing with economic issues.
God save us all.
McCain has to suspend his campaign because his campaign organization is in chaos. It has become a microcosm of the struggle between the Fat Cat wing and the Fundamentalist wing of the Republican Party. The Rove Gang is pushing for the ouster of Rick Davis. Once that power struggle has been resolved -- most likely with the Rove-Palin faction successfully booting out Davis -- the campaign will resume.
this is beyond sad. This most serious of issues is being made a complete mockery of. I hope that coming out of this we have some rules of the road for presidential election. Can you imagine being a shareholder and interviewing a CEO and his COO and have this type of display before they even got the job. Will you really call them back for a second round.
It has really moved beyond sad, to down right hurtful and insulting what the republican nominee is off loading on the american public.
The debate should absolutely go on. As Obama said, they can be in Washington and use their campaign jets to get to Oxford in time for the debate. Otherwise, move the VP debate up in its place and let Biden chew Palin up and spit her out.
McCain thinks the proximity argument used in foreign policy will also be relevant in Washington for the financial crisis...as in, if I can get real close to all the papers being written I can fix it...
if he truly wants to move the discussion forward, then suggest the debate focuses on the economy and not foreign policy, unless of course he is not sufficiently prepared which brings into question - why are you going to washington again?
Moses smell the roses, November 4th can't get here soon enough. If I keep paying attention to this campaign, I am going to get whiplash.
Sorry for the person who thinks that this post is snide, but it is quite obvious unless your deaf, dumb, or blind--or a McCain supporter.
Just a week ago the fundamental of the economy were strong, except three hours later when they weren't, or except when he was talking about the American worker, but tomorrow we are in a crisis. The next day, let's fire the head of the SEC for betraying the public trust, except we can't, so let's force him to resign. Oh, and let's get a 9/11 commission to "study" the problem, since we all see how well the last one turned out where we actually listened to their recommendations. Nevermind...this whole mess is Barack's fault. We need more regulation, except when I opposed it for most of my career. Whoops, slip in the polls, let me suspend my campaign and be the mavericky hero again.
Sorry, but McCain's temperament over the last couple of days reveals that he will thrash and lurch every which way but up, depending on what the polls say at the time. It has become increasingly clear that he is NOT fit for the presidency.
That's the snidest post I've ever seen you make.
Even if that were true, it would certainly be justified. This is just bizarre behavior from McCain. Candidates campaigned in 1864, 1932, 1944 - but the Dow drops 30 points and we have to call a time out? Bwuh?
It's either snideness, bafflement or pity.
Submitted by Independent Perspective (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 3:56 PM PDT.
This act McCain is putting on is so obvious it hurts.
I wonder, what would Karl Rove do?
Accuse Obama of not taking the bailout seriously.
Maybe the Dems should go in full Offense Mode and say McCain isn't taking the Office of the President seriously by running away from the debates, (coward, coward, coward) after all the election is only in 6 more weeks away and maybe a new direction is the best thing that Americans need right now.
And we know that McCain isn't about to be partisan in his bailout suggestions with his past campaign contributors pushing for NO regulation but yet still wanted to get those sweet bailout checks in Bushie's last big money run.
I agree with Bye Al. This reeks of Rove and I think the republicans are up to something.
A friend has a theory. Is it remotely possible McCain will send Palin in his stead??? Unheard of?? So is declining to participate in the debate. A black man vs. a white woman. Very emotional stuff. Ridiculous, but emotional. (Or he sends Biden to debate Palin, & Biden wasn't expecting to debate this Friday and won't be AS prepared as he might be later.)
And it's the foreign policy debate, and she's the only non-Senator running for office. She has LOTS of time to study up. All she has to do is stand up straight, not fall off the stage, and she'll win. (Since there are such low expectations of her.)
I don't know, but something's up. This isn't over. Is it the October surprise? What is REALLY going on? Dems should be prepared and expect the UNEXPECTED.
It can't be a coincidence, McCain's announcement and Bush speaking tonight and debate is this Friday.
Andrew just posted this:
McCain surrogate Sen. Lindsey Graham tells CNN the McCain campaign is proposing to the Presidential Debate Commission and the Obama camp that if there's no bailout deal by Friday, the first presidential debate should take the place of the VP debate, currently scheduled for next Thursday, October 2 in St. Louis.
In this scenario, the vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin would be rescheduled for a date yet to be determined, and take place in Oxford, Mississippi, currently slated to be the site of the first presidential faceoff this Friday.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Starting to look like no VP debate.
Instead, how about switching the subject of the first debate to economic issues and actually hearing what John McCain thinks we ought to do?
But then the last debate would be about foreign policy.
Why give McCain a second bite?
Submitted by Independent Perspective (not verified) on Wed Sep. 24, 2008 4:45 PM PDT.
Oops, jumped the gun. But McCain really would like to skip the debate.
McSenile said the economy was fundamentally sound. Now, he is throwing the towel on the Debate because he knows he was part of the problem. Has anyone looked at his eyes? He looks dead! His actions in the last 2 weeks sounds like a mental breakdown. He pounds on the pulpit like a sunday Bible thumper. This guy is mentally unstable to be President.
lucero1946 has an excellent point. Has McCain EVER been treated for PTSD? I'm not being flippant. If untreated PTSD gets worse with age. There should be a non-partisan unbiased psychological exam to determine whether he is fit to even run for President...
Oh wow... Lucero1946 has it it on right on the nose. I was watching some video of McCain on CNN, and commented to my family "Look at his eyes... he looks like a Stepford wife... or like he has contacts that make his eyes look like black holes."
I agree... he may not be mentally stable to hold the highest office... They check you out physically, wouldn't a psychological profile be appropriate?
