McCain Chokes; Suspends Campaign wants Debate Delay

[QueEx]

<font size="5"><Center>McCain Suspending Campaign, </font size><font size="4">

Asks for Debate Delay; Asks for Obama's Cooperation</font size></center>

Washington Post
By Michael D. Shear
and Robert Barnes
September 24, 2008


NEW YORK -- Republican presidential nominee John McCain this afternoon said he would suspend his presidential campaign tomorrow to return to Washington and help reach agreement on a plan to solve the financial crisis on Wall Street, and called for a delay of Friday night's presidential debate.

"It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration's proposal,'' McCain said in a brief statement to reporters. "I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.''

McCain said he is calling on President Bush "to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem."

The campaign also announced that McCain was canceling today's planned appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman."

The Obama campaign said that the two candidates had spoken by phone this morning about releasing a joint statement on principles to govern the financial sector bailout, but that it had no plans to suspend campaigning.

"At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama's call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details."

Sen. Barack Obama, who is in Florida, will make a statement shortly in response to the McCain announcement.

McCain's remarks follow:

America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees. If we do not act, ever corner of our country will be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen.

Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama has expressed his priorities and concerns. This morning, I met with a group of economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we should take going forward. I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear their perspective.

It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration's proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.

Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.

I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night's debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

 

[QueEx]

Re: McCain Suspends Campaign to return to Washington to work on financial crisis

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[QueEx]

Re: McCain Suspends Campaign to return to Washington to work on financial crisis

<font size="4"><center>
I hope this has nothing to do with the polls.

Obama has definitely taken the lead and his numbers are growing.
Obama has been getting the better of McCain on the financial crisis.

I'm all for united action to help "MY" / "Our" country.

But this had better not be a John McCain election ploy.




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</center>

 

[QueEx]

Re: McCain Suspends Campaign to return to Washington to work on financial crisis

As of 3:51 EDT

CNN reports: Obama is <u>not</u> inclined to suspend his campaign; and he stand ready to debate on Friday.​

QueEx

 

[QueEx]

Re: McCain Suspends Campaign to return to Washington to work on financial crisis

<font size="5">

Is it just me ???

</font size>

• Republican Senator Tom Coburn contacts Obama to say, hey, contact John McCain and propose a "joint statement" on this financial crisis.

• Barack Obama calls John McCain "this morning" with the idea of issuing a "joint statement" regarding the financial crisis.

• John McCain - returns Barack Obama's call and agrees that it would be a good idea to issue a joint statement.

• John McCain and Barack Obama go forward with working on a joint statement regarding the financial statement.

• . . . working on joint statement . . . working on joint statement . . . working on joing statement . . . working on joint statement . . .

• WITHOUT GETTING BACK ON THE JOINT STATEMENT John McCain suddenly announces, he is suspending his campaign to go to Washington to work on the financial plan; wants to delay the debate set for Friday; and, asks Obama to likewise suspend his campaign.

• John McCain has not had ANY part in the negotiations or drafting of the financial plan to deal with the financial crisis.

• John McCain has not offered any solution to the crisis.

<center>
<font size="4">Is it just me ???

</font size>

<font size="5">That sees McCain's move as a Political Ploy

???</font size></center>

 

[drunkard]

i would tend to agree, so close to the election everything is politically motivated

 

[Zmaniac723]

I hope he does the right thing and just doesnt use this as a political ploy. Nothing is getting done, by passing the plan without more research it will destroy the dollar and has an option of not working. Shit needs to get done now

 

[QueEx]

Nothing is getting done, by passing the plan without more research it will destroy the dollar and has an option of not working. Shit needs to get done now

What would they be researching ???

What do you expect the research to turn up ???

QueEx

 

[VegasGuy]

Man QueEx look, this suspension of Mc got damn Bush's campaign ain't got a damn thing to do with the nations financial mess. That son of a bitch got a lot of shit to hide. The debates might take all of 3 hours, maybe. Then he can get back to whatever.

Something is up and his team is looking for a distraction. bionicbrown has a post with a video in it you just have to watch. It's from the youngturks and it talks about how Obama was all over this finance shit since LAST YEAR. McCain will be shown up to be a serious lightweight and UNFIT when it comes to managing the nations affairs and he damn well knows it.

-VG

 

[QueEx]

Man QueEx look, this suspension of Mc got damn Bush's campaign ain't got a damn thing to do with the nations financial mess. That son of a bitch got a lot of shit to hide. The debates might take all of 3 hours, maybe. Then he can get back to whatever.

Bro, I googled for a while looking for a gif that just 'winked', to post where these words are posted -- if you know what I mean. If we are at a round table and you said that, thats what I would have done, looked towards you, leaned my head and winked -- as in "Bingo murfucka" !!! LOL

Something is up and his team is looking for a distraction.

My sentiments, exactly.

bionicbrown has a post with a video in it you just have to watch. It's from the youngturks and it talks about how Obama was all over this finance shit since LAST YEAR. McCain will be shown up to be a serious lightweight and UNFIT when it comes to managing the nations affairs and he damn well knows it.

-VG

I'm going to look for that bionicbrown post/video (and thanks for the heads-up).

NOW, consider this: Barack says he's inclined to be in Mississippi Friday to do the do; McCain says he intends to go to DC (a place he hasn't been since APRIL); and, assuming there will be lights, camera and somebody saying action on Friday --==-- who will BLINK:

- Obama, and head to DC; or

- McCain, and find his way to the debate ???​

QueEx

 

[Blu Diablo]

Barack won't blink because as it has already been reported either of them being there only mucks up the situation.

Barack has been in constant contact with Paulson and others how are directly involved in the situation and realizes it is not a requirement or even helpful for them to be there at this point.

McCain is banking on uninformed voters seeing this as a roll your sleeves up and get the work done type of action but since they aren't major players in the negotiation that move is see-through.

This was a purely political ploy and has been exposed as such. This dude and his campaign just can't get out of their own way and are now flailing around hoping something, anything will stick.

 

[Sango]

I agree, McCain's definitely up to something. All along the current administration and McCain have taken comments that Obama has said and then made it seem like they pioneered those ideas. Obama's time to shine is now and McCain is delaying how bad he's going to look in a debate. Is it just me or hasn't our "entire economy" been in a crisis for some time now? Where was all of this concern two months ago?

 

[nittie]

As far as politics go this was a good move on McCain's part. People looking for a reason for not supporting Obama have it. He was playing politics while McCain was solving the financial crisis. It plays into what McCain's campaign has been saying, Obama is an elitist who puts politics over principle. Hopefully Obama will bow out of the debates and let Biden do the dirty work against Palin next week.

 

[gumsoles]

via http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/09/24/what-s-mccain-up-to.aspx

The thinking: McCain is behind in the polls, largely because the economic crisis is dominating the campaign. The best weapon left in McCain's arsenal is the foreign policy debate, which could potentially turn the election back to McCain's stronger issue. If the debate's in the middle of an economic crisis, it won't have the impact they need. So: postpone the foreign policy debate until after the bailout has been passed, and then maybe you can change the conversation to foreign policy for an extended period

 

[QueEx]

via http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/09/24/what-s-mccain-up-to.aspx

The thinking: McCain is behind in the polls, largely because the economic crisis is dominating the campaign. The best weapon left in McCain's arsenal is the foreign policy debate, which could potentially turn the election back to McCain's stronger issue. If the debate's in the middle of an economic crisis, it won't have the impact they need. So: postpone the foreign policy debate until after the bailout has been passed, and then maybe you can change the conversation to foreign policy for an extended period

Sounds plausible.

QueEx

 

[QueEx]

As far as politics go this was a good move on McCain's part. People looking for a reason for not supporting Obama have it. He was playing politics while McCain was solving the financial crisis. It plays into what McCain's campaign has been saying, Obama is an elitist who puts politics over principle. Hopefully Obama will bow out of the debates and let Biden do the dirty work against Palin next week.

Karl? Is that you?

QueEx

 

[Zmaniac723]

wait, the debate is about the foreign policy not the economy so McCain is not hiding from Obama. He challenged Obama all summer to debates at townhall meetings but Obama refused. McCain isn't scared of Obama. McCain and Obama are being paid to be senators, not presidential candidates. I would much rather have a representative during this economic crisis as opposed to a presidential candidate babbling his mouth.



On another note, Congress needs to research the fact the dollar is gonna plummet in value with more liquidity being added the market. OPEC runs on the dollar currency but doesn't take the value of the dollar (so if the dollar plummets, OPEC doesn't take a hit on profits). This means the price of oil is gonna rise. With Russia having alliance with Iran and Venezuela, which are all oil producing countries, is scary. If all these countries restrict oil production, this will dramatically increase oil costs. This in turn will raise fuel costs, which raise food prices, etc. Less will be able to be purchased with the dollar.

Then imagine if the bailout doesn't work.

 

[QueEx]

<font size="5"><center>
Friday's debate: A bizarre game of chicken</font size><font size="4">

McCain is now unlikely to show up for the first
scheduled showdown with Obama. Master
stroke or campaign in meltdown?</font size></center>


Salon
By Walter Shapiro
Sept. 25, 2008


WASHINGTON -- John McCain is once again proving himself to be the fastest gun in the West -- the presidential candidate most likely to shoot up the saloon on a Friday night. Or, in this case, the first presidential debate slated for Friday night, in Oxford, Miss. With a flair for the dramatic, McCain suddenly announced Wednesday afternoon that he was suspending his campaign (attack ads included) because of the financial crisis -- and called for postponing the Mississippi Mixer "until this crisis is resolved."

Less than two hours later, Barack Obama delivered his answer: on to Oxford. Speaking to reporters at an impromptu Florida press conference, Obama said that if all senators needed to be in Washington for the interim, "We've both got big planes. We've painted our slogans on the sides of them. They can get us from Washington, D.C., to Mississippi fairly quickly." The Commission on Presidential Debates joined in the fray by promptly issuing a statement declaring that it "was moving forward with its plan for the first presidential debate."

Never before in the tangled history of these high-stakes face-offs has a candidate tried to scuttle a debate this close to deadline. As Sidney Kraus, the leading historian of presidential debates and an emeritus professor at Cleveland State University, put it, "It is not unusual for the candidates to disagree over the place or the time, even after they've agreed to be there. But we've never had anything remotely like this."

McCain wrapped his decision to forgo the odyssey to Oxford in patriotism-above-party pieties: "We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved." But (shocking revelation ahead) there were hints that political calculation may have played a role in McCain's decision. Wednesday morning the McCain campaign hastily arranged a conference call for reporters with pollster Bill McInturff to dispute a Washington Post-ABC News poll that gave Obama a jaw-dropping 53-to-44 percent national lead. While the poll may indeed have been an outlier (the one in every 20 surveys that is wrong for no methodological reason), other national and state polls released Wednesday signaled that the Wall Street whipsaw was moving the race in Obama's direction.

But whatever McCain's underlying motivations, both campaigns are now locked in a bizarre game of chicken.

• If McCain actually boycotts the Oxford debate, Obama may score a public-relations coup while his Republican rival looks weak and evasive.

• Or the Democratic nominee may appear too political while McCain puts on his mantle as statesman.

Republican strategist Rich Galen, who advised Fred Thompson in the primaries, said, "It's a brilliant stroke by McCain. You will have an empty chair debate in Oxford without McCain. And an empty chair at the White House economic negotiations without Obama." Of course, George W. Bush, an early-to-bed president, is unlikely to be meeting anything but his pillow at the White House during debate time Friday night.

The three presidential debates and the single veep one have been carefully scheduled around Jewish holidays, Monday night football and other major religious occasions. If, for example, the negotiations over the fiscal-market rescue plan continue through the weekend, the first available date to reschedule would be the night of Wednesday, Oct. 1, because Rosh Hashanah begins Monday night. But Thursday night, the 2nd, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin are scheduled to have their own evening in the spotlight, a contest that once threatened to overshadow McCain vs. Obama. Further complicating the calendar is the bipartisan belief that late October debates are too risky -- a truth brought home by Jimmy Carter's political collapse in 1980 after an Oct. 28 debate with Ronald Reagan.

Ed Fouhy, who was executive producer for the 1988 and 1992 debates for the commission, estimates that it logistically would take about 48 hours to arrange a bare-bones debate at a new site, such as a television studio (where the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates took place) or a college campus in Washington. Fouhy joked, "The people of Oxford, Miss., will probably never forgive John McCain." But, in truth, the facilities in Oxford would presumably be available on another night.

Barring an agreement in Washington beforehand, it is hard to imagine that Friday's debate will actually happen, since McCain now would look weak if he suddenly gave way in response to public pressure to relent. Also, any disruption of his debate-prep schedule would presumably undermine McCain's performance. But then there is the Palin factor. At a time when the Republican campaign only puts Palin forward in tightly scripted settings, delaying her rendezvous with Biden would inevitably give rise to speculation that the first-term Alaska governor had yet to master her briefing books.

For all the bitter undertones of TV ads on both sides, Campaign 2008 up to now had been free of those ridiculous protracted debates over whether and how to hold debates. The negotiations between the McCain and Obama camps quickly led to a 31-page agreement on debate protocols. But nothing in those 31 pages explains what to do if only one candidate actually shows up Friday night in Oxford.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/25/McCain_debate_move/

 

[MASTERBAKER]

Letterman Reacts To McCain Suspending Campaign

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Letterman Reacts To McCain Suspending Campaign

Sept. 24th, 2008

 

[QueEx]

Re: Letterman Reacts To McCain Suspending Campaign

<font size="4">
Okay, its day 2 of the Campaign Suspension
I'm betting it shakes loose, today:

</font size>

• Members of Congress have been seen patting each other other on the backs, half-ass smiling; and being half-way or luke-warm to each other today.

• That has to mean, a bailout deal is essentially done; there may be a few fine points to work on; but, there is general agreement overall and its a matter of taking care of loose ends and, the Announcement.

• McCain has been in Washington all of what, a couple of hours ???

• The Republicans - will undoubtedly say, McCain came along and brought this thing to a close.

• The Democrats - will no doubt say, the deal was done when John Boy got here; we told him no need to come; and he didn't add anything.

<font size="4">
- How will the American public judge John McCain, now ???

- Will the "suspension" help or hurt McCain ???

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[MASTERBAKER]

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'Cut his mike,' producer suggests:
The Keating Five scandal, and John McCain's role in it, has received relatively little mention in presidential campaign coverage, and at least one Fox News host seems dedicated to keeping it that way.

 

[QueEx]

Re: Letterman Reacts To McCain Suspending Campaign

<font size="4">
Okay, its day 2 of the Campaign Suspension
I'm betting it shakes loose, today:

</font size>

• Members of Congress have been seen patting each other other on the backs, half-ass smiling; and being half-way or luke-warm to each other today.

• That has to mean, a bailout deal is essentially done; there may be a few fine points to work on; but, there is general agreement overall and its a matter of taking care of loose ends and, the Announcement.

• McCain has been in Washington all of what, a couple of hours ???

• The Republicans - will undoubtedly say, McCain came along and brought this thing to a close.

• The Democrats - will no doubt say, the deal was done when John Boy got here; we told him no need to come; and he didn't add anything.

<font size="4">
- How will the American public judge John McCain, now ???

- Will the "suspension" help or hurt McCain ???

</font size>

Man, this is one of those days, but for the obvious negative affeced it might have on the economy -- which is supposedly already reeling, that should be declared a National Political Holiday -- whereby all Americans could sit by the TV, radio, or whatever your form of receiving and viewing information -- to watch American politics (punch and counterpunch) unfold.

Hell, I gotta meeting and can't catch it live -- but things are unfolding in dramatic form ((that is, if you like to watch democracy in action)).

<font size="4">DEPARTING POINT: Was there a deal in the works BEFORE John McCain arrived? - and not now because of: (a) it was a bad deal; or (b) his allies in Congress are helping him look good ???

QueEx

</font size>

 

[QueEx]

Re: Letterman Reacts To McCain Suspending Campaign

<font size="5"><center>
With Bailout Package Failure, Is McCain's
Campaign Suspension Stunt Backfiring?</font size></center>


TPM
By Greg Sargent
September 29, 2008


In political terms, John McCain needed this bailout bill to pass. Now that it's failed in the House, it's clear that this could pose a serious blow to his campaign -- and that his big campaign suspension gambit could backfire badly.

McCain pushed way too many political chips onto the bailout deal with his supposed decision to put his campaign on ice and his subsequent high-profile swooping into D.C. His campaign got way too far out front appearing to take credit for the bailout in advance.

"What Senator McCain was able to do was to help bring all of the parties to the table, including the House Republicans, whose votes were needed to pass this," McCain senior Steve Schmidt said on Meet the Press yesterday.

"We're optimistic that Senator McCain will bring House Republicans on board without driving other parties away, resulting in a successful deal for the American taxpayer," McCain spokeswoman Kimmie Lipscomb said a few days ago.

McCain needed action on the meltdown. It was his only hope of getting the campaign discussion off of favorable turf for Obama. Now people are more frightened than ever amid the crisis. The electorate's ratcheted up emotional state over the economy is similar to how on-edge the electorate was about national security in the years after 9/11. This allows Obama to counter McCain's effort to cast him as risky on national security by casting McCain as the risky and frightening choice -- on the economy, the focus of so much attention and fear right now.

And second, to whatever degree McCain could be seen to have galvanized any action in Congress, he'd be able to blunt Obama's change argument by casting himself as the race's real change agent -- in real time.

It's unclear, of course, where the dust will settle after the spin wars over the bailout's failure -- the GOP is aggressively blaming Congressional Dems, which could reflect on to Obama. And it's possible that McCain will be able to retain credit for supposedly having tried to light a fire under Congress' posterior, although that's unlikely at any rate given the press reports about his disruptive role.

But it looks more like McCain invested way too much in the illusion that he'd be able to force action -- and that his investment has now gone belly-up.


http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/with_bailout_package_failure_w.php

 

[keysersoze]

Re: Letterman Reacts To McCain Suspending Campaign

^ That is funny. McCain made such a big deal about heading back to DC to save the financial crisis, yet nothing passed. This makes him look really foolish.

It would have been double the fun had he really canceled and the plan still failed.