McCAIN SHOWS CONTEMPT FOR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Upon hearing the news of McCain's latest gambit -- campaigning/distracting by claiming to "suspend" his campaign and ditch the debate -- a friend of mine suggested it shows his racist attitude toward Obama, his unwillingness to accept him as an equal competitor. McCain has certainly repeatedly showed this disrespect throughout the campaign, and has often tried to insert himself as Obama's manager. But I responded to my friend that the real issue here is McCain's obvious disrespect for American democracy. He is running a campaign in which he and his ridiculously unqualified running mate refuse to answer press questions and confine their appearances to stage-managed events. Now, with a major event that would be partially unscripted and very telling on the horizion, McCain suddenly decides to appoint himself President and "go to Washington to resolve a pressing national crisis." Who does he think he is kidding? He is just trying to avoid laying out his views and taking questions so voters can evaluate him compared to Obama.
Can we imagine the hue and cry if Obama had tried this stunt -- appointing himself President, trying to dodge a debate, and trying to shield a running mate from a debate a week later? Why are press people (and Bill Clinton no less) going along with this?
Obama must NOT blink on the Friday debate -- even if he has to appear alone in Oxford. He must cast this as a dissing of the voters, and a clear test case for whether McCain believes his fellow citizens have the right to evaluate him. He should also make it clear that Bush and McCain have no right to try to railroad a huge bailout for their friends on Wall Street. Congress either does or does not decide right away, but should take time to do things right.
I wrote a post on this point. Won't repeat here, except to say that NO Presidential aspirant has any higher duty, than to do all he can to provide the American people the best possible evidence to help them decide.
Pretty much agree with everything said here.
September 25, 2008 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Looks like Congress has hashed out a deal.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26884523/?GT1=43001
Did McCain arrive in DC in time to get out in front of this parade? I don't think so, but who knows how they'll try to spin it.
-- ARG
September 25, 2008 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I concur. I really hope the MSM calls him out for what this says about (1) his respect for the voters and (2) the lengths the McCain camp will go to keep Sarah Palin from having to answer questions.
This is Stalinist.
September 25, 2008 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Palin hasn't been taking questions, but mccain has so that's not fair to suggest he's ducking. I went to a town hall meeting he did in my state, and he took every question under the sun. I came away with three conclusions.
1. mccain is a decent man and means well
2. he never directly answers a question
3. voters are dumb as rocks and ask the most ridiculous questions you can imagine.
September 25, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just curious:
How do you reconcile (1) & (2)?
September 25, 2008 11:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Doh!
September 25, 2008 11:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wasn't trying to be a jerk -- that was a serious question.
September 25, 2008 11:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, OK...never mind.
September 25, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
what's to reconcile? I'm simply reporting what i heard and saw. McCain is a war hero and has served his country for decades, but he goes in circles when questions are put to him. It's hard to pin down what he really stands for.
Also, he has this nervous laugh i have never heard before that gets REALLY annoying after about 10 minutes.
September 25, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
So is it just that he's a nice guy who is either clueless or has nothing to say?
If he has answers and is not providing them, then I think (1) goes out the window. On the other hand, you can reconcile (1) and (2), but then any argument that he's ready to lead goes out the window.
September 25, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Inarticulate would be a better word -- surprising for a Senator who has served this long, but no one should count him out either. He can use his folksyism's to parry Obama's charisma. Obama's win in a debate is not a slam dunk. He's going to have to be ready.
September 25, 2008 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama should go ahead with the debate and answer the questions just as he would if McCain were there. That still leaves 1/2 of the air time. The University of Mississippi must not allow McCain to diss Obama and the voter by appointing a stand-in, but should either let Obama discuss the economy or round up the usual suspects (Goodwin, Ornstein, Dallek, etc) to discuss Presidential character.
September 25, 2008 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Turn the rest of the air time into a Town Hall and let Obama take questions from the audience.
September 25, 2008 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
IF the debate commission wants to hold the debate, and McCain refuses to show up, then the debate commission should turn it into a town hall forum with Obama answering voter questions.
At this juncture, that would no doubt prove interesting. I think McCain is blowing it.
September 25, 2008 11:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Like Billy Glad in a post yesterday I'm afraid McCain will get a short term benefit from this gambit. He will be seen by some of the not yet committed voters as decisive.
(To some extent this is military value. In my officers' candidate school instructors deliberately gave conflicting instructions and if you hesitated a third instructor shouted "do something even if it's wrong")
There's a down side as well. The public approval for changes of course is not infinite. The next time, or the time after that, the reaction might change to "what is it this time?".
Reminds me of an apocryphal anecdote .Voltaire attends a scandalous party , and enjoy himself. When invited back he declines with "once a philosopher, twice a pervert".
September 25, 2008 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Why are press people (and Bill Clinton no less) going along with this?"
As for Bill Clinton, could you please provide a link or citation? It's not that I don't believe you, I just want to hear for myself what he's been saying and what the context is.
As for the press people, the sense I get is that many of them are being pretty hard on McCain for this stunt. Even Juan Williams this morning on NPR. Of course they are going to hedge their bets a bit in case there is a groundswell of opinion that McCain's "gambit" was "brilliant" and therefore successful. Reading other usually non-political blogs this morning the opnion seems to be running about 90% to 10% that McCain's "suspension" was a sleazy act of desperation.
September 25, 2008 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Has anyone heard that Bob Barr wants to step in and debate Obama?
September 25, 2008 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not heard that, but it would be delicious...especially in the South. It is an idea the Obama campaign should pursue..so as to siphon votes away from McCain and make it possible for Obama to win GA, MS, AL, Fl, NC, LA,TX.
That would be an awesome strategic move on the part of Obama's campaign.
September 25, 2008 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he wants to delay this Debate to forgo one. Maybe the one in which V.P. candidates debate.
September 25, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
That idea has been floated already by McCain surrogate Lindsey Graham.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/219470.php
-- ARG
September 25, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
IF McCain was the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, or even if he was a member, he would have a legitimate roll to play in the bail-out conundrum - he would have imput on what the committee eventually decides.
As it is, he's merely one of a hundred. Might make sense if he showed up to cast an up or down vote on what eventually comes up for a Senate vote - he hasn't cast a vote since May, by the way - but it might not make political sense for him to actually vote for what finally comes up for a whole-body vote. Be interesting to see if he votes. Most likely depends on which way the political wind is blowing at that moment.
September 25, 2008 11:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that McCain has no useful role in determining the eventual compromise and would even say that he should stay miles away from negotiations. However, the Republics are threatening to block the bill or vote against it if it isn't exactly what Hank Rumsfeld demanded or if it isn't what they would want if they knew what they wanted. So McCain can help by pointing out how harmful it will be to his slim chances of being elected if the Republic congressmen are seen to be obstructing a solution to what he has admitted to be a grave problem. He can also threaten them with being locked in a small room with his painted pit bull.
September 25, 2008 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since most senators can't stand McCain's guts, they'd probably prefer to be locked in a room with his painted pit bull than with him.
September 25, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about I'll lock in the room with the pit bull and when I lose this election because of your stupid vote, I'll be back in the Senate and I will not forget what you did. You think you've seen hostile, just wait.
September 26, 2008 9:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's Clinton spinning for McCain, Ned:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/bill-clinton-do.html
September 25, 2008 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks.
Theda (and you) are right, that's pretty bad.
September 25, 2008 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clinton qualifies for the dictionary's example of a sleazebag.
It used to be a 'vast right-wing conspiracy' threatening the Clinton's political survival: Now it's a vast Obama-wing conspiracy.
September 25, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is absolutely no reason for the debate to be cancelled. This economic 'crisis' does not threaten to bring an end to western civilization as we know it. Some aren't sure if it is a crisis at all.
Part of being a leader is delegation. There are committees in the House and Senate, working with the Fed and Treasury, to resolve the current economic issues facing us. A leader would use the resources he/she had at hand to resolve the problem and not try to do it all themself.
Some people here have suggested that McCain's phony 'Here I come to save the day' gambit will score him points with the electorate. I strongly disagree...I think it will be viewed for what it is, a cheap political stunt capitalizing on a so-called crisis which is close to resolution.
But McCain has laid his cards on the table so I am not expecting to see him at the debate Friday night. At this point this charade is his newest lie and he'll be sticking to it.
September 25, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
September 25, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which was supposed to continue
MenckenSeptember 25, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps McCain's dodge of the debate stems from the inability to find a small receiver like the one Bush used in his debates.
September 25, 2008 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Um... excuse me, but does anybody here realize that Obama and McCain are both US Senators? Does anybody realize that Congress and the Senate are in the process of deciding the biggest bill this country has seen "since the Great Depression" - as stated by Obama no less. Does anybody realize that earlier this summer, McCain offered to pay for Obama's plane ticket so that they could debate in some town-hall meetings across the country to which Obama repeatedly declined? So let's talk about DODGING one's duty here for a minute and you tell me who's avoiding the issue. Stop calling it a "cheap political stunt" and start calling it what it is. HIS JOB!!!
September 25, 2008 7:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
O my isn't that rich? McCain offering to buy a plane ticket for Obama? hahahaha...Obama has raised far more money than McCain so the cost of a plane ticket was not the issue. However, the offer was just another display of condescension on the part of McCain.
McCain was the one tanking in the polls looking for Obama to come and help him get an audience. no one was even coming to McCain's rallies or town hall meetings.
McCain thought if he could use Obama as a magnet to draw crowds that would give him some exposure.
Obama said no way, no how...draw your own crowds, mcCain.
That is why McCain is ticked, he looked down his nose at Obama but the political reality was no one wanted hear a darn thing that old codger had to say, he was dull and boring and droned on and on with his 'my friends' comments.
HRC tried the same thing in the primaries when she was down in the polls. It didn't work for her either. obama is too smart to fall for those self-serving requests.
Even so Obama did agree to a town hall meeting with McCain and McCain turned it down because he wanted more town halls than Obama did.
McCain and his supporters need to quit whinning about town hall meetings it just sounds so juvenile.
September 25, 2008 10:15 PM | Reply | Permalink