McCain seeks to delay debate to focus on economy

DixieN

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

I think this is actually a good idea.
and i believe McCain actually thinks it is.
I also certainly believe it was an attempt at political showmanship,
but it is VERY important for congress and the senate to come to agreement and get a bailout passed.

Unless ya'll are suddenly ready to man through a (what i have been endlessly told is an imaginary) depression like REAL americans, now.

The country's been in the same condition for the last five days. We had 24 hours to act or the world would stop revolving. News flash: It's still turning, and it's damn hard to notice anything different. Is the world crashing down around you yet? Noticed ANY difference? (Well, okay...your stock-based IRA has probably taken a noticeable dive. To be fair, I also noticed that I could suddenly "buy low" and did just that...this crash has been not a complete disaster for me personally so far.) Other than that, there is no difference for me. No businesses are closing. Nothing is terribly different today in my daily life than it was 3 months ago, financially. Depressions isn't going to happen; something that makes some sense will be passed soon enough to save us from the an economic Snidely Whiplash.

NOW McCain wants to get serious?? NOW McCain has to be in Washington or the world will fall down??? Senate Banking Committee Chairman Dodd says McCain hasn't called him once in the five days of the crisis, although Obama and other who are ACTUALLY concerned have been in close contact. How come McCain, this very evening, is sitting in New York if he so desperately has to be in Washington? How come other senators have been working for 5 days around the clock and McCain hasn't even picked up the phone? He's been crying too hard over the economy? Please. McCain likes games. He's not a serious man. He thinks it's a good idea to rescue his failing bid for the presidency is what McCain thinks.

DixieN

Solat13 wrote:

Here's the vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E

That's rich! Thanks for posting!

slightofjeff

JSBE wrote:

do they need to be present? or do they even have to vote? maybe i'm misunderstanding here (and i'll fess up to that), but haven't obama and mccain both either not been present for votes or have not voted at all on some issues/bills/etc?

obviously i understand that the vote is important, i'm not denying that, but i am just curious as to the exact requirements that they either be in attendance or make an actual yes or no vote.

Well, Obama has to BE present to vote present ... right

slightofjeff

weenie wrote:

slightofjeff couldn't take any more. Looks like he left the board for the time being. He and cincybearcat think we're all "elitist" because we don't fall for McPalin and their bullshit and nobody likes what they don't understand.............

As per g under p
"peace"

Sorry I couldn't be here 24/7. Should I give you my cell number? Sheesh.

And if you can find one instance of me calling ANYONE on this board elitist, I'll give you a million dollars.

That buys a lot of arugula and brie

slightofjeff

digster wrote:

No offense, man, but you've got to ease up on those talking points a bit. Just because Senator McCain says it doesn't make it true, just like when Senator Obama says something doesn't make it true.

I'm wondering when it was today, after a week of frantic activity regarding the crisis on Wall Street and the proposed bailout, after all that, McCain, who's not as far as I know a member of the Banking and Finance Committee...he suddenly had this realization that he was needed in Washington. Was it during debate prep? He's meeting with Bono? I think even the most conservative observer would have to view this as being at least in large part political posturing.

There are rumblings that several congressional leaders ... including Harry Reid ... urged McCain back to Washington. Regardless of his faults, he DOES have a history of marshaling bi-partisan support on certain issues, and that particular talent of his will be needed in this instance.

This may be political posturing ... I won't deny that. But on the other hand, as I've mentioned earlier, it's also a pretty dicey political move.

He could come off looking like a "leader willing to put the country above politics" -- in which case he scores points.

Or he could come off looking like "the guy who brokered the largest, and most unpopular, bailout in U.S. history." And if that tag gets attached to him, he loses the election. (For those of you not paying attention ... conservatives HATE the idea of a bailout, especially as currently constructed. Passage of such a bill could lose McCain the support of much of the base he attracted via the Palin pick).

I'm not going to pretend like this move is 100 percent altruistic ... but he IS rolling the dice on his chances of becoming president, and I think the only reason you do that is if you really, deep down in your gut, believe what you are doing is the right thing.

DixieN

slightofjeff wrote:

Sorry I couldn't be here 24/7. Should I give you my cell number? Sheesh.

And if you can find one instance of me calling ANYONE on this board elitist, I'll give you a million dollars.

That buys a lot of arugula and brie

Hey, arugula is good stuff. Brie...eh....we can donate that to the little people.

slightofjeff

DixieN wrote:

Hey, arugula is good stuff. Brie...eh....we can donate that to the little people.

Give them brie and muffin tops

sweetpotato

it's just another political move, one that i hope backfires in his face, much like palingate has.

besides, he probably has to coach palin before HER debate (you know, the one where biden rips her a new asshole?), and he figures by saying it's all about the economy, stupid, he'll guide attention away from the fact that his running mate is a psychotic moron.

DixieN

From Slate:

It's not clear what exactly McCain is going to do in Washington. He doesn't sit on any of the relevant committees and everyone is already deep in negotiations. Still, he's coming anyway. It doesn't make much logical sense. The only way to understand it is politically: In a presidential campaign, the surest sign that a candidate is playing politics on an issue is when he claims not to be playing politics on an issue...

It's hard to believe that McCain's actions would pass his own laugh test. In fact, he's often snickered at his fellow senators who come in at the eleventh hour to lend a hand after McCain has done the hard work. But the McCain campaign is past caring about how journalists (or colleagues) view his moves. He hopes the rest of the country will see this as a leadership moment."

http://www.slate.com/id/2200867/

slightofjeff

sweetpotato wrote:

it's just another political move, one that i hope backfires in his face, much like palingate has.

besides, he probably has to coach palin before HER debate (you know, the one where biden rips her a new asshole?), and he figures by saying it's all about the economy, stupid, he'll guide attention away from the fact that his running mate is a psychotic moron.

Your post is full of epic fail. Seriously. It might be the worst thing on the Internet.

slightofjeff

DixieN wrote:

From Slate:

It's not clear what exactly McCain is going to do in Washington. He doesn't sit on any of the relevant committees and everyone is already deep in negotiations. Still, he's coming anyway. It doesn't make much logical sense. The only way to understand it is politically: In a presidential campaign, the surest sign that a candidate is playing politics on an issue is when he claims not to be playing politics on an issue...

It's hard to believe that McCain's actions would pass his own laugh test. In fact, he's often snickered at his fellow senators who come in at the eleventh hour to lend a hand after McCain has done the hard work. But the McCain campaign is past caring about how journalists (or colleagues) view his moves. He hopes the rest of the country will see this as a leadership moment."

http://www.slate.com/id/2200867/

Gee, slate.com ... there's an unbiased source. Might as well come with a tagline: "I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message"

digster

slightofjeff wrote:

Gee, slate.com ... there's an unbiased source. Might as well come with a tagline: "I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message"

Slate's relatively unbiased. Leans a bit liberal, Democratic.

Anyway, Slate's absolutely right. There's not going to be anything for McCain to do. He doesn't sit on the committees that are currently investigating and interrogating Paulson and Bernanke. What is he going to be doing there? The negotiations have been occurring behind closed doors while both candidates were out in the country.

Actually, I was kind of iffy on whether he really believed that he was going back to do some good work, but it's pretty obvious that until the vote comes up, there's not going to be much for him to do.

my piece of clay

John, use the extra time to do something about your combover, maybe a little Redken camocolor to blend or shine up the grey thing a bit!

brandon10

acoustic guy wrote:

Man you don't know what the hell you are talking about.
McCain AND Obama are Sanators. This Financial situation includes them 100%. Its part of their job to get involved in it. Its a smart move by McCain to sugest this. Its a extremely important situation going on here. Do you read the news?

Pathetic. Tell me exactly how Obama and McCain canceling will suddenly improve our economy. They can fly anywhere within a matter of hours. All these talking points are a complete joke. It's the blind following the stupid. Get your head out of your ass.

JD Sal

digster wrote:

Slate's relatively unbiased. Leans a bit liberal, Democratic.

Anyway, Slate's absolutely right. There's not going to be anything for McCain to do. He doesn't sit on the committees that are currently investigating and interrogating Paulson and Bernanke. What is he going to be doing there? The negotiations have been occurring behind closed doors while both candidates were out in the country.

Actually, I was kind of iffy on whether he really believed that he was going back to do some good work, but it's pretty obvious that until the vote comes up, there's not going to be much for him to do.

I agree, there's no reason for McCain to be there right now. Here's what Barney Frank said about John McCain suddenly wanting to help. Pretty good stuff.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080925/pl_nm/us_financial_bailout_deal_1

By Richard Cowan and Thomas Ferraro
2 hours, 35 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Rep. Barney Frank said on Wednesday Democrats had reached an agreement to stem one of the worst U.S. financial disasters in decades, and that there would be enough votes to pass the measure and send it to President George W. Bush to sign into law.

"We now have between House and Senate Democrats an agreement on what we think should be in the bill, and we have a meeting scheduled at 10 a.m. tomorrow to meet with the Republicans," said Frank, chairman of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee.

Proponents of a rescue plan have expressed hope that a bill could be delivered to Bush within days.

While the Bush administration had asked Congress for $700 billion for an unprecedented Wall Street bailout, Frank said that amount might not be delivered all at once.

"One tranche doesn't work," he said, adding that "safeguards" were needed.

Frank said there would be tough congressional oversight of as well as limits on compensation packages for executives of companies that receive federal relief.

The Massachusetts senator said a limited number of details still had to be resolved, but thought it could be done quickly. These matters involved bankruptcy protections for families on the verge of losing their homes and giving the government a return on its money if the company being helped prospers.

Frank took a dig at Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who interrupted his campaign to return to Washington on Thursday to help work on a Wall Street bailout.

"All of sudden, now that we are on the verge of making a deal, John McCain here drops himself in to help us make a deal, Frank said.

He expressed fear that McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona who has spent much of the year away from the Capitol campaigning, could end up slowing down work on the bill.

The Massachusetts Democrat noted that a meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday will be interrupted for a "photo op" at the White House with congressional Democrats and Republicans as well as Bush.

"We're trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain campaign," Frank said.

"Earlier today it became clear to me we would get the votes to pass this bill," Frank told CNBC in an earlier interview. He said it could take a few days to craft final legislation.

Frank spoke shortly after Bush delivered a nationally televised address in which he warned that the United States was in the midst of a financial crisis that could push the economy into a long-term recession if the government did not act.

Frank said he was pleased that the president spoke after calls by Democrats in Congress that he explain to the nation what was at stake. Democrats blamed the crisis largely on the failure of Bush to adequately regulate the financial industry.

Frank said that lawmakers writing the legislation have kept the Bush administration informed of what they intend to do.

"We know very well what Treasury and the Federal Reserve think would make this unworkable. I do not think we will have anything in here that they think would make it unworkable," Frank said.

The issue of government controls on compensation for executives of corporations that participate in the bailout had ignited a firestorm, with Americans complaining to their representatives in Congress that these corporate chiefs shouldn't be rewarded for failure.

"On the executive compensation thing, it went to the core of their (the Bush administration's) being," said Frank. "It was like asking the chief rabbi of Jerusalem to eat bacon on Yom Kippur. It was the most unthinkable thing they could think of."

Thecure

SoonForgotten2 wrote:

Did Letterman actually say that? That's pretty sweet, if so.

This whole thing pisses me off. This reeks of playing politics and the fact is proven by the timelines. McCain is going to look like an absolute fool, because sorry, as the "leader of the free world" one had better be able to strike a balance between critical issues without having to call a time-out. That's just incredibly fucking WEAK. They can both have their say in Washington without postponing the debate. This shouldn't even be an issue because the government shouldn't be bailing out anyone in the almighty capitalistic US of A and certainly not a government that dragged everyone into such a mess in the first place.

To Thecure: quit whining about Obama going to Berlin. Since you apparently can't see beyond your front porch, let me crack an egg of knowledge for you: There are many, many voting Americans who live abroad. I know I'm not just speaking for myself when I say that I am encouraged by a candidate reaching out and speaking to the international community after the US spent the past 8 years pissing all over it. At the very least, it gives us ex-Pats a chance to see a candidate closer to home, or in some cases in person. If you really think that's such a bad thing, please crawl back into your cave and hope that the outside world never comes a knockin'.

why don't people read. i never said that Obama should not go to Berlin, i think it was a smart thing politically. what i did say was a responds to another comment that stated that McCain has time to go to the clinton thing today but now wants to suspend his campaign to go to washigton to you know do his job. Obama stated in his speech that he was not there as a person running for president but was there as a citizen of the world.

one last thing, a debate is a critical issue. as critical as the economy. lets be realistic.

cincybearcat

JD Sal wrote:

"We now have between House and Senate Democrats an agreement on what we think should be in the bill, and we have a meeting scheduled at 10 a.m. tomorrow to meet with the Republicans," said Frank, chairman of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee.
[/b]

Does it bother anyone that even when dealing with a huge crisis, the parties have to separate to come up with a plan and then hash it out? Shouldn't this have been done in a bi-partisan effort from the beginning? Yet, will all just re-elect are 36 year senators.

cincybearcat

JD Sal wrote:

"We're trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain campaign," Frank said.[/b]

That's actually really funny.

cincybearcat

PEPPER wrote:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/reid-to-mccain.html

UPDATE: McCain senior adviser Mark Salter emails: "Yesterday, Harry Reid said that consensus couldn't be achieved without John McCain's leadership. John stepped up and is providing that leadership. Now Senator Reid seems to have changed his mind for reasons we'll let him explain. But what he should understand is that this isn't about Harry Reid or John McCain or Barack Obama. It's about the American people and, in the words of Warren Buffet, the financial Pearl Harbor they're facing. John's committed to doing his part to help avert that calamity. We hope Senator Reid is too."
---
The latest word in, both McCain and Obama will be at the White House today working in this issue, and it will show just how impotent Harry Reid truly is as a leader.

Interesting.

mammasan

Well not that this is scientific by any means, but listening to Sirus Patriot radio, for those that don't know it's a conservative radio station, last night and this morning it seems that the majority of caller viewed McCain decision as a negative. They expressed that even though they did not agree with Obama as a candidate they felt that he came off as being "more presidential" in his decision. One caller, not that I agreed with his statement but found it interesting, so it as a move by the McCain campaign not to delay his debate but as a means to delay the VP debate. The McCain campaign has suggested that the debate be rescheduled for next Thursday, the day the VP debate was to be held. This would cause the VP debate to be pushed back as well and being that Palin has had some trouble with her responses during the Gibson and Couric interview it would buy more time to prepare her. Again I don't necessarily agree with that sentiment but I thought I would throw it out there to see what everyone else thought of it.