McCain to suspend campaigning, wants to delay debate due to financial crisis

[maco]

McCain’s Call to Cancel Debate Met with Resistance

Susan Davis reports on the presidential race.

John McCain is calling for a delay in Friday’s national security debate with Barack Obama at the University of Mississippi, but the school is moving full steam ahead, according to a statement released this afternoon. The Associated Press also reported that Obama is seeking to keep the debate on schedule.

“The University of Mississippi is going forward with the preparation for the debate. We are ready to host the debate, and we expect the debate to occur as planned,” the statement said, “At present, the University has received no notification of any change in the timing or venue of the debate. We have been notified by the Commission on Presidential Debates that we are proceeding as scheduled.”

McCain’s call for both he and Obama to immediately suspend their presidential campaigns and return to Capitol Hill to address the ongoing economic crisis and proposed $700 billion financial sector bailout was dismissed quickly by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada as a “campaign photo op” for McCain.

“While I appreciate that both candidates have signaled their willingness to help, Congress and the Administration have a process in place to reach a solution to this unprecedented financial crisis,” he said, calling for the debate to occur on schedule.

“I understand that the candidates are putting together a joint statement at Senator Obama’s suggestion. But it would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy.”

The two presidential campaigns have issued competing timelines of events today leading up to McCain’s call to cancel the debates. Here is Obama’s version:

“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. 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.”

Shortly after, the McCain campaign released their version:

“Senator Obama phoned Senator McCain at 8:30 am this morning but did not reach him. The topic of Senator Obama’s call to Senator McCain was never discussed. Senator McCain was meeting with economic advisers and talking to leaders in Congress throughout the day prior to calling Senator Obama. At 2:30 pm, Senator McCain phoned Senator Obama and expressed deep concern that the plan on the table would not pass as it currently stands. He asked Senator Obama to join him in returning to Washington to lead a bipartisan effort to solve this problem.”

A spokesman for McCain also said the campaign is suspending all political activities, including fund-raising and advertising.

The $700 billion bailout proposal is being met with resistance from lawmakers of both parties on Capitol Hill. Politico reported that lawmakers may scale back the package in order to build bipartisan support for the plan. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told bloggers on a video conference today that she would not put a bill on the floor without significant bipartisan support. “We [Democrats] are not taking ownership of this,” she told www.meetthebloggers.org.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/09/24...esistance/

[Seacrest]

swampy wrote:
I admire McCain for returning to DC to _lead_ instead of just talk. Obama says he's "been in touch with Palosi and Paulson" and "I've told them to call me if you need me".

Call me if you need me? The COUNTRY needs you asshat! You DO have a job as a US Senator, last I heard. That you BHO would put your political gains ahead of this nation is abhorrent!

Alanis Morrisette called.
She wanted to thank you for your excellent real world demonstration of the true definition of "ironic."

[$tevie]

This is all based on a false sense of urgency. Just tell Congress they can't go home this weekend after all, hold the debate, and the candidates can fly to DC and join the fun Saturday morning. I don't believe Congress should be trying to jam something through this fast in the first place.

McCain is trying to score points with the public because the economic crisis has been boosting Obama in the polls. So to fight back he is making the only firm stand he can come up with: to chicken out on the debate.

[guitarist]

Nope, sorry.



(I love an open mind)

Another way of looking at it is that Washington elites, over the last few decades, have been spending more, and more...and more...and more time and energy campaigning, raising money, campaigning, throwing themselves 50,000.00-a-plate dinners, campaigning, talking...and less and less time working, voting, solving problems, fulfilling their obligation to serve the public.

I personally think they should both shut up, go to Washington, and get back to work. The debates are still going to happen. If the debates begin next week, or two weeks from now, who cares, I doubt the future of American prosperity and stability rises and falls on what is essentially differing views of a campaign scheduling detail.

Even if this other way of looking at it is viewed unfavorably--which is okay--few would agree that public servants spend too little time campaigning and arguing, and too much time in Washington DC working to solve national problems. We have campaign promises and partisan rhetoric running out our ears, it's been a long race. A little less posturing and a little more hands-on governing might be a welcome change.

[$tevie]

You know, just because McCain doesn't know how to teleconference, email, iChat, or text does not mean that Obama can't be perfectly in tune with what is happening in DC. That's why Congressmen have staffers. And for god's sake, I would hope McCain could at least use a phone.

The concept in this day and age that someone has to be in the room to be in the loop could only come from a person as tech-challenged as Old Man McCain.

[Gutenberg]

Don't they have telephones? I bet there are other ways to make their opinions on the bailout known than traveling to Washington.

In fact I have heard of these phones that don't have to be hooked up by the Bell System. You can actually carry them in your pocket, or in your car, and if you press in a working phone number, most of the time the phones will connect and you can talk.

There is also a thing called the interweb. Perhaps Mr. McCain has not heard of it, but you can send messages for free! All the way from Oxford, Miss. to Washington D.C., instantly! You don't have to wait for the US Mail.

I have even heard that some of these "personal computers" that can connect to the interweb have cameras installed, and you can "video conference" so everyone can see everyone else.

[mattkime]

This is exactly why Al Gore invented the internet!

[swampy]

Chicken out of the debate? McCain has been calling for Obama to debate him and hold town hall meetings since day one. But the Obama handlers know he's doesn't do well off the teleprompter so they have turned McCain down every time.

LOL, Stevie, What kind of accurate poll are you looking at. One poll admits that they asked more blacks than whites who they were gonna vote for. Yeah, real accurate.

Thank you Guitarist. A clear mind speaketh.

[Seacrest]

Gutenberg wrote:

There is also a thing called the interweb. Perhaps Mr. McCain has not heard of it, but you can send messages for free! All the way from Oxford, Miss. to Washington D.C., instantly! You don't have to wait for the US Mail.

To be fair, sometimes when you send an Internet on Friday, one of the series of tubes gets blocked and your staff may not receive said Internet until the following Monday.

Or so I've heard from knowledgeable people.

[$tevie]

mattkime wrote:
This is exactly why Al Gore invented the internet!

Well, John needs to ask Cindy to help him find the Google. This is a national crisis and she needs to step up.