McCain suspends his campaign to work on bailout

[ElNono]

I agree. The FUNDAMENTALS are good. We still have low unemployment, low inflation even with the dollar dropping, etc. There are natural cycles, but nothing to indicate that the FUNDAMENTALS are bad!

Let the bad part of the economy fail, the we can rebuild from scratch. The rest of it is strong enough unless democrats keep up the message of doom-and-gloom, and people buy into it.

I, for one, refuse to participate in a recession. I will still work and buy goods.

If Paulson would listen to you and Yoni...

[Cant_Be_Faded]

McCain is attempting to checkmate Obama. Trying to put him in a damned if you do damned if you don't position. This may be it.

If only Obama had some balls....I'd advise him to tell McCain ' off this is the time america needs debate from the two people who are running to be the president'
Obama can insist on debating, and pull the Keating Five ace he has been holding on and I've been insisting he pull out for the bajillionth time...

If McCain refuses, Obama uses the entire debate session as a giant one man show campaign ad.

Could work entirely against him or entirely for him, depending on his choice of words.

[ducks]

if john refuses
the tv slots will be filled up with re-runs

[boutons_]

"democrats keep up the message of doom-and-gloom,"

Capo Paulson, aka Goldman's man in DC, is extorting $1T with his g-a-d, not the Dems.

[ploto]

If I am Obama I show up for the debate as scheduled, and if McCain forfeits, so be it.

McCain is not suspending his campaign. He may cancel some trips but he is still campaigning.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Obama must not allow himself to play by the rules McCain is trying to confine his actions to.

At first glance, Obama is in the weaker position by this, but there has to be some way to reverse this, to shift it. Basically, Obama has to pull a stunt. But the debate must go on. This is the PERFECT opportunity to bust out with the Keating Five meme.....I doubt if Obama is republican-esque enough in his campaigning to actually use it, but if he wants to just WIN this ing thing, then this is the perfect storm to crush McCain.
The only problem is getting to the debate unscathed.

Can you seriously imagine Obama pushing McCain over and over again about the Keating Five in a smart ass way?

And can you seriously imagine McCain not getting flustered and pissed off if he is pushed like that?

And can you seriously imagine the reaction of the public when that old fart goes awol on national television?
It's the perfect storm.

[Findog]

^ It's coming out that Obama called McCain privately to work out a joint statement on what they agreed the bailout provisions should contain. Then McCain spent 6 hours huddling with his aides over how to turn this to their political advantage. So they called him back and said, sure, that's fine, then ran to the tv cameras to announce the campaign suspension. I know what McCain is trying to do, and it won't work: Put Obama in a vise by either having him follow McCain's lead or look partisan by continuing his campaign. I don't think it will work.

[Wild Cobra]

"democrats keep up the message of doom-and-gloom,"

Capo Paulson, aka Goldman's man in DC, is extorting $1T with his g-a-d, not the Dems.

So? My partisanship is limited to anti-democrat. I dislike many of the republicans too you know. I don't agree with all of president Bush's ideas or appointment. I am tired of you thinking I am pro-republican.

Paulson may have been appoited by president Bush, but he was probably part of the problem. He was CEO at Goldman Sachs! I'll bet he wants a quick solution because he doesn't want to be investigated.

I already pay enough in taxes. I say everyone that wants to participate in this bailout to do just that. Send in your check towards the cause, but don't demand my tax dollars be part of the solution.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Hey, it's like Manny said in this first post. This move is purely political. So if you want to sound intelligent and drop partisan sound byte BS, then let's discuss what is going on between McCain and Obama with an understanding that all this is political. Because it is.

[KenMcCoy]

WC...it's patriotic to pay more in taxes.

What I'm looking for is a breakdown of this bailout by tax bracket...not just the $2300 per taxpayer everyone is saying.

[lurker]

"A few moments ago, President Bush called Senator Obama and asked him to attend a meeting in Washington tomorrow, which he agreed to do. Senator Obama has been working all week with leaders in Congress, Secretary Paulsen, and Chairman Bernanke to improve this proposal, and he has said that he will continue to work in a bipartisan spirit and do whatever is necessary to come up with a final solution. He strongly believes the debate should go forward on Friday so that the American people can hear from their next President about how he will lead America forward at this defining moment for our country," said Obama-Biden spokesman Bill Burton.

[MannyIsGod]

I keep wondering how it would play if Obama showed up for the debate and McCain didn't. I really don't know who it would benefit. This election is going to go down as teh most interesting of my life. I don't doubt this one bit.

[MannyIsGod]

I gotta say, so far I think Obama is playing this perfectly. McCain is coming off as desprate and really political so far. I'm extremely biased, and I'm not going to deny that, so my perspective isn't that of the average American.

I do think that so far I don't think Obama has made any big misteps in handling this and that may be the most important thing for him to do right now.

[MannyIsGod]

[boutons_]

White House

President Bush Calls Obama and McCain

Updated 8:30 p.m.
By Michael Abramowitz
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said President Bush called Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama tonight around 7:30 pm. Bush and GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain also spoke this afternoon, and their staffs conferred afterwards, Fratto said.

The president has invited the bicameral and bipartisan leadership, and the two senators running for president, to the White House tomorrow "to work on driving to a bipartisan and timely solution."

Obama has agreed to attend the meeting.

"A few moments ago, President Bush called Senator Obama and asked him to attend a meeting in Washington tomorrow, which he agreed to do," Obama-Biden spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.

"Senator Obama has been working all week with leaders in Congress, Secretary Paulson, and Chairman Bernanke to improve this proposal, and he has said that he will continue to work in a bipartisan spirit and do whatever is necessary to come up with a final solution. He strongly believes the debate should go forward on Friday so that the American people can hear from their next President about how he will lead America forward at this defining moment for our country."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...l?hpid=topnews

==========

So McTimeOut gets an assist from dubya to pull HUSSEIN off the campaign trail.

[MannyIsGod]

Survey USA conducted a poll this afternoon of 1000 people about the notion of cancelling the debate. 3 out of 4 or so wanted it to go on. About half of those would like the focus shifted to economic issues.

I'm gonna try to find a link to it.

America's 1st Reaction -- Friday's McCain-Obama Debate Should Still Be Held On Friday, But Perhaps with New Focus: Immediately after John McCain's announcement at 3 pm ET today, Wednesday 09/24/08, that he was suspending his campaign and seeking to postpone Friday's scheduled presidential debate, SurveyUSA interviewed 1,000 adults nationwide. Key findings: A majority of Americans say the debate should be held on Friday. Just 10% say the debate should be postponed. A sizable percentage of Americans, 36%, think the focus of the debate should be modified to focus more on the economy. 3 of 4 Americans say the presidential campaigns should continue. Just 14% say the presidential campaigns should be suspended. If Friday's debate does not take place, 46% of Americans say that would be bad for America.
Caveats: This survey was completed in middle of unprecedented and fast-changing news events. This survey should be viewed as a freeze-frame snapshot of public opinion at a unique moment in American history. Opinions can and should be expected to change as news events unfold. SurveyUSA did not characterize Senator McCain's comments nor Senator Obama's comments in any way in the research questionnaire.

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/Poll...2-9dd6b2df8c02

[jochhejaam]

Home Run for McCain.

[Yonivore]

McCain is attempting to checkmate Obama. Trying to put him in a damned if you do damned if you don't position. This may be it.

If only Obama had some balls....I'd advise him to tell McCain ' off this is the time america needs debate from the two people who are running to be the president'

Except that McCain isn't asking to cancel the debates...just postpone them while he and Obama do the jobs they are being paid, by the American people, to do.

Frankly, I think seeing what they will do with the Senate this week would say more about their leadership abilities than continuing to campaign and having a debate.

Obama can insist on debating, and pull the Keating Five ace he has been holding on and I've been insisting he pull out for the bajillionth time...

If McCain refuses, Obama uses the entire debate session as a giant one man show campaign ad.

Could work entirely against him or entirely for him, depending on his choice of words.

Yep, he could sure do that. And, you think that'd help him? Particularly if McCain is back in Washington hammering out a bi-partisan agreement that rescues the economy?

I say go for it. Take the gamble.

[MannyIsGod]

Uh oh, word out of DC is that the deal is already pretty damn close to being done. This is from a DC insider, but I don't know the accuracy level.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/219410.php

[MannyIsGod]

!!!!!

[jochhejaam]

On Obama saying that "they can deal with more than one thing at at time";

Here's a parallel, if I'm on the job and I get an emergency call for an immediate family member, I stop what I'm doing to attend the emergency.
Of course I'd have the option of staying at work and monitoring the emergency via phone, but then I come across as uncaring, putting something of lesser importance (practicing for a debate? More campaign bs?, c'mon!) above an emergency.

Take a couple of days off and tend to the crisis at hand, a short postponement of the campaign/debate won't hurt anything.

[MannyIsGod]

I wasn't aware Joch was the POTUSA or that the Presidency was comparable to whatever Joch does. Good to know the level we hold the POTUSA that multi tasking in that job is the same as any crisis any of us would deal with at our jobs.

[jochhejaam]

I wasn't aware Joch was the POTUSA or that the Presidency was comparable to whatever Joch does. Good to know the level we hold the POTUSA that multi tasking in that job is the same as any crisis any of us would deal with at our jobs.

I wasn't aware that Obama or McCain was the POTUS.

So who won?

[jochhejaam]

I wasn't aware Joch was the POTUSA or that the Presidency was comparable to whatever Joch does. Good to know the level we hold the POTUSA that multi tasking in that job is the same as any crisis any of us would deal with at our jobs.

I doubt we'd miss anything earth-shattering if there were a short pause in the campaigning, most people I talk to are suffering from political campaign news fatigue.

Listen, it's not like we have to suspend dialogue on the electoral vote thread.

[cool hand]

So? My partisanship is limited to anti-democrat. I dislike many of the republicans too you know. I don't agree with all of president Bush's ideas or appointment. I am tired of you thinking I am pro-republican.

Paulson may have been appoited by president Bush, but he was probably part of the problem. He was CEO at Goldman Sachs! I'll bet he wants a quick solution because he doesn't want to be investigated.

I already pay enough in taxes. I say everyone that wants to participate in this bailout to do just that. Send in your check towards the cause, but don't demand my tax dollars be part of the solution.

being conservative doesn't mean you have to be republican.

in fact republicans are acting a lot more like fascists if you ask me.