09/24/2008
McCain Requests Delay of Friday Debate to 'Work on Economy'
McCain seeks to delay Friday's debate because of the nation's financial crisis:
"In a statement, McCain says he will stop campaigning after addressing former President Bill Clinton's Global Initiative session on Thursday and return to Washington to focus on the nation's financial problems. McCain also said he wants President Bush to convene a leadership meeting in Washington. Both he and Obama would attend the session."
Does anyone believe that's the real reason he wants to suspend the debate, not his plummeting poll numbers? Don't you have to be able to handle more than one thing at a time to be an effective President?
More: "McCain said he has spoken to Obama about his plans and asked the Democratic presidential nominee to join him...The Obama campaign said Obama had called McCain around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to propose that they issue a joint statement in support of a package to help fix the economy as soon as possible. McCain called back six hours later and agreed to the idea of the statement, the Obama campaign said. McCain's statement was issued to the media a few minutes later."
UPDATE: Obama camp says debate is on.
Posted 3:10 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, News | Permalink
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But he was a P. O. W.!
You're not allowed to ask that question!
Posted by: Joe | Sep 24, 2008 3:24:41 PM
OK, so how much time is the debate really going to take away from the economy? Three hours? Not that much.
Neither McCain nor Obama is an economist. Both of them have staff that make suggestions. Both the Democrats and Republicans will have to make decisions at the party-level. Worse for McCain is that whatever he proposes has to map to the Bush administration's plans.
McCain is a good debater. He cleaned Mitt Romney's clock in the early debates. Something else is up. This delay is about fixing or positioning.
What would Rush Limbaugh or the idiots at Redstate.com or Gayconservativenitwit.com say if Obama asked for a debate delay at the last moment?
Posted by: noah | Sep 24, 2008 3:27:07 PM
I wish that Obama had thought of it first. The economy is about to completely fall into shambles and, as senators, they should both be in Washington helping to fix the immediate problem. The election, being six weeks away, can wait.
point McCain.
Posted by: Dan B | Sep 24, 2008 3:31:57 PM
What a joke. Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
Posted by: Farrah | Sep 24, 2008 3:32:19 PM
Straight up ploy and he's not ready. He's trying to paint himself as the one who is reaching across the isle, blah, blah. Obama is the one who 1st suggested suspending the campaign. The debate needs to go on and Obama should not agree to postpone.
Posted by: DCMNYC | Sep 24, 2008 3:32:34 PM
you're seriously fucking joking me right now right?
Posted by: Rami | Sep 24, 2008 3:32:51 PM
SOoo...Obama agreed? WTF!! Hate the fact this BS is going on...Why did Obama agree to such crap-cake? THIS IS BS!!~
Posted by: bosie | Sep 24, 2008 3:36:20 PM
Reasons for mcshame canceling
1- Obama ahead 9% in new ABC/WAPO poll. 52% O ...43% M, with Kerry and Gore never breaking 50% in it till days before the election
2- 2-1 americans blaming repubs for economic mess
3- RICK DAVIS!!!! revelation by NYT still recieved money to the tune of $15,000 a month since 2006 and up till last month. Mchsame caught in lie about Rick davis delivered Sunday
This one is the biggy. He and his people can now claim the campaign is suspended due to the economic crisis instead of answering press questions about the lie. Can slam the press for any headlines talking about the lie by saying the media hates america by not focusing on mcshame working on the economic crisis.
4- Maybe Biden's home run smack down speech today on foreign affairs. Citing mcshame SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on foreign affairs. not knowing who spain's president is, wanting to bomb syria/iran/iraq/basicaly everyone after 9/11, etc
5- scared to death of debating Obama
mcshame the legacy child (pops and grandpop were admirals)has shown he is a p@ssy
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Sep 24, 2008 3:38:25 PM
The question should left up to the consituency they belong to frankly. Those are the people both answer to and not to anyone else as to what they should be doing. Frankly this was a brilliant move on McCain's part and the rest of you are just pissy because he beat Obama to the punch.
Posted by: Las Vegas | Sep 24, 2008 3:40:32 PM
So now THIS will become the issue rather than the real issues that might have been raised in the debate. Ah, American politics, gotta love 'em! Maybe it should be postponed till Nov 5 so McCain can better focus on keeping himself and Palin out of journalistic harm's way?
Posted by: Ernie | Sep 24, 2008 3:40:57 PM
PS
Probably a trial balloon on canceling the VP debate. They have realized that all the cramming with palin hasn't taken. She can't learn all that she needs to know for the debate.
If this flys then they will cancel the VP debate.
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Sep 24, 2008 3:41:09 PM
Dan B - If Obama had done this first, the McCain campaign would've attacked him with something like what Andy said above.
"Don't you have to be able to handle more than one thing at a time to be an effective President?"
This is total bullshit.
Posted by: JP | Sep 24, 2008 3:41:33 PM
Bitch, please!
Posted by: Cody | Sep 24, 2008 3:42:53 PM
LV
LIES
Obama called mcshame this morning at 8:30 am to get them both to jointly adress the nation in a bipartisan manner on the economy.
mcshame is flustered/ blindsided and grasping at straws
Obama should
1- say that debate should be held in DC on Friday night instead
2- The debate should be on economics instead of foreign affairs
The old PUSSY legacy child folded , plain and simple
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Sep 24, 2008 3:44:44 PM
"Frankly this was a brilliant move on McCain's part and the rest of you are just pissy because he beat Obama to the punch."
Bullshit, frankly, and you know it. If it had been Obama who suggested postponing, the right would have been salivating with glee and saying what a pussy Obama was.
Posted by: Ernie | Sep 24, 2008 3:47:20 PM
McCain is picking up his ball and going home.
Posted by: Stevo | Sep 24, 2008 3:57:06 PM
Not really I have the opinion that Senators who run for president should give up their seats in first place. Obama started running four years ago and MCCain hasn't stopped since the last 6 years. It's a disservice to the people that put them there not to be in the Senate where their job currently is.
Had Obama suggested it I would be pissed for McCain not to have done it in the first place. It actually doesn't show whther one or the other has balls it shows whether one or the other shows some leadership, statesmanship, and commitment to the job they currently have.
I don't care who called who first...McCain made the news cycle and now...with everyone crying Obama called first just makes Obama looking like a whiny baby with sour grapes syndrome.
Posted by: Las Vegas | Sep 24, 2008 3:58:14 PM
JIMMYBOY
Right on mark. This is all a ploy to get Palin away from her debate, not to mention taking a page from the Bush/Rove, no press access.
As for you LAS VEGAS, you are the biggest douche bag troll on this site, congrats.
Posted by: patrick nyc | Sep 24, 2008 3:59:50 PM
ERNIE, you are correct, whichever side wants to postpone will be called pussies by the other. That is exactly what Andy and most of the commenters are doing!!
Truth is, they should be doing this so that they can be in Washington educating themselves on the important bill they are going to have to vote on (you know, governing!!!) rather than holed up in a farmhouse somewhere practicing for a debate.
I find it hard to believe that McCain isn't ready to debate, he's been in the senate for ever.
I'm for Obama, i just think the economy is issue #1 with voters right now, and Obama is winning on the issue. he should have been the one to say they should pause and address a complete crisis.
Face it, ladies. the McCain political machine is genius. Picking Sarah Palin was a completely genius move and so is this. He's slaughtering Obama in politics, unfortunately.
Posted by: Dan B | Sep 24, 2008 4:00:10 PM
I agree the debate should be held...but not kept on the current topic of foreign affairs.
The waters are already very muddy on the current financial affairs and have to be dealt with TODAY and not in January. there is plenty of time to debate on economics before Nov.
Posted by: Las Vegas | Sep 24, 2008 4:02:14 PM
Thanks Patrick I'll wear that title with honor..perhaps even the Queen will nominate me for knighthood.
Posted by: Las Vegas | Sep 24, 2008 4:04:47 PM
We both think it's a brilliant move by McCain who comes across as the good guy. Eat your heart out dahlings. He did good and you have to admit it.
Posted by: the queen with the countess de gooch | Sep 24, 2008 4:04:50 PM
Dan B, no offense, but you're wrong on this.
McCain's "completely genius" move picking Sarah Palin was anything but. McCain's apparent forte is pulling gimmicks that monopolize a short-term news cycle, at the expense of long-term poll numbers.
Palin is the prime example -- she is now polling far worse than McCain, Obama and Biden -- Obama's lead among women is now HIGHER than it ever has been, and his lead over McCain is just about the highest it ever has been. The press has turned on Palin for being trapped in a lockbox for the past month.
This debate thing is just another example of a short term news cycle grab that will backfire. McCain obviously cannot handle doing two things at once -- it smacks of desperation and political gimmickry. No independent swing voters will fall for it, because guess what, terrorists don't rearrange their schedules based on wall street bailout "crises". If McCain can't take a few hours to TALK ABOUT national security and foreign policy, then how can he be trusted to handle these ACTUAL issues, along with the economic issues, that we will be facing over the next four years?
This gimmick will remind people that McCain is old, tired and mentally incapable of being President. Obama basically has said "tough shit, the debate is on, gramps," managing to look intelligent, resilient and tough - no small feat for a Democrat.
Posted by: Scott | Sep 24, 2008 4:12:21 PM
Debate in the Senate antechamber!!! Topic= economy
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Sep 24, 2008 4:13:49 PM
PS add in Lincoln had to run re-election campaign during the freaking civil war
mcshame isn't up to snuff to multi task
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Sep 24, 2008 4:19:07 PM