Obama rejects McCain call to delay debate

[hollywoodveg]

Obama rejects McCain call to delay debate
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago
NEW YORK - Republican John McCain said Wednesday that he wants to postpone Friday's debate to deal with the nation's financial problems, but Democrat Barack Obama said "it's more important than ever" that the country hear from its next president.

The White House rivals maneuvered to claim the leadership role on the financial crisis that has overshadowed their campaign, leaving the question of whether they will hold their first debate Friday in doubt. Obama said he would go ahead with his debate preparations, while McCain said he would stop all advertising, fundraising and other campaign events to return to Washington and work for a bipartisan solution.

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess," Obama said in a news conference in Clearwater, Fla. "It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once."
..

[IamJen]

hollywoodveg,

Please post the link/source to this article.

Thanks.

[hollywoodveg]

oops

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080924/ap_on_el_pr/mccain

[vigilant20]

I wonder what Obama is thinking on this one. This really paints McCain as the one who's working to fix things.

[Dirty Martini]

Not unlike when McCain selflessly sacrificed an evening of prime time television coverage to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane in person while Obama was at home writing an email asking people to donate money for the hurricane victims.

On the one hand you have a true public servant, on the other you have a guy that likes to talk and raise money over the internet.

[numinant]

I wonder what Obama is thinking on this one. This really paints McCain as the one who's working to fix things.

i think it paints someone who isn't willing to capitulate to spurious demands. mccain obviously has ulterior motivation for postponing the debates, and obama is calling his bluff. i don't want to come across as an obama supporter (voting nader) but i have a newfound respect for him for not cowering in the face of deceptive republican ploys.

[codemonkey]

I think as senators, McCain, Obama and Bidin need to be doing their actual jobs instead of campaigning.

[hollywoodveg]

I think a President needs to be able to multitask, taking an hour and a half for a debate shouldn't be so hard.

[Irizary]

I think the debate would necessarily steer towards he economy, and McCain just isn't that informed - and he has admitted he doesn't know much about the economy. It think he's running from it.

George Will:

Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202583.html

How about just switch it - a Biden/Palin debate (well, I guess she's hiding out too).

[hollywoodveg]

McCain announced the suspension of his campaign shortly after their conversation, Obama said, adding that both campaigns still were working on the joint statement.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said McCain's move was "just weird."

"We haven't heard hide nor hair of Sen. McCain in these negotiations," said Schumer, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. "He has not been involved except for an occasional, unhelpful statement, sort of thrown from far away, and the last thing we need in these delicate negotiations is an injection of presidential politics."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/24/campaign.wrap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[Irizary]

Yesterday McCain admitted he hadn't even read the THREE PAGE bailout proposal. Yeah, he's on it.


Senator John McCain says he has not decided whether or not to support the Wall Street bailout package now being reviewed by Congress.

The price tag is $700 billion, but could run higher.

In an exclusive interview he told Tom Beres,"I have not had a chance to see it in writing. I have to examine it."
http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=97180&catid=45

I think this would likely be an embarrassing debate for him, and he's trying to avoid it.

[mlp]

Not unlike when McCain selflessly sacrificed an evening of prime time television coverage to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane in person while Obama was at home writing an email asking people to donate money for the hurricane victims.

On the one hand you have a true public servant, on the other you have a guy that likes to talk and raise money over the internet.

Awfully gullible/naive POV.

As to the first point, the last thing a population dealing with a natural disaster needs is for candidates and their entourages to eat up local resources just to get a nice little photo op. And if you think that the McCain camp wasn't thankful to have an excuse to cancel Bush's presence at the convention, I have a road in Alaska to sell to you.

And now the guy who said, only a week and a half ago "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" is so worried about the economy (that is, his plummeting poll numbers) that he's seeking out further photo ops.

[Irizary]

Awfully gullible/naive POV.

As to the first point, the last thing a population dealing with a natural disaster needs is for candidates and their entourages to eat up local resources just to get a nice little photo op. And if you think that the McCain camp wasn't thankful to have an excuse to cancel Bush's presence at the convention, I have a road in Alaska to sell to you.

And now the guy who said, only a week and a half ago "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" is so worried about the economy (that is, his plummeting poll numbers) that he's seeking out further photo ops.

Yes, Palin and McCain had no particular role to play in hurricane relief, or authority over those immediate resources that were used. They're candidates, as are Biden and Obama. DM, how exactly were Palin and McCain so critical to hurricane relief?

[Irizary]

On the Drudge Report of all places...


EXCLUSIVE: LETTERMAN MOCKS MCCAIN CANCELLATION
Wed Sep 24 2008 17:41:58 ET

David Letterman tells audience that McCain called him today to tell him he had to rush back to DC to deal with the economy.

Then in the middle of the taping Dave got word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric. Dave even cut over to the live video of the interview, and said, "Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?"

Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3cbm.htm

And do you think if this debate is put off, the VP one will be as well - he'll make that one the presidential debate night and give her more time to cram?

[Savannah]

Not unlike when McCain selflessly sacrificed an evening of prime time television coverage to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane in person while Obama was at home writing an email asking people to donate money for the hurricane victims.

On the one hand you have a true public servant, on the other you have a guy that likes to talk and raise money over the internet.

ROFLMAO! Ohhhh really? Good one!

What a load.

McCain is just trying desperately to change up the race after the latest polls that came out today showed him about to get creamed due to people's perceptions that he is out of touch with the economic crisis and with their economic concerns. As Obama said, there isn't any reason they can't both have the debate and work on the economic crisis. Republican strategist Ed Rollins admitted on CNN about an hour ago that what most likely happened is that the McCain campaign's polling showed their support slipping badly due to the economic crisis.

What is telling is that Obama called McCain this morning to propose a joint statement, then McCain called back to say that they could issue a joint statement but that he also wanted to delay the debate. Obama told him let's issue a joint statement first. Next thing that happened is McCain went before the cameras with his delay and suspend routine without further consultation or any agreement with Obama. It was political gamesmanship and NOTHING more and it is McCain that is doing the insisting and trying to change what was agreed to previously UNILATERALLY. It was underhanded, but typical of the campaign he has been running to date.

McCain hasn't shown up in Washington, DC since APRIL, but he's on it and sacrificing :rolleyes:


http://news.yahoo.com/story/ap/20080924/ap_on_el_pr/mccain;_ylt=Aof8KvRdRHpHrjrSyRh7uY_MWM0F


"...Obama repeatedly stressed at his news conference that he called McCain first to propose that they issue a joint statement in support of a package to help fix the economy as soon as possible. He said McCain called back several hours later, as Obama was leaving a rally in Florida, and agreed to the idea of a statement but also said he wanted to postpone the debate and hold joint meetings in Washington.

Obama said he suggested they first issue a joint statement showing bipartisanship.

"When I got back to the hotel, he had gone on television to announce what he was going to do," Obama said.

McCain said he would return to Washington after addressing former President Clinton's Global Initiative session in New York Thursday. He canceled his planned appearance Wednesday on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" program and a meeting with the prime minister of India...."


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/us/politics/25campaign.html?hp


"...“Now that we are on the verge of making a deal, John McCain airdrops himself in to help us make a deal,” said Representative Barney Frank, of Massachusetts and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. “Frankly, we are going to have to interrupt a negotiating session tomorrow between Democrats and Republicans on a bill where I think we are getting pretty close to troop down to the White House for a photo op.”

“What, does McCain think the Senate will still be working at 9 p.m. Friday?” Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania said in an interview, referring to the scheduled start time of the debate. “I think this is all political.”
..."


"...In the midst of the confusion, officials with the Commission on Presidential Debates said that they were moving forward with the debate and that talks with the McCain campaign throughout the day had not persuaded them on the Republican nominee’s position. “We believe the public will be well served by having all of the debates go forward as scheduled,” the commission said.

..."

[AJccc4Life]

This is nothing but a tactical move on McCain's part. McCain hasn't taken any action regarding this issue, it was Obama who has been calling and keeping inform. McCain showed no interest until Obama called him earlier this morning about a joint statement and working together on this and he unilaterally went forth to make it sound like something he came up with on his own. Obama has said he would go to Washington if necessary and is going tommarrow to meet with Bush. There is no reason to postpone the debate if anything this is a time where the people need to hear from them the most. He knows if the debate goes on and it most likely will it will focus on the economy and not foreign policy and he knows the Obama has him beat when it comes to the economy issue. They both have similar principles when it comes to the bailout so what is he going to do when he get there? If he goes and sides with Bush, slows the process down even more, or goes with the I'm fixing this and he doesn't work and things get even worse voters will be mad. This is a very risky move by McCain to try to gain some points and voters and I doubt it works. Just like his bright idea to add Palin to the ticket he didn't get any real gains but what do you expect if you don't let people talk to her. We'll see what happens.

[Jennifer N]

I wonder what Obama is thinking on this one. This really paints McCain as the one who's working to fix things.

I actually thought the opposite of this, and I like McCain. It struck me as a dramatic, lame move. I was disappointed.

[Red]

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess," Obama said in a news conference in Clearwater, Fla. "It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once."

Huh? Maybe one of his aides could explain to him that - win, lose, or draw - niether he or McCain will be President for another 3 months. Bush doesn't leave office until January 20, 2009. Until then, they're both still Senators.

I wonder why he mispoke? Seems like the kind of detail he would be on top of.

[delicious]

Not unlike when McCain selflessly sacrificed an evening of prime time television coverage to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane in person while Obama was at home writing an email asking people to donate money for the hurricane victims.

On the one hand you have a true public servant, on the other you have a guy that likes to talk and raise money over the internet.

I totally understood this post to be sarcasm. :lol:

And where was this "public servant" during Katrina? Oh, yeah. He was eating cake with W. :hungry:

[otomik]

I wonder what Obama is thinking on this one. This really paints McCain as the one who's working to fix things.The debate would seem less relevant given that the topic scheduled was national security.

Obama's response makes it sound like he doesn't take his job as senator seriously and he has done nothing more than vote with his party 97 percent of the time so they don't really need him there anyway. Maybe they can rig up a lifesize Obama dummy that votes "present" and requests earmarks?


Ed Rollins admitted on CNN about an hour agostep away from the CNN, it is not your friend.

[Red]

The debate would seem less relevant given that the topic scheduled was national security.

Obama's response makes it sound like he doesn't take his job as senator seriously and he has done nothing more than vote with his party 97 percent of the time so they don't really need him there anyway. Maybe they can rig up a lifesize Obama dummy that votes "present" and requests earmarks?


Listening to the news headlines tonight, I think the McCain campaign just seriously pwned Obama. After a couple of sound clips about the seriousness of the goings-on, they follow up with a simple and short "John McCain headed back to Washington today, Obama didn't". Not a lot of nuance. All Joe and Jane Average know is that something big is up, and yet one candidate still wants his TV time on Friday night.

So what are Obama's choices now? Go back to DC as well? It looks like he's following McCain and conceding leadership.

Go to the debate and argue with an empty podium? :lol:

Stay on the campaign trail? And the public will wonder why Obama is out promoting himself at a time like this, while McCain is even more noticeable in his absence.
...
I just heard both McCain and Obama are headed to the White House to meet with Bush. McCain wins this round. :lol:

[Mrrple]

This whole campaign process has been a big knot of lies. More so than usual, it seems, considering the status of our country.

[otomik]

"The American people are facing a moment of economic crisis. No matter how this began, we all have a responsibility to work through it and restore confidence in our economy. The jobs, savings, and prosperity of the American people are at stake.

"Now is a time to come together -- Democrats and Republicans -- in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of the American people. The plan that has been submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration is flawed, but the effort to protect the American economy must not fail.

"This is a time to rise above politics for the good of the country. We cannot risk an economic catastrophe. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country."
http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/news/PressReleases/7663d12d-048a-4279-9a82-8ef6f96acdb3.htm
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGgYrN

[Eleven]

"This is a time to acknowledge that America is owned and operated by corporations. We cannot risk the possibility that these corporations will not enjoy business as usual."

"It is time for each and every American - from the most recent newborn to the eldest among us - to contribute $2,333.00 as a corporate bailout for the good of the corporations."

"Though Americans continue to die in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of Americans will sleep on the streets tonight, one of every 30 Americans suffers from some form of cancer, and the states of education and healthcare in this country are demonstrably appalling, now is the time to rise above these concerns and come to the aid of corporate America."

[Dieselsmom]

I wonder what Obama is thinking on this one. This really paints McCain as the one who's working to fix things.

On the other hand, I think Obama's statement as this being the time that the people need to hear from the "President" who will be in charge of fixing this mess. Apparently, the support system that goes along with these presidential debates has cost $5,000,000.00 (security, location, etc.). How will it look to the country at large if McCain doesn't show up and Obama does. Will it signal a lack of respect for the money of the country and for the people who worked very hard to get this thing ready to happen?