McCain campaign on hold

[Klast Brell]

McCain has not cast a vote since April. Now he suddenly grows a sense of responsibility?
He bailed on Letterman and Letterman tore him a new one. No only pointing out that Obama and Biden are both senators and if they put their campaign on hold as well that leave Palin free to campaign the entire time. Then he really went for the jugular and brought up a live feed showing McCain talking to Katie Couric instead of rushing to Washington.
Then the McCain camp proposes bailing on the first presidential debate.
Then the McCain camp proposes postponing the VP debate as well.
They are not taking the high road. They are hiding behind a hill.

[Embar Angylwrath]

Its a strategic tactic by the McCain campaign to make him look like he's so concerned with the crisis he's willing to put his personal ambitions on hold. Its a pretty cheesy thing to do. His vote own't matter because the vote won't be close. And if wanted to particiapte in discussions. he could teleconference in.

[Harlowe]

It's a blatant attempt to try to change public perception. This is what he does when he's trending behind Obama. He's on a downward trend in polls, he's had numerous embarrassing knee-jerk responses over the past two weeks, behaving very irrational, petulant and unpresidential.

The manner in which they are protecting Palin as if she is the one that is going to fuck up their campaign at this point - if the public actually gets access to her like they do Biden (who is gaffing his way across the nation) - hell, she isn't going to do any worse than McCain is doing right now, so he might as well take his chances.

Although this stuff is pretty embarrassing for her...

Possible witness tampering - Troopergate
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/25/ ... index.html

Save us from all the ...witchcraft! Seriously?

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/ ... 08.article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/se ... epublicans

The Christian Science Monitor reported that Muthee, while in Kenya, led a campaign to find the source of alleged witchcraft after a series of fatal car accidents in Kiambu. He blamed a local woman called Mama Jane, who is reported to have been forced to leave.

This is that crazy kind of irrational, religious fervor that is fucking scary.

[Klast Brell]

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/25/news/ec ... 2008092513
Looks like congress pulled the rug out from under McCain.

Lawmakers have reached agreement on a bipartisan counterproposal to the Bush administration's $700 billion financial bailout plan.

Both parties and the House and Senate agreed Thursday to a set of principles on revisions to the rescue plan, which calls for the Treasury Department to buy up bad mortgage securities from banks in an effort to get them to lend again.

[Partha]

Not official yet, Shelby says there's no deal.

[Harlowe]

Well not officially, but they sound close. There certainly isn't gridlock in the negotiations.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/25/news/ec ... 14?cnn=yes

[Trollbait]

There certainly isn't gridlock in the negotiations.

Apparently there is

[Harlowe]

There is now. There wasn't before the two of them arrived.

[Harlowe]

Gingrich on McCain's stunt

Gingrich likens [McCain's stunt] to Eisenhower’s “I will go to Korea,” but unlike Eisenhower and the Korean war McCain has no credibility concerning the crisis he is supposedly addressing. In the end, knowing when you can contribute something and knowing when to avoid complicating an already difficult situation by intruding on ongoing negotiations is what separates grandstanding from leadership. It is what separates the simple egomaniacs from the ambitious pols who nonetheless have some idea what public service is. McCain’s belief that he is indispensable in a time of crisis is the surest sign that he is unfit for any office in republican government, much less the chief magistracy of the Republic.

From the American Conservative:http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/09 ... eadership/

[Lurker]

Gingrich on McCain's stunt

For a second there I thought Newt had a soul after all. Unfortunately, the only part of that from Gingrich was the "I will go to Korea" line. Here's Newt's actual, predictably soulless, statement.

[Harlowe]

Oh my bad, that was the statement from Daniel Larison of the American Conservative.

[Harlowe]

Just in - McCain is going to debate tonight. At least that's the word out there.

[Harlowe]

Not only is the debate on now, but apparently McCain thinks he already won! Way to live that "create your own reality" thing.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix ... ebate.html

From the McCain Pool..

http://thepage.time.com/mccain-pool-report-5/

General atmosphere is utter confusion.

It will be interesting to see how well he does considering the pretty negative vibe there is going to be for him there after he was willing to bail for a political stunt.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/? ... lhM2Y4MzI=

One side effect of McCain's debate gambit is, I'm told, that everyone at Ole Miss now hates him. It will make for a very hostile audience tonight among those students and faculty attending. He might have to apologize for creating the uncertainty or make some explanation up front, which is never ideal.

[Partha]

I'm now debating whether the Republicans are actively trying to tank this or whether they really are this bad.

[Klast Brell]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1xQeOPE9ePU/S ... blinks.jpg

[Trollbait]

There is now. There wasn't before the two of them arrived.

It has always been gridlocked. The House Republicans have been in full rebellion on this since it was first put forward. It has nothing to do with Obama or McCain.

ANY reports that a deal had been reached were premature and simply put they were put out there because the leadership failed to talk to the actual members.

[Lurker]

The House Republicans had days to bring their ideas forward to leadership and to discuss it in open committee. They chose not to, most likely because their ideas are idiotic and unhelpful and would have been dismissed as absurd. So, they chose to spring their "plan" at the meeting while providing almost no specific details. And McCain sat there saying nothing because he knows nothing about any of this, not the Paulson plan or the compromise agreement or the House Republican plan.

McCain is an erratic, craven, coward. He's really an odd combination of recklessness, dishonesty, and cowardice and that goes a long way to explaining the oddness of his campaign thus far.

[Embar Angylwrath]

The House Republicans had days to bring their ideas forward to leadership and to discuss it in open committee. They chose not to, most likely because their ideas are idiotic and unhelpful and would have been dismissed as absurd. So, they chose to spring their "plan" at the meeting while providing almost no specific details. And McCain sat there saying nothing because he knows nothing about any of this, not the Paulson plan or the compromise agreement or the House Republican plan.

McCain is an erratic, craven, coward. He's really an odd combination of recklessness, dishonesty, and cowardice and that goes a long way to explaining the oddness of his campaign thus far.

That last sentence was over the top. You may dislike McCain, and you may dislike his tactics, but calling him craven and a coward, well, I think you're off base and letting your hatred for Republicans spill over to McCain.

As for erratic, I guess in sense that's true, if you define that as someone who hasn't always toed the party line.

McCain is a guy that swings for the fence. He's very tactical. His response to the issue of the day is.. the response to the issue of the day. He doesn't seem to think more than a couple of moves ahead. Strategy just ins't a part of McCain's psyche, and that's why he's labeled a maverick, both by himself and others.

And I'd like to hear your response to the Dems saying they had a deal, when they actually didn't, especially considering that by your statement McCain had little to offer. The Dems are saying McCain disrupted everything. Yet you're saying he sat there and said nothing. Are the Dems so weak that someone who sits at the table and says nothing can unravel all their plans?

[Harlowe]

I don't know how you could vote with the president 90% of the time and not be considered toeing the party line. He hasn't been a "maverick" for many years. He's not that McCain anymore and he hasn't been for a long time.

Until the other proposal was put on the table, they thought they made significant progress. Not just the Dems, but the committee. The two of them arriving was disruptive, though whether that wouldn't have inevitably happened or not, who knows.

They certainly weren't lying about the progress just because they were blindsided by that second proposal. It wasn't "The Dems" it was the bi-partisan committee.

key Republicans and Democrats reported agreement in principle on Thursday on a $700 billion bailout of the US financial industry and said they would present it to the administration in hopes of a vote within days.

Emerging from a two-hour negotiating session, Sen Chris Dodd, a Democrat and chairman of the Banking Committee, said, “We are very confident that we can act expeditiously.”

“I now expect that we will indeed have a plan that can pass the House, pass the Senate (and) be signed by the president,” said Sen Bob Bennett, a Republican.

[Kulaf]

I think ya'll need to go have a drink or something. Yer getting mighty worked up.....chill.