Mobs have converged on Congressmen in different states this summer. Of course these mobs are not members of a fascist party bent on engaging in pogroms. Yet, they have eerie parallels to fascist mobs. They are aggressive, they oppose intellectual debate, they follow a strategy that seeks to squash civic discussion and dialogue on public health reform, specifically, the Democrats' "public option" plan. They make demogogic arguments based on lies, distortions, and not even half-truths.
The buzz word that brings up these mobs in web searches and on the radio is "Town Hall".
This is not a spontaneous popular group. As Rachel Maddow indicates in the video at the right of this page, corporate lobbyists are behind these disruption campaigns.
And in leaked memos indicate, right-wing agitation groups set out a deliberate anti-dmocratic strategy, aimed at squashing honest discussion. I quote at length from the origin site at mydd.com
The story in the Austin American-Statesman:
Back in Central Texas while Congress is on a month-long recess, Congressman Lloyd Doggett faced an angry reception at a town hall meeting at an Austin Randalls store yesterday.
Doggett, D-Austin, spoke at the Randalls at Brodie and Slaughter lanes on Saturday. A video of the event on YouTube shows many in the crowd showed up with signs denouncing President Obama's proposed health care plan.
Witnesses say that when Doggett was asked if he would support the plan even if he found his constituents opposed it, Doggett said he would still support the plan. From there, the crowd began chanting "Just Say No," and overwhelmed the congressman as he moved through the crowd and into the parking lot.
"The folks there thought their voices weren't being heard," said Kathy Acosta, a Bastrop resident who attended the meeting at Randalls and another one later that day in her hometown. "They were angry, but they were respectful. There wasn't any violence."
Doggett, D-Austin, spoke at the Randalls at Brodie and Slaughter lanes on Saturday. A video of the event on YouTube shows many in the crowd showed up with signs denouncing President Obama's proposed health care plan.
Witnesses say that when Doggett was asked if he would support the plan even if he found his constituents opposed it, Doggett said he would still support the plan. From there, the crowd began chanting "Just Say No," and overwhelmed the congressman as he moved through the crowd and into the parking lot.
"The folks there thought their voices weren't being heard," said Kathy Acosta, a Bastrop resident who attended the meeting at Randalls and another one later that day in her hometown. "They were angry, but they were respectful. There wasn't any violence."
No violence? Well, isn't that a relief? Conservatives sure do have an odd definition of what constitutes respectful behaviour. Nor is the above an isolated incident. In a town hall held back in June in his Long Island district, Politico reported that right-wing protesters surrounded Congressman Tim Bishop, Democrat of New York exhibiting such foul-mouth, abusive and threatening behaviour that police officers had to escort the beleaguered Congressman to his car for safety.
After that June 22 event held in Setauket, New York, in which protesters dominated the meeting by shouting criticisms at the Democratic Congressman for his positions on energy policy, health care and the bailout of the auto industry, Congressman has chosen to temporarily suspend holding town hall meetings even though he has held over a hundred since first being elected to Congress in 2002.
"I had felt they would be pointless," said Congressman Bishop adding that "there is no point in meeting with my constituents and [to] listen to them and have them listen to you if what is basically an unruly mob prevents you from having an intelligent conversation."
More from the Politico story:
At a health care town hall event in Syracuse, N.Y., earlier this month, police were called in to restore order, and at least one heckler was taken away by local police. Close to 100 sign-carrying protesters greeted Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.) at a late June community college small-business development forum in Panama City, Fla. Last week, Danville, Va., anti-tax tea party activists claimed they were "refused an opportunity" to ask Rep. Thomas Perriello (D-Va.) a question at a town hall event and instructed by a plainclothes police officer to leave the property after they attempted to hold up protest signs.
The targets in most cases are House Democrats, who over the past few months have tackled controversial legislation including a $787 billion economic stimulus package, a landmark energy proposal and an overhaul of the nation's health care system.
Democrats, acknowledging the increasing unruliness of the town-hall-style events, say the hot-button issues they are taking on have a lot to do with it.
"I think it's just the fact that we are dealing with some of the most important public policy issues in a generation," said Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), who was confronted by a protester angry about his position on health care reform at a town hall event several weeks ago.
"I think in general what is going on is we are tackling issues that have been ignored for a long time, and I think that is disruptive to a lot of people," said Bishop, a four-term congressman. "We are trying, one by one, to deal with a set of issues that can't be ignored, and I think that's unsettling to a lot of people."
Freshman Rep. Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.), whose event at a Syracuse middle school was disrupted, said that he still planned to hold additional town halls but that he was also thinking about other options.
"I think you've got to communicate through a variety of different ways. You should do the telephone town hall meetings. You should do the town hall meetings. You should do the smaller group meetings," said Maffei. "It's important to do things in a variety of ways, so you don't have one mode of communication."
"You're going to have people of varying views, and in this case, you've got the two extremes who were the most vocal," Maffei said of the flare-up at his July 12 event.
The targets in most cases are House Democrats, who over the past few months have tackled controversial legislation including a $787 billion economic stimulus package, a landmark energy proposal and an overhaul of the nation's health care system.
Democrats, acknowledging the increasing unruliness of the town-hall-style events, say the hot-button issues they are taking on have a lot to do with it.
"I think it's just the fact that we are dealing with some of the most important public policy issues in a generation," said Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), who was confronted by a protester angry about his position on health care reform at a town hall event several weeks ago.
"I think in general what is going on is we are tackling issues that have been ignored for a long time, and I think that is disruptive to a lot of people," said Bishop, a four-term congressman. "We are trying, one by one, to deal with a set of issues that can't be ignored, and I think that's unsettling to a lot of people."
Freshman Rep. Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.), whose event at a Syracuse middle school was disrupted, said that he still planned to hold additional town halls but that he was also thinking about other options.
"I think you've got to communicate through a variety of different ways. You should do the telephone town hall meetings. You should do the town hall meetings. You should do the smaller group meetings," said Maffei. "It's important to do things in a variety of ways, so you don't have one mode of communication."
"You're going to have people of varying views, and in this case, you've got the two extremes who were the most vocal," Maffei said of the flare-up at his July 12 event.
These disruptions, these unholy poisoning of our national conservative, are the latest tactics of the conservative tea party that aims to impose a tyranny of the minority. From Think Progress:
This growing phenomenon is often marked by violence and absurdity. Recently, right-wing demonstrators hung Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) in effigy outside of his office. Missing from the reporting of these stories is the fact that much of these protests are coordinated by public relations firms and lobbyists who have a stake in opposing President Obama’s reforms. The lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the FreedomWorks website Tea Party Patriots, details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress:
– Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”
– Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”
– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”
The memo above also resembles the talking points being distributed by FreedomWorks for pushing an anti-health reform assault all summer. Patients United, a front group maintained by Americans for Prosperity, is currently busing people all over the country for more protests against Democratic members. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the NRCC, has endorsed the strategy, telling the Politico the days of civil town halls are now “over.” Meanwhile, AHIP, the trade group and lobbying juggernaut representing the health insurance industry is sending staffers to monitor town halls and other right-wing front groups are stepping up their ad campaign to smear reform efforts. The strategy for defeating reform — recently outlined by an influential lobbyist to the Hill newspaper as “delay” then “kill” — is becoming apparent. By delaying a vote until after the August recess, lobbyists are now seizing upon recess town halls as opportunities to ambush lawmakers and fool them into believing there is wide opposition to reform.
It should come as no surprise that FreedomWorks is chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey. That FreedomWorks is involved with Tea Party Patriots dispels any notion that these are some sort of citizen activist grassroots organizations. These groups and these disruptions are orchestrated by the leadership of the Republican Party and it is time to expose them and their tactics of mob rule.
Showing posts with label debate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label debate. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Livebloggin' / Gov. Palin, stop looking at yer crib notes
Well, I'd have to concede: Gov. Sarah Palin sounds a lot better than I would have expected. (--Aside from her folksy "betcha" and dropping the "g" from words.)
She is more articulate than we've ever seen on television. She hasn't made any SNL-worthy gaffes. Nonetheless, the following pitfalls must be noted:
What is with the smiling? Palin is continuously beaming, perking out her cheeks and giving a toothy smile; but isn't that a little overdone, when it is offered on every topic, from the home mortgage crisis, to the Middle East?
But, isn't that what we'd expect, with her being sequestered by her Republican Party handlers for three days? She cannot be deemed a strong debater when she obviously had to look down and consult her cue card prep notes, even to her line, "It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider."
She is more articulate than we've ever seen on television. She hasn't made any SNL-worthy gaffes. Nonetheless, the following pitfalls must be noted:
What is with the smiling? Palin is continuously beaming, perking out her cheeks and giving a toothy smile; but isn't that a little overdone, when it is offered on every topic, from the home mortgage crisis, to the Middle East?
But, isn't that what we'd expect, with her being sequestered by her Republican Party handlers for three days? She cannot be deemed a strong debater when she obviously had to look down and consult her cue card prep notes, even to her line, "It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider."
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Obama passes the Commander-in-Chief test
Ilana Goldenberg, writing last night in Democracy Arsenal, argued that Sen. Barack Obama passed the "Commander in Chief test.
(Did anyone notice how John McCain lacked the manners of a gentleman during the debate? He laughed during Barack Obama's answers. Inherently signs of immaturity and limited self-confidence.)
(Did anyone notice how John McCain lacked the manners of a gentleman during the debate? He laughed during Barack Obama's answers. Inherently signs of immaturity and limited self-confidence.)
Debate Wrap Up: Obama Passes Commander in Chief Test
Posted by Ilan Goldenberg
So what came out of this debate that John McCain tried to evade? The pressure was on McCain to win and win big. But he didn’t do that. Not at all. Obama won on key issues demonstrating that our foreign policy is more than just about the surge. McCain frequently reverted back to clichés calling his opponent naïve and lacking judgment. But those accusations weren’t actually substantiated by what happened. Obama actually looked more presidential while McCain often sounded condescending or angry.
Moreover, McCain also failed to show how he would be any different than George Bush on any of the key issues: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. It was just more of the same.
1. On Iran McCain continues to try and change the fact that his own advisor Henry Kissinger came out in favor of the Obama approach.
2. On spending McCain promised to cut earmarks of $18 billion and cure our budgetary woes through cutting spending. Unfortunately, his policies including $120 billion a year in Iraq and $175 billion on growing the military dwarf that.
3. On Iraq. McCain continues to obsess about the surge but misses the broader point of strategy over tactics and the need to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan where the greatest threat is from.
4. McCain called Pakistan a failed state prior to 1998. That would have been pretty disturbing if it were true considering Pakistan has nuclear weapons.
5. On Afghanistan and Pakistan it is clear that John McCain has a long record of completely ignoring the war in Afghanistan and the Al Qaeda safehaven in Pakistan that our intelligence community and military leaders believe presents the greatest direct danger to the United States.
6. On Russia McCain touted the wisdom of his own reckless response – a response criticized by five secretaries of state including Henry Kissinger, Jim Baker and Colin Powell.
7. McCain repeatedly claimed that he could work effectively with our allies. But has a long history of alienating them and won’t even talk with Spain
8. McCain had issues with a number of foreign leaders names stumbling over Ahmadinejad’s name and calling the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zadari by the wrong name
Projected McCain claims in debate
Democracy Arsenal predicted 10claims that John McCain would make in the September 26 debate at Ole Miss (the University of Mississippi).
THE SHORT VERSION OF THE DEMOCRACY ARSENAL PREDICTIONS:
10 Claims John McCain will make in tonight's debate
Posted by Max Bergmann
Here are ten claims to watch for from John McCain tonight:
Claim 1: McCain will say his foreign policy is different from that of George W. Bush. Reality: On the critical issues, ranging from advocating the invasion of Iraq only days after 9/11 to declaring premature victory in Afghanistan, to saber rattling on Iran and refusing to use tough diplomacy, John McCain's policies are in lock step with those of George W. Bush.
Claim 2: John McCain will tout his judgment, saying he hates war. Reality: John McCain has taken a dangerously aggressive approach to foreign policy advocating attacking six different countries in the last eight years. Moreover, McCain retains many of the same Neocon advisors who pushed for the war in Iraq in the first place.
Claim 3: McCain will say he has long been a critic of the war in Iraq. Reality: McCain was an early supporter of the Iraq War, linking Saddam Hussein, al Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction. He supported the Rumsfeld strategy of going with a minimal number of troops and said the war would be "easy." He continued to argue for staying the course until 2006.
Claim 4: McCain will take credit for the "surge" and argue that the troop increase is responsible for the entire decline in violence and that as a result we have succeeded. Reality: Military leaders have acknowledged that there were numerous reasons for the reduction in violence including the Anbar Awakening and political engagement with Muqtada al-Sadr. In fact, McCain confused the sequence of events in Iraq arguing that the troop increase caused the Anbar Awakening, even though the Anbar Awakening came first. Moreover, General Petraeus has warned that it is too early to declare victory as John McCain and his allies are doing.
Claim 5: McCain will say he wants to send more troops to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Reality: McCain has continued to make Iraq the number one priority and has not explained how he will keep large troop levels in Iraq while meeting the requirements in Afghanistan and elsewhere laid out by military commander and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He has shown little interest in Afghanistan saying we can just "muddle through" in 2003 and declaring victory in 2005. In fact, McCain had no policy on Afghanistan until July 15, 2008 and Afghanistan did not come up once in all of the major speeches during the Republican National Convention. Meanwhile, Barack Obama and progressives have been sounding the alarm for years.
Claim 6: McCain will say he will get Osama Bin Laden and go after Al Qaeda. Reality: John McCain was a strong early supporter of the Iraq war - a war that resulted in assets and focus being pulled away from the hunt for Bin Laden and Afghanistan. While Obama has supported going after high-value targets in al Qaeda's safe haven in Pakistan, McCain has criticized Obama for a position that has now become official U.S. policy.
Claim 7: McCain will cite his response to the crisis in Georgia as evidence of good judgment. Reality: McCain recklessly issued bellicose statements without waiting for all the facts, while Barack Obama, other world leaders, and even President Bush took a more measured approach. McCain then went on to claim that "we are all Georgians." In fact, McCain has had a dangerous policy towards Russia for some time, proposing to kick them out of the G8 - a policy that would preclude any cooperation on critical issues such as nonproliferation.
Claim 8: McCain will say that talking to Iran is weak and naive. Reality: There is a bipartisan consensus on the need to talk to Iran. Five secretaries of state including Henry Kissinger and Jim Baker all agreed recently that we have to talk to them directly. Obama's plan calls for tough direct diplomacy in combination with sanctions and other pressures. McCain's plan of refusing to talk is the same policy that George Bush pursued until very recently - a policy that has failed and that if continued will one day force the U.S. to make a no-win decision between attacking Iran or allowing it to attain a nuclear weapons capability.
Claim 9: McCain will say he can work effectively with our allies. Reality: John McCain has a long history of belligerence and heated rhetoric towards our allies. In the run up to the Iraq War he called France and Germany "vacuous and posturing" and referred to them as our "adversaries." Recently he said he might not meet with Spain's Prime Minister and on top of that he is quite unpopular internationally.
Claim 10: McCain will say he will cut wasteful defense spending. Reality: McCain has been all over the map on defense spending. His plan to add about 200,000 ground troops to the military would cost $25 billion a year. Meanwhile, in his budget plan released in July he promised to cut $160 billion from the budget by opposing the Future Combat System, yet he now criticizes Obama's promise to cut spending on that same program. See the data after the jump.
THE SHORT VERSION OF THE DEMOCRACY ARSENAL PREDICTIONS:
10 Claims John McCain will make in tonight's debate
Posted by Max Bergmann
Here are ten claims to watch for from John McCain tonight:
Claim 1: McCain will say his foreign policy is different from that of George W. Bush. Reality: On the critical issues, ranging from advocating the invasion of Iraq only days after 9/11 to declaring premature victory in Afghanistan, to saber rattling on Iran and refusing to use tough diplomacy, John McCain's policies are in lock step with those of George W. Bush.
Claim 2: John McCain will tout his judgment, saying he hates war. Reality: John McCain has taken a dangerously aggressive approach to foreign policy advocating attacking six different countries in the last eight years. Moreover, McCain retains many of the same Neocon advisors who pushed for the war in Iraq in the first place.
Claim 3: McCain will say he has long been a critic of the war in Iraq. Reality: McCain was an early supporter of the Iraq War, linking Saddam Hussein, al Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction. He supported the Rumsfeld strategy of going with a minimal number of troops and said the war would be "easy." He continued to argue for staying the course until 2006.
Claim 4: McCain will take credit for the "surge" and argue that the troop increase is responsible for the entire decline in violence and that as a result we have succeeded. Reality: Military leaders have acknowledged that there were numerous reasons for the reduction in violence including the Anbar Awakening and political engagement with Muqtada al-Sadr. In fact, McCain confused the sequence of events in Iraq arguing that the troop increase caused the Anbar Awakening, even though the Anbar Awakening came first. Moreover, General Petraeus has warned that it is too early to declare victory as John McCain and his allies are doing.
Claim 5: McCain will say he wants to send more troops to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Reality: McCain has continued to make Iraq the number one priority and has not explained how he will keep large troop levels in Iraq while meeting the requirements in Afghanistan and elsewhere laid out by military commander and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He has shown little interest in Afghanistan saying we can just "muddle through" in 2003 and declaring victory in 2005. In fact, McCain had no policy on Afghanistan until July 15, 2008 and Afghanistan did not come up once in all of the major speeches during the Republican National Convention. Meanwhile, Barack Obama and progressives have been sounding the alarm for years.
Claim 6: McCain will say he will get Osama Bin Laden and go after Al Qaeda. Reality: John McCain was a strong early supporter of the Iraq war - a war that resulted in assets and focus being pulled away from the hunt for Bin Laden and Afghanistan. While Obama has supported going after high-value targets in al Qaeda's safe haven in Pakistan, McCain has criticized Obama for a position that has now become official U.S. policy.
Claim 7: McCain will cite his response to the crisis in Georgia as evidence of good judgment. Reality: McCain recklessly issued bellicose statements without waiting for all the facts, while Barack Obama, other world leaders, and even President Bush took a more measured approach. McCain then went on to claim that "we are all Georgians." In fact, McCain has had a dangerous policy towards Russia for some time, proposing to kick them out of the G8 - a policy that would preclude any cooperation on critical issues such as nonproliferation.
Claim 8: McCain will say that talking to Iran is weak and naive. Reality: There is a bipartisan consensus on the need to talk to Iran. Five secretaries of state including Henry Kissinger and Jim Baker all agreed recently that we have to talk to them directly. Obama's plan calls for tough direct diplomacy in combination with sanctions and other pressures. McCain's plan of refusing to talk is the same policy that George Bush pursued until very recently - a policy that has failed and that if continued will one day force the U.S. to make a no-win decision between attacking Iran or allowing it to attain a nuclear weapons capability.
Claim 9: McCain will say he can work effectively with our allies. Reality: John McCain has a long history of belligerence and heated rhetoric towards our allies. In the run up to the Iraq War he called France and Germany "vacuous and posturing" and referred to them as our "adversaries." Recently he said he might not meet with Spain's Prime Minister and on top of that he is quite unpopular internationally.
Claim 10: McCain will say he will cut wasteful defense spending. Reality: McCain has been all over the map on defense spending. His plan to add about 200,000 ground troops to the military would cost $25 billion a year. Meanwhile, in his budget plan released in July he promised to cut $160 billion from the budget by opposing the Future Combat System, yet he now criticizes Obama's promise to cut spending on that same program. See the data after the jump.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Will he debate? / disingenous suspension of campaign
The empty debate stand
--an awful sight, we have seen it too much in the last quarter century.
Yet, with the change of leadership must months away, and the election a mere 40 days away, Sen. John McCain has bailed out of this week's debate.
Tonight's news has, as its lead story, news of a tentative bipartisan deal on the financial crisis. And, as Sen. Barack Obama has noted, people are able to both vote on the urgent legislation and fly down to Mississippi for a debate. (The trip is only about two and a half or three hours, John.) Yet, McCain still ***has not*** committed to participating in tomorrow night's debate at the University of Mississippi.
Even Mike Huckabee said that McCain made "a huge mistake" by bowing out of the debate.
UPDATE: WHAT SUSPENSION OF CAMPAIGNING?
This so-called suspension of campaign is clearly a weasling out of tomorrow's debate. As noted on Open Left, John McCain hasn't suspended campaigning. Look at how he has made stops on all the major television networks tonight.
And of course, notice how the neo-Rovean-Rick Davis-led McCain campaign continues to run television ads. Is that suspension of campaigning John?
--an awful sight, we have seen it too much in the last quarter century.
Yet, with the change of leadership must months away, and the election a mere 40 days away, Sen. John McCain has bailed out of this week's debate.
Tonight's news has, as its lead story, news of a tentative bipartisan deal on the financial crisis. And, as Sen. Barack Obama has noted, people are able to both vote on the urgent legislation and fly down to Mississippi for a debate. (The trip is only about two and a half or three hours, John.) Yet, McCain still ***has not*** committed to participating in tomorrow night's debate at the University of Mississippi.
Even Mike Huckabee said that McCain made "a huge mistake" by bowing out of the debate.
UPDATE: WHAT SUSPENSION OF CAMPAIGNING?
This so-called suspension of campaign is clearly a weasling out of tomorrow's debate. As noted on Open Left, John McCain hasn't suspended campaigning. Look at how he has made stops on all the major television networks tonight.
And of course, notice how the neo-Rovean-Rick Davis-led McCain campaign continues to run television ads. Is that suspension of campaigning John?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
McCain pulls second surreal campaign maneuver
This is just absurd. I just heard the John McCain statement about suspending the campaign on the Rachel Maddow Show. Initially, I thought that this was a joke, compiled of snippets of his speech.
McCain's move to "suspend his campaign" is crass grandstanding.
What John McCain should have been doing previously has been attending Senate sessions for votes. McCain has not been in the Senate for a vote since April. Admittedly, Obama has been away from Washington, but only since July.
Secondly, what McCain should have been doing was giving serious attention to the economy. Instead, as recently as nine days ago, he said "the fundamentals of the economy are strong." Maybe McCain is exercising damage control, trying to erode the memory of this unfortunate and clumsy assessment of the economy.
True, the financial system is in a dire condition, but you do not flee from crises during election time. Let's look at past moments of crisis and election campaigns. In 1864, when Abraham Lincoln was facing a formidable challenge from the Copperhead Democrats, he did not suspend his campaign. In the 1930s, in the depths of the depression, did Hoover, Roosevelt or Roosevelt's challengers suspend their campaigns. In World War II, Roosevelt did not suspend his campaign.
McCain's Sarah Palin choice was surreal and an unsettling enough demonstration of his maverick character, this new campaign-suspension maneuver suggests that McCain is impulsive character --not someone you want as a leader in crises. It suggests that he cannot handle multiple crises, as presidents and presidential candidates must be prepared to do. This wild move by McCain provides one more indication that he is not the right person for the job, and is lacking in sound judgment. As David Bender said tonight, filling in for Rachel Maddow, on Air America, panic is not the feeling that one should be spreading in this period. McCain, by this irresponsible move, is acting in a way that lends to panic, and does not lend to public confidence.
Just to offer a speculative consideration (and offering an analysis by one of Binder's radio guests tonight), Sarah Palin is scheduled to debate Joe Biden next week, on October 2. Palin is a disaster, and is unprepared to face Washington veteran Biden in a debate on the issues. Suspension of the campaign offers the chance to sideline Palin out of the scrutiny of an unscripted debate.
This campaign interruption sidelines the (McCain campaign top advisor) Rick Davis disaster. The press on Davis and his hefty lobbying payments from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are a public relations disaster for the McCain campaign. Perhaps McCain was fishing for any move that he imagine would do anything to deflect attention from Davis.
Barack Obama and the Democratic Party should not fall for McCain
responsible, reckless gambit.
The Obama campaign is remaining steadfast for this Friday: "Obama: The Debate is On."
UPDATE: At Truthdig, we have the contributor who writes, "Now McCain Wants to Cancel the VP Debate."
The intro paragraphs of the post,
McCain's move to "suspend his campaign" is crass grandstanding.
What John McCain should have been doing previously has been attending Senate sessions for votes. McCain has not been in the Senate for a vote since April. Admittedly, Obama has been away from Washington, but only since July.
Secondly, what McCain should have been doing was giving serious attention to the economy. Instead, as recently as nine days ago, he said "the fundamentals of the economy are strong." Maybe McCain is exercising damage control, trying to erode the memory of this unfortunate and clumsy assessment of the economy.
True, the financial system is in a dire condition, but you do not flee from crises during election time. Let's look at past moments of crisis and election campaigns. In 1864, when Abraham Lincoln was facing a formidable challenge from the Copperhead Democrats, he did not suspend his campaign. In the 1930s, in the depths of the depression, did Hoover, Roosevelt or Roosevelt's challengers suspend their campaigns. In World War II, Roosevelt did not suspend his campaign.
McCain's Sarah Palin choice was surreal and an unsettling enough demonstration of his maverick character, this new campaign-suspension maneuver suggests that McCain is impulsive character --not someone you want as a leader in crises. It suggests that he cannot handle multiple crises, as presidents and presidential candidates must be prepared to do. This wild move by McCain provides one more indication that he is not the right person for the job, and is lacking in sound judgment. As David Bender said tonight, filling in for Rachel Maddow, on Air America, panic is not the feeling that one should be spreading in this period. McCain, by this irresponsible move, is acting in a way that lends to panic, and does not lend to public confidence.
Just to offer a speculative consideration (and offering an analysis by one of Binder's radio guests tonight), Sarah Palin is scheduled to debate Joe Biden next week, on October 2. Palin is a disaster, and is unprepared to face Washington veteran Biden in a debate on the issues. Suspension of the campaign offers the chance to sideline Palin out of the scrutiny of an unscripted debate.
This campaign interruption sidelines the (McCain campaign top advisor) Rick Davis disaster. The press on Davis and his hefty lobbying payments from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are a public relations disaster for the McCain campaign. Perhaps McCain was fishing for any move that he imagine would do anything to deflect attention from Davis.
Barack Obama and the Democratic Party should not fall for McCain
responsible, reckless gambit.
The Obama campaign is remaining steadfast for this Friday: "Obama: The Debate is On."
UPDATE: At Truthdig, we have the contributor who writes, "Now McCain Wants to Cancel the VP Debate."
The intro paragraphs of the post,
Was this the plan all along? CNN reports that Team McCain wants the first presidential debate to “take the place of the VP debate, currently scheduled for next Thursday” if there’s no bailout deal by Friday.
Senate Democrats appear to have made a deal with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and President Bush has invited both of the presidential candidates, along with other lawmakers, to the White House on Thursday to discuss the proposed solution to the financial crisis.
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