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Top McCain Ally Hints McCain Will Go To Debate Because Congress Is "Back In Business"
We'd been wondering what justification the McCain campaign was going to hatch in order to make it possible for him to attend tonight's debate despite having suggested he'd be closing down his campaign until the bailout package is resolved.
And here's a hint, from top McCain ally Lindsey Graham this morning on The Today Show:
"What's more important than anything that when we go to Mississippi tonight, both candidates can say that the Congress is working, back in business, that we have an outline or proposal that will protect the taxpayer and save the country from financial Pearl Harbor, as Warren Buffet called it. We are not there yet, but we will get there."
And so the bar has been lowered to make it possible for McCain to go. The justification: McCain rode into Washington and lit a fire under Congress' collective posterior, and with that business done, he can attend tonight's debate.
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i sure hope someone points out the glaring hypocrisy in all this. What a sham for mcain to pull this kind of crap!! Wake up, America!!
September 26, 2008 10:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, he was for the debate, before he was against it, before he was for it.
September 26, 2008 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes and he blew up the deal so he could say he saved it.
Like an abusive dog owner who kicks the crap out of his pet and then comforts it to show he's its savior.
September 26, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Like an abusive dog owner who kicks the crap out of his pet and then comforts it to show he's its savior."
Wow. That made me pissed off just with the imagery. That should be hammered in to a slogan.
September 26, 2008 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
I keep dreaming that Cronkite, Murrow, Ike, Moyers and others will make a national plea that this shit *has got to end*.
Dream on...
September 26, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am also dreaming that some Republican will speak up and say this stunt was nothing but a astunt and that MCPalin is just unstable.
September 26, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, with Moyers at least you've got an outside shot.
Hmmm. He's a Texan, IIRC. Must be a next-door neighbor of yours. Go on over and ask him to help out!
September 26, 2008 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Too "librul"...need some sane Republican too...
September 26, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
We are so fortunate to have a true leader like McCain to get Congress on the right track.
September 26, 2008 10:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. Thank God that John McCain exercised his talents as a natural-born leader and solved all that problem. Perhaps he could go to work on a cure for AIDS next?
September 26, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
We can only hope.
September 26, 2008 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Professional Assessment here:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/09/a-woman-has-to-say-it-mccain-m.php
Please recommend if you think this describes what's going on!
September 26, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Go to a bipartisan meeting you've demanded and help blow it up into a partisan slug fest. Then stand over the pieces of a broken deal and say "Look how good I fixed it."
He really is very much like Bush
September 26, 2008 10:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly.
September 26, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
I never thought I'd see it...he's actually a way fucking bigger asshole than Bush.
September 26, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think McCain went out of his way to make Bu$h look Presidential for a change.
Bu$h actually went to a Democrat controlled House and Senate with an request for immediate action and was willing to negotiate the terms to see it get passed. When has that happened in the last 7 and a half years?
Unfortunately, McCain is a tough love cause in helping Bu$h, he purposefully shoved a lead pipe between the spokes of the legislative machine churning out the legislation and virtually killed the initiative; it's now DOA.
Perhaps the only way to make a point that repugs and government do not mix is for the economy to go belly up worst than the Crash of 1929 and the Great Deoression.
September 26, 2008 11:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Did anyone not see this coming?
September 26, 2008 10:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Pretty much...
September 26, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
You can't put too much water into a nuclear reactor...
September 26, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
At the pre-debate handshake, Barack should lean over and whisper: "Relax. Letterman isn't here."
September 26, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
"And the ladies from The View won't pick over your bones tonight either."
September 26, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Right. Cuz, you know Chris Dodd and Barney Frank were just sitting around getting high until McCain rode in and cracked the whip.
*bangs head on desk*
September 26, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
HE DIDN"T SAY ANYTHING AT THE MEETING!
this is a crap.
EVERYBODY smelled this from a mile away.
September 26, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
I almost had an aneurysm when I read on the NYTimes site last night, "Obama peppered Paulson with questions during the meeting, but McCain said little." GAAAHHHH!
Crap indeed. I can't dedide whether he's more like a toddler who's whipped off his diaper and is careening around the house, befouling the carpets, or....well, like a senile oldster doing the same thing. >:-X
September 26, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
What would you expect him to say? He's obviously out of his depth on this topic.
September 26, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it certainly is possible that everyone else there thought McCain's stunt was just that and gave him the cold shoulder.
C'mon Missouri and NC, wake UP!!
September 26, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
McLiar is beyond pathetic.His attempt to appear as the white knight sweeping into Washington to save the day was a flat out failure as everything went haywire when he got there and there is no deal in place. Now they are trying to save face. CNN just announced that Debate Commission will allow a townhall meeting for Obama if McCain doesn't show up.
September 26, 2008 10:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
can't obama just say, john, you and i both know you didn't say anything at the meeting. so stop trying to take credit for it.
September 26, 2008 10:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
So he flew to Washington, injected presidential politics into the deal, got it blown up by the Republicans, caused more problems than existed before he showed up, and then rode away.
A metaphor for his Presidency (and Bush really)
September 26, 2008 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly.
Sorry little piece of shit - he can't have fooled anyone with this bullshit stunt.
And pulling stunts in the middle of a crisis is really mature and shows such leadership -
September 26, 2008 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
"got it blown up by the Republicans"
This is the craziest part of it, to me -- the man has absolutely no leverage over HIS OWN PARTY. We all know the pResident has none, so who is running this show anyway? It's amateur hour! Shouldn't the nominee and long-long-long-serving Senator be able to get the backbenchers in line? How would he work with a Dem Congress as (shudder) Prez if he can't get consensus within the GOP? What a c*ckup.
September 26, 2008 11:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
And neither does the President. The House Republicans seem to have turned in to a separatist sect. Todd Palin must be proud.
September 26, 2008 11:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
What in the hell does that mean? They've had outlines flying about for days
September 26, 2008 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain just came into town to insert a 2 year capital gains holiday into the bill - because Republicans don't want their rich buddies to have to pay for the bailout. Please tell me the Dems won't fall for this!
September 26, 2008 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Can someone please explain to me how a reduction (or suspension) of the capital gains tax helps fix the current crisis??
Seriously. I don't understand it.
First of all, the markets are tanking. If you sell your stocks at a loss, you don't have to pay capital gains tax. Seems to me this "distressed paper" is ALL going to be sold at a loss. So what difference does it make if the capital gains tax is 20%, 15% or zero??
The government insurance idea (the other half of the House Republicans' proposal) is at least plausible. But the capital gains tax?? C'mon.
-- ARG
September 26, 2008 11:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't you know? There is no such thing as a problem that cannot be fixed with tax cuts targetted to the upper income brackets. Bush proved that. This is why our nation is more stable and prosperous than it has ever been and our economy is the envy of the world...
Seriously though, I am asking myself the same question. No one would pay a dime of capital gains tax if they sold these toxic assets at a loss (which is the only way they will sell), so how does lowering capital gains tax rates encourage the liquidation of these toxic assets? It makes no sense.
September 26, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, I'm all in favor of eliminating the capital-gains tax. . . . Just as long as capital gains are now counted as ordinary income!
September 26, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Republican Ppresidential candidate, John McCain, displays and gains 'executive experience' holding democracy hostage . . . Ignored by news at eleven.
September 26, 2008 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Did McCain wag the pitbull? How many Americans did he distract from Palin's fumbling interviews?
The good news is that the VP debate is still on!
September 26, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
If he did distract them he's just delaying the inevitable.
September 26, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
The latest line from the Right is that if McCain refuses to go, there might be an effort to shut the debate down as an illegal campaign contribution to Obama.
September 26, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, turns out this is correct. The debate committee can't finance a one-candidate debate, so it would be canceled. Which would piss a lot of people off - McCain would be the lone culprit, no "we wouldn't have this if Obama would do 10 town hall meetings" crap, that wouldn't mean jack shit to anyone. McCain's going to be there or he's going to spend the next few weeks defending his decision.
As my late father used to love saying, "Hoist by his own petard."
September 26, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
DONT BUY IT!
he's going to show up and he's just playing the suspense card right now.
there's no way in hell he won't. there's too much on the line. politically, he knows that something will be ont he table tonight. and then he can go down and say
obama has to say, john, iw as in the same room with you and u were over in the corner holding your blanky.
September 26, 2008 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is starting to be a little talk of avoiding the problem by having Obama debate Bob Barr.
September 26, 2008 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why not Ron Paul as well? I hear Nader is available . . .
September 26, 2008 11:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
They'll end up arguing over who thinks McSame is a bigger asshole.
September 26, 2008 11:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, technically there has to be two candidates for a debate, otherwise it is not kosher. Don't be surprised if it is canelled...
September 26, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
The media will soon be glowing about how McCain has regained his footing based solely on the fact that tonight's debate is supposed to play to his strengths. Barack will underperform and quite possibly sink his campaign because he "ummmed" and "ahhed" a bit and because he is way too cerebral in his debate answers. And the typical McCain polling bounce will be seen as clear evidence that he is turning things around.
Come Monday the electoral college polls will look exactly the same.
September 26, 2008 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
You want to make a bet about the media? this isn't 2004 and they are not treating Obama like they did Kerry. It's also not 2000 and they aren't treating Obama like they did Gore, either.
The media has come over to this side this past week - please catch up people = we can no longer blame shit on the media.
September 26, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
I honestly think that most people will see McDuck's antics as completely unecessary - just done to create more drama with no positive impact.
For the more savvy voters from any corner, I think they will see it as bat shit crazy boding very badly for him and his candidacy.
Although he may have bucked Bush, he is nevertheless just as volatile and uninformed as Bush has ever been. In that light, he is indeed beyond just "more of the same."
For what's it's worth, Bush has a life after the WH. McCain, if elected, will die there.
September 26, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think someone just blinked. I wonder how Palin's going to react?
September 26, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
So true.
September 26, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
1 - Lindsey Graham is a total sidekick and a creepy loser.
2 - Does he alsways quote Barack Obama's supporters (Warren Buffet) when issuing a creepy statement for Dishonorable John?
September 26, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just what our country needs at a time of crisis: a flailing, erratic leader. Well done Mr. McCain.
September 26, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
HISTRIONIC!
HYSTERICAL!
Professional Assessment here:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/09/a-woman-has-to-say-it-mccain-m.php
Please recommend if you think this describes what's going on!
September 26, 2008 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
He's a perfect student of Rove. Attack your opponent's greatest strength (perceived leadership ability) and use it against him. He just failed to realize Rove meant the "other guy's" strength - not your own.
September 26, 2008 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's not forget, this is a man who has missed 592 of 3720 votes in the last two years. And he's the one that is getting congress moving again (after they've been working 16 hours days for a week)??
I seriously need a vacation. I'm booking my tickets for Reality Land.
September 26, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
BULLWINKLE ASSASSINATED
http://www.blueherald.com/uploads/Buck/Bullwinkle_Assassinated.jpg
I don't see how the debate can go on now
September 26, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if she made stew?
September 26, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
I can't believe how badly McCain underestimated Obama. Did he really think Obama was going to agree to cancel the debate?
Besides looking completely out of control, McCain has managed to hurt himself in other ways as well. The fact of the matter is that McCain can't really do two things at once and this is going to seriously throw him off his game. He really needed all the debate prep he could squeeze in. His bouncing around from interview to interview and city to city doesn't really help him.
And now the press is ENRAGED at him. Not just miffed. Seriously pissed.
September 26, 2008 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lowers the expectations.
"I couldn't prep. I didn't nap. I couldn't get pumped up with my Abba-loaded iPod. Sheesh. And lookie the Illinois Senator. He was well-prepared. Must not have been working too hard on the economic bailout if he was so well-prepared."
Book it.
September 26, 2008 11:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
I can also be interpreted that McCain is only hurting the negotiations and is getting his ass kicked out of Washington.