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Thursday, September 25, 2008

Can't talk now! Must save economy!

There are a number of websites I punch up on a fairly regular basis just to read the headlines, the first and foremost being the Drudge Report. So imagine my joy yesterday when the front page of Drudge screamed, in bold rad letters, that JOHN MCCAIN SUSPENDS HIS CAMPAIGN - HEADS BACK TO WASHINGTON TO WORK ON BAILOUT!

Oh, please.

John McCain has absolutely no insight or credibility on this issue with anyone who is actually going to make any decisions about this bailout. This is a brazen, stupid stunt, and it smacks of desperation. I've seen a few people, notably Newt Gingrich, praise his "bold, decisive action," but when pressed, none of these people can tell me what it is that John McCain is actually going to do. He still found time to yap with Katie Couric while his campaign was "suspended;" nothing's changed, and McCain's participation on Capitol Hill won't change anything. It's just McCain's way of saying "Look at me!"

And what's with backing out of the debate? How does that solve the problem? What a colossal bag of wind this man is.

The sad thing now is that Sarah Palin is coagulating into just another McCainiac. She gave a really awful interview to Katie Couric where she struggled through nonsense about "predatory lenders" and other talking points that she clearly didn't understand. Hey, Palin - the problem here is not predatory lenders; it's flimsy lending standards that provided loans to people who couldn't afford them! There's ample reason to blame this mess on well-intentioned lefties who insisted that diversity should trump risk. To start mouthing off about "predatory lenders" is to concede the argument to the Democrats.

Which is what McCain is really good at doing. I suppose it was inevitable that Palin would go down that road, too - she is the number two, after all. The only silver lining in this is that Mitt Romney may still have a political future, as McCain and Palin are going to go down in flames.

16 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree it is a stunt, but McCain is getting nowhere with other tactics. He may be able to take credit for pulling Republicans together on something, and he did get Barry Obama to say basically "if I can help call me," shoing he has no idea what to do.

When the McCain camp lets Palin be herself (less scripted) they would do much better. Trying to make her sound exactly like McCain detracts from and minimizes how she could energize conservatives for the next 40 days (and more).

September 25, 2008 at 10:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.edmondsun.com/opinion/local_story_268230433.html?keyword=topstory

You leave my girl the hell alone!

September 25, 2008 at 10:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There are a lot of ways this can go wrong for him, but it still could pay off big. The whole Harry Reed flop flop from Tue to Wed was amusing. If McCain can say that this new plan targets both Wall Street and the Democrat pork, then it’s a winner for him. But, I think if it’s resolved today and it appears that this was little more than a stunt, he loses big time.

Remember, the current undecided voters are stupid. They will believe the fluff they are fed. If the media is able to successfully spin this as a stunt then he is in trouble.

September 25, 2008 at 10:20 AM  
Blogger Anonymous_1 said...

Your post is incorrect. Senator McCain is doing the right thing. He is a public official, on the payroll of the American taxpayer, and it is his duty to go back to Washington to do whatever he can; whether it is a small or large contribution, he must work to bring about a bi-partisan solution to this situation. He can’t do that while he’s on the campaign trail.
I believe you’ve become as jaded and cynical as the Democrats, where any action, by a politician, will be parsed as self-serving, unless, of course, it’s your party’s candidate. Whether this action hurts his campaign is irrelevant – he will be remembered for living up to his obligations as a public servant. Ask yourself: Do you really believe that Senator McCain is that cynical? I don’t. Do you believe that Senator McCain actually cares about this Nation? I do.

September 25, 2008 at 11:42 AM  
Blogger Anonymous_1 said...

My last comment was directed towards Mr. Cornell.

Your post, though, does touch upon a truth, namely that this current crisis began with the "Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)" and the quasi-socialist entities known as Freddie and Fannie. Leftist social engineering, represented by the CRA, resulted, ten years later, in a catastrophic failure.

Though, your cynicism is alarming.

September 25, 2008 at 11:57 AM  
Blogger Elder Samuel Bennett said...

Do I actually believe Senator McCain is that cynical? Yes, I do. Do I believe that Senator McCain cares about the nation? Sure. But this has nothing to do with caring about the nation. McCain has absolutely nothing to contribute to this discussion.

I don't have a candidate - I can't stand Obama either. Yet I refuse to defend McCain just because he has an R by his name.

September 25, 2008 at 12:59 PM  
Blogger Anonymous_1 said...

> Do I actually believe Senator
> McCain is that cynical? Yes, I
> do.

Thus, you believe his decision, to go back to Washington, was a calculated ploy. I had no idea that your pessimism and distrust ran that deep. I'm surprised.

September 25, 2008 at 1:11 PM  
Blogger Elder Samuel Bennett said...

Really? What have I ever written on this blog that would suggest any confidence in Senator McCain?

September 25, 2008 at 2:00 PM  
Blogger John Larocque said...

Newt wants Mac to run against the Democrats (and the White House) on the bailout issue, or has he calls it campaigning against "Obama-Bush". Interesting scenario. If he follows Newt's script, he'd essentially be siding with the conservative wing of the GOP against both Bush and the Dems, which isn't exactly pattern behavior with him.

September 25, 2008 at 2:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Of course McCain's decision to "suspend" his campaign and go back to Washington is a political ploy. Why else would he have announced it to the world? He wants his name in lights and wants to be associated with "the fix" that supposedly is going to cure everything. That's "Presidential" in his eyes. His plan is to be right there announcing the solution, and that will supposedly give him traction on the economy. He can claim that he fixed it! Now, will it work? I doubt it. It's just another "hail mary" stunt. That seems to be the only way that McCain can campaign effectively. He's terrible on the stump and boring in press interviews. His numbers consistently go down without campaign stunts. The only uptick in the polls that he's seen has been from the Palin selection and the convention (and I argue that the convention and the Palin selection are one and the same!). He can only draw crowds when Palin appears with him. He's a horrible candidate, and he has to resort to stunts to draw attention away from that fact. The debates will be make or break for him, and I'm afraid your previous analysis describing McCain as a "grumpy old geezer" (or words to that effect) will be proven true in the debate. McCain's gonna lose, and the 2012 ticket will be Palin/Romney. That's my prediction.

September 25, 2008 at 4:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think McCain will be fine in the debate. Obama is the one who has problems away from a teleprompter.

Since there is no deal today, I think John is ok for now.

September 25, 2008 at 4:36 PM  
Blogger Anonymous_1 said...

All of you, you make Anony Mousone cry. I still believe that people care about this country. I still believe that some politicians want to help. I still believe that Senator McCain truly cares about this country. Whether he wins or not doesn't matter, what matters is character. What is sad, is an electorate so jaded, so cynical, so distrustful, that any action, in your minds, must have ulterior motives. Anony Mousone sad.

September 25, 2008 at 4:42 PM  
Blogger foodleking said...

I like Romney too, but everyone here seems to forget he a Mormon. Ain't gonna happen.

September 25, 2008 at 10:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How did we get this guy? HOW? Really, how did this happen? Why is he our nominee?

He goes to Washington yesterday and everything goes to hell - he leaves and things start to happen again. He has about as much of a clue what to do with this crisis as I do. It's clear he cannot be allowed to go to Washington again. I'm back to Jacques Custeau.

September 26, 2008 at 11:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Doomed

September 26, 2008 at 1:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Foodleking,

I haven't forgotten that Romney is Mormon. How can anyone forget? I mention Palin/Romney because the GOP has a long and distinguished history of nominating favorites -- since Eisenhower, the person who begins the campaign leading the pack has been nominated every time! Republicans choose early, and it is difficult for another candidate to overtake the frontunner. Assuming that Obama wins, I have to believe that Palin becomes the frontrunner for 2012. If not Palin, it will be Romney, as the GOP loves someone who has paid his dues. So, to cover all bases, I dub the 2012 ticket Palin/Romney!

September 26, 2008 at 2:28 PM  

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