US 2008 Presidential Campaign Discussion Thread - Part 9

[Zoots]

Wow that was amazing!

 

[VintagePunk]

So, what's happening with the debate? I read a statement from yesterday given by the Debate Commission that said it would go on. I read that Obama said he'll be there to debate McCain if he appears, and if he doesn't, he'll hold some sort of interview with Leher, a townhall meeting, or some combination of both. Then I read that McCain won't be there, then he might be. Has anyone else heard anything?

I also read that another reason for the suspension of the campaign, besides the ones discussed here, is that by pulling his ads, he saves money, which is in short supply, leaving more for advertising in late October.

 

[Vincent Vega]

He said he is only suspending the campaign as there is no agreement on a final proposal for the plan, didn't he? Well, obviously everything has worked out just fine without him being actually present in the same room (yeah, getting educated and being involved and all that stuff), so there just be nothing that hinders him from going to the debate.

 

[BVS]

Well his reasons for calling it off have pretty much been proven to be lies, his part in anything was completely miniscule and could have obviously been dealt with and still taken part in the debates...

I find it ironic that he wanted to call them off due to the economy but it would have cost folks several million dollars...

 

[VintagePunk]

Here's the commission announcement:

Statement by Commission on Presidential Debates.




September 24, 2008

Contact:
Scott Warner
662-915-2220
scott@warnerstrategies.com

Oxford, Miss., September 24, 2008 - “The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is moving forward with its plan for the first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. this Friday, September 26. The plans for this forum have been underway for more than a year and a half. The CPD’s mission is to provide a forum in which the American public has an opportunity to hear the leading candidates for the president of the United States debate the critical issues facing the nation. We believe the public will be well served by having all of the debates go forward as scheduled.”

COMMISSION ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES AND WEBMD TO PARTNER

 

[yolland]

.

McCain Sounding Out Support For Alternative Bills?

by Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic, 25 Sep 2008


Two Congressional sources say that Sen. McCain and his staff have sounded out moderate Democrats and conservative Republicans to see whether they support the conservative Republican Study Committee's alternative bailout bill. And Sen. Chris Dodd said on CNN that McCain, in their meeting at the White House, brought up House GOP "Rescue" principles that Reps. Eric Cantor. Rep. Jeb Hensarling and Rep. Paul Ryan are circulating.

Dodd suggested that Democrats did not expect McCain to mention any new poposals.

The GOP Working group opposes a tax-payer bailout, preferring that it be privately funded. The GOP Working group would suspend the capital gains tax for two years to encourage business with mortgage-backed debt to sell their underperforming portfolios and provide tax incentives for companies to buy them. "We are not pushing any specific proposal," Jill Hazelbaker, McCain's chief spokesperson, said after the meeting. "We are dedicated to brokering a quality agreement on a bipartisan basis."

McCain told news anchors tonight that he believes that there's been progress made toward an agreement, but he did not specify who was agreeing with whom. After McCain and Obama left the White House, a White House spokesperson said in a statement that "members of the Administration and the Congressional leaders pledged to continue working together to finalize a bill that will address concerns and solve the problem as soon as possible."

House Republicans are likely to vote en masse against the Treasury bill as currently constituted.

 

[Lila64]

CNN:

CNN Poll: It's the economy, more than ever
Posted: 07:29 PM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney


A new poll shows the economy is No. 1.
(CNN) – In what could be a bad sign for John McCain, more voters than ever before this election cycle feel the economy is the most important issue to ther vote — a subject on which Barack Obama has consistently held an advantage.

According to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, nearly 6 in 10 registered voters now say the economy is more important than any other issue — a number that is almost a double digit jump from a similar poll taken in July. And it's nearly double the 35 percent of voters who thought the economy was the No. 1 issue in January.

Meanwhile, the issue John McCain is strongest on — Iraq — has steadily declined in importance among voters. In the latest poll only 10 percent of registered voters say it is most important, down from 25 percent who felt it was most important in July.

The poll was conducted September 19-21, entirely after the crisis on Wall Street unfolded. It surveyed 909 registered voters and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

 

[Harry Vest]

I keep saying she's stupid and she keeps proving me right.

I am wondering whether blatantly cancelling the VP debate, even with all the criticism that will come McCain's way because of it, might be better in the long run than letting her speak. This is so bad.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that she will "win" the debate with Joe Biden. Even though Biden knows every subject better than her, there is a possibility of him coming off as too intellectual...too snooty...too "elite". Mind you, if she continues being as bad as in that interview then all bets are off. However, if she comes off as she did in her RNC speech then look out.

 

[Diemen]

I think Joe Biden actually does a decent job of coming across as a common man kind of guy, someone who understands the problems of your average American. I don't think he's going to come across as elite. I think there's a possibility he may come across as too tough on Palin should he dare to point out when she's off the mark (which, judging from the interviews we've seen so far, should be often).

 

[BVS]

However, if she comes off as she did in her RNC speech then look out.

I can say with almost 98% certainty, she will not be able to think on her feet. She will embarass the GOP.

 

[U2isthebest]

She couldn't think on her feet in a non-live interview with Katie Couric, of all people. How in the world will she able to do so in a live debate with a clearly better qualified and more knowledgeable opponent?

 

[Lila64]

Campbell Brown, prior to Bush's speech last night

Commentary: White House caught napping on financial crisis - CNN.com

 

[Harry Vest]

YouTube - O'Reilly Erupts at Right-Wing Radio Liars and Barney Frank!

Bill O'Reilly goes apeshit on talk radio, calling the hosts idiots, blasts right-wing "liars," and then unloads on Chris Dodd & Barney Frank.

He hurt Rush's feelings.

What a joke. Is Bill going to run as the centrist messiah in 2012???

What a crock.

 

[Zoots]

Campbell Brown, prior to Bush's speech last night

Commentary: White House caught napping on financial crisis - CNN.com

Wow! I guess all one needs to make it to high positions in government is to know how to bullshit when the time comes.

 

[sue4u2]

I can say with almost 98% certainty, she will not be able to think on her feet. She will embarass the GOP.

yes

She couldn't think on her feet in a non-live interview with Katie Couric, of all people. How in the world will she able to do so in a live debate with a clearly better qualified and more knowledgeable opponent?

yes

Wow! I guess all one needs to make it to high positions in government is to know how to bullshit when the time comes.

yes. however, she hasn't mastered it, yet..

 

[anitram]

Is anyone paying attention tonight?

Washington Mutual, the giant lender that came to symbolize the excesses of the mortgage boom, was seized by federal regulators on Thursday night in the largest bank failure in American history.

 

[corianderstem]

It's definitely big news in my corner of the country. One of my coworkers' husbands works there. And that's where I keep my meager checking account.

 

[U2isthebest]

^Oh boy, more good news! I honestly don't even know what to say anymore.

 

[corianderstem]

I honestly don't even know what to say anymore.

I suggest something along the following lines:

"Hmm, keeping my money in my mattress doesn't seem like such a bad idea anymore."

or

"Because you have ridiculous charges for overdraft fees, WaMu, let me express my schadenfreude accordingly: HA HA!"

or, simply

"Hey, pass the vodka, will you?"

 

[Harry Vest]

Is anyone paying attention tonight?

Obviously not many. They're all too busy still fretting about Palin.

This is NOT good news at all.

 

[anitram]

All it would take at this point is for Americans to start withdrawing their savings and stuffing them under their mattresses for essentially complete economic collapse.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Her best chance in the debates is via complete bamboozlement. I’ve had to read transcripts of some parts of the Couric interview just to figure out exactly what she’s on about. She might not be able to think on her feet, but she might well be able to catch Biden out stuck in a “WTF was that?” moment plenty of times. My first response would be to say, “Slow down, take your time, try and think it through first, don’t just start talking shit in the hope it will pull itself together somewhere along the way, none of us actually understand what you are saying”. Of course, that would be the end of Biden.

 

[sue4u2]

Is anyone paying attention tonight?

NOT WAMU!!.. Actually, I thought it was discussed already.
It was seized by Federal agents.
It's history.

I've been trying to catch up and watch Jon Stewart hiding under his desk while he plays last night speech and the one Bush made for war, side by side. Just amazing the similarities.

He mentioned David Letterman's rant last night when McCain cancelled.
David's coming up, after this. I need all the laughs I can get.

 

[corianderstem]

Obviously not many. They're all too busy still fretting about Palin.

Oh come on, now. So the only two options for Interferencers on a Thursday night are to either be hanging out in this thread or the Palin thread?

 

[ntalwar]

All it would take at this point is for Americans to start withdrawing their savings and stuffing them under their mattresses for essentially complete economic collapse.

I've started giving some thought to buying up Krugerrands and/or moving to Canada if it gets real bad.

 

[anitram]

COUNTRY FIRST.

Inside an intense White House meeting over the financial crisis on Thursday, where nearly every key player came to an agreement on the outlines of the bailout package, Sen. John McCain stuck out. The Republican candidate, according to sources with direct knowledge, sat quiet through most of the meeting, never offered specifics, and spoke only at the end to raise doubts about the rough compromise that the White House and congressional leaders were nearing.

McCain's reluctance to jump on board the bailout agreement could throw the entire week-long negotiation into a tailspin. Sen. Chris Dodd, after leaving the White House, suggested on CNN that the tenuous process could be derailed by what he viewed as McCain's political motives.

"What happened here, basically, if you want an honest appraisal of the thing, we have been spending a lot of time and I am tired. I have spent almost seven straight days at this in trying to come out with a workout plan for our economy a rescue plan," said Dodd. "What this looked like to me was a rescue plan for John McCain for two hours and took us away from the work we are trying to do today. Serious people trying to do serious work to come up with an answer."

According to the source with knowledge of the White House gathering -- which featured both presidential candidates, congressional leaders and the President -- virtually ever key figure in the room, save McCain and GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, were in agreement over a revised version of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's plan.

Towards the end, McCain finally spoke up, mentioning a counter-proposal that had been offered by some conservative House Republicans, which would suspend the capital gains tax for two years and provide tax incentives to encourage firms that buy up bad debt. McCain did not discuss specifics of the plan, though, and was non-committal about supporting it.

Paulson, however, argued directly against the conservative proposal. "He said that he did not think it would work," according to the source. At another point in the meeting, President Bush chimed in, "If money isn't loosened, this sucker could go down" -- and by sucker he meant economy.

ABC News reported that, following the meeting, Paulson "walked into the room where Democrats were caucusing...at the White House and pleaded with them 'please don't blow this up.'" But this story isn't incomplete, according to sources.

Democrats stayed talking in the Roosevelt room and Paulson approached them. After his comment, Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Barney Frank shot back that the real problem was with House Republicans. Paulson replied, "I know, I know."

At White House, McCain Plays Bailout Spoiler

 

[U2isthebest]

"Hey, pass the vodka, will you?"

I vote for this one.

ETA: Although, since I'm with Chase Bank, that won't be necessary for me since they apparently bought WaMu. So, I'll be expecting the money from your checking account to be transferred into my checking account by tomorrow morning.

 

[corianderstem]

I hope you enjoy the $15.26.

 

[U2isthebest]

I hope you enjoy the $15.26.

I'm a college student. I appreciate any money that comes my way.

 

[anitram]

Well be lucky you're not a shareholder - they were wiped out tonight.