One candidate thinks he can add value to solving the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. The other candidate thinks he can’t add value and that its a better idea to campaign.
Here is the question I would ask the Senator: “How is it Senator Obama, that with Wall Street burning, you thought it was a better use of your time to campaign ?. You make it clear that one of your greatest skillsets is promoting consensus. Has there ever been a time when promoting consensus was more important to the financial health of the American people than today ?”
Even if all either Senator did did was go to the meetings and shut up and listen, that would put both in a position to offer help if needed.
Remember this. 90pct of being successful is showing up. The other 10pct is being prepared to know what to do while you are there.
You have a good point although the truthfulness of that assertion doesn’t apply in this situation. Obama was well aware of what was going on months before things got bad, McCain was in denial about the state of the economy. I believe McCain was grand standing. As we have witnessed over the course of these past few weeks that all the talks and meeting still have not offered any real insight into what it is going to take to get us out of this crisis. Obama has been clear all along stating middle lass jobs are the only way to restore the economy.
Comment by gcedwards -
I don’t think it was an issue of right or wrong. I saw
his 48 hour postponement for what it was, a ploy to get
out of debating while earning him points for being on top
of domestic issues.
Comment by Jeff Hock -
Every one bad mouths McCain,what about all Obamas tie to radical groups,his ties to his radical preacher of 20 years.What about Obama and the Acorn group,they all blow over these very critical things.Thanks
Comment by Wes Shipman -
I guess this discussion is over…
Comment by Josh Smith -
McCain apologists, check this out: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters
Comment by Josh Smith -
Hey Carol, I guess you didn’t see that McCain’s only contribution to the proceedings was suggesting an alternative proposal that included much more tax breaks for oil companies. That’s not the way to protect Americans, now is it?
Comment by Josh Smith -
It was imperative that the presential candidates be involved in the process; at least, if nothing else, be present to hear the proposal. Obama talks like he wrote the proposal which does not protect main street Americans enough. The Democrats already tried to attach extra pork to the first proposal. The people need protection, the mortgages to those who could not afford them should never have happened and the regulations should be changed to prevent these types of mortgages from happening. You don’t get something for nothing…save…not everyone will EARN enough to have a house…it’s always been that way. Wall Street should not be bailed out…maybe helped out, and those making money off the backs of Americans should pay up, be penalized, lose their jobs, etc. Comeon…making $94,000 in 6 yrs…excessive. And Obama is the number two receipient of support money from these people.
Comment by Carol MacPhail -
oh really digito? care to explain exactly what mccain accomplished? care to explain why they actually both met with the officials and bush, yet mccain made a big deal about suspending his campaign, while obama managed to walk and chew gum at the same time? care to pony up to the fact that the bailout was voted DOWN after mccain mavericked on up? you’re a fool and so is cubes.
Comment by Josh -
Pingback: Digito Society » Blog Archive » On Being There vs. On Being Where?
I usually agree with you but not this time.
Comment by film izle -
@amd, what does that have to do with whether or not McCain was “right”
to suspend his campaign?
Comment by Josh Smith -
@Laura 1.52pm
“I think the media liked the fact that McCain suspended his campaign and he got attention.”
Except that he didn’t actually suspend his campaign, unless you’re trying to say that the only perspective that matters is the media spin perspective… yeesh
“He is a vet and that concerned attitude could help him win the presidency.”
Exactly how does being a vet make one actually concerned? We should congratulate him for his heroism, but not give him assumed extra credit. You should actually look at his veterans voting record, it’s quite terrible.
“I think the democrats could win but they don’t have the right approach.”
Exactly what is wrong with their approach?
“McCain really has the political/money backing and that will show but the economy is in trouble.”
I’m not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean to suggest that the American people should not only vote for the candidate with the most political backing and money to throw around, but that those two combined should be a virtue???
Comment by Josh Smith -
It seems you all have not done a thorough job in researching how this whole mess started. Please look up the Community re-investment act. Mr. Carter initiated it, Mr. Clinton tweaked it because he was thinking of minorities encouraged by Mr. B. Frank to get them a home they couldn’t afford. Even Mr. Clinton confirmed this that his party (Democrats) blocked every attempt to reform oversight into these financial organizations especially FM/FM that conservative legislators tried to pass. (he did this on a NBC show)
The very same people who ruined FM/FM are part of Mr. Obama’s financial advisory staff. Do you really want the same people who ruined our economy back in office?
The bail out will not make everything right again. I can’t understand why people think that the governemtn can take care of everything. Do you think they are going to print money for the fun of it? Do you think they can create jobs? HOw? when they are bearly going to have money to payout all those entitlements? Ridiculous! Governemtn should stay out of the private sector. As usual, we should praise all those good intentions however the governemtn managed to give low income earners a home. No where in the Consitution does it garauntee a person to have a governemtn income, a government medical plan, a govenrment home, a governremtn car. Usually, people provide themselves with these items by themselves. and Work to get them on their own – that is the freedom that people have earned. Until people start realizing this, we will always be bailing out people who make the wrong financial decisions.
Maybe the should start teaching Civics and Economics 101 in High School instead of how to put a condom on a banana.
Comment by amd -
I think the media liked the fact that McCain suspended his campaign and he got attention. He is a vet and that concerned attitude could help him win the presidency. I think the democrats could win but they don’t have the right approach. McCain really has the political/money backing and that will show but the economy is in trouble.
Comment by Laura -
Sometimes the presence of VIP’s slow the progress of those who are
trying to solve a crisis. In this spirit both McCain and Obama should not have appeared in person but waited for the call for help.
Sorry Mark, I don’t agree.
Comment by Small Business Marketing -
I don’t think anybody has pointed out that McCain didn’t suspend his campaign – he just *said* he suspended it. Still ran ads, still did speeches, still did appearances.
He was just looking for a way to avoid the debate.
Now, if he actually was an expert on the economy or on banking, I might feel different, but we know that he’s said he doesn’t understand the economy.
Comment by Eric Gunnerson -
MARK YOU WERE OBVIOUSLY WRONG, WE AWAIT YOUR RETRACTION.
(NOT TO MENTION NAIVE… WOW!)
Comment by J. Lee -
seems like you jumped on board too fast this time Mark. Mccain didnt suspend anything. Obama was in Washington too. That was just something he said to make him look good. He’s had a lifetime to prevent this and from what I’m hearing his arrival caused distraction and he somehow still managed to appear on a few show to talk about how hes not campaigning.
Comment by Steve -
Pingback: Top Posts « WordPress.com
You made a typo, Mark; I think you meant to say that McCain said he was suspending his campaign.
Since he kept running his ads, kept appearing on TV, kept making speeches, and son on, I don’t think it’s fair to say he actually suspended anything.
Comment by researchrants -
Very funny post. So how do they spin it now that he’s cutting and running from Washington
to go to the debate? Brilliant political move? He solved the crisis single handedly? He discovered a thing called teleconferencing?
You’d think that Carly Fiorinna would have told John about that before now.
He can be in Washington “helping” AND at the debate, flip flopping at the same time. It’s like MAGIC!!!
For a man who believes that the 9 most dangerous words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”Senator McCain sure seems eager to take his admittedly weak knowledge of the economy and “help” out us poor ‘ol citizens.
Comment by averageuscitizen -
I mean, just because an Obama supporter writes something that you’ve decided is a “talking point” doesn’t mean it is, and even if it were, doesn’t mean you aren’t obliged to refute it on it’s own merit. We do appreciate that you think we’re “cute” but I think maybe we’re prone to repeating things because it seems nobody listens to facts, no matter how compelling, if they are said just once and more quietly than the Republican spin machine yellers. I guess there isn’t really any point in arguing over this anyways: it never gets down to real issue and calm, logical debate, even if it did, neither side is going to change their mind, and we the American people have absolutely no say in the final decision on this bailout anyways… right?
Comment by Josh -
#1. I’m not sure what any of that has to do with McCain and/or Obama being there in DC and/or suspending their campaign. Perhaps you are responding to someone else.
Is McCain trying to change this particular issue that you have with the bill?
#2. Hey, I asked the question if it were the other way around first! I really wouldn’t be proud of Obama if he did the same thing. I think it is fundamentally wrong and pointless what McCain is doing, so it doesn’t have anything to do with my political slant how I feel about the actions.
The point is that McCain has admitted he is clueless on the economy, and was told specifically that he was not needed, nor could he do anything. So while I understand the principle of what you say, that it’s good to be around if help is needed, if for no other reason than the good gesture, it simply doesn’t jive, because Obama can and has done both listen to the proceedings and prepare for the debate, but McCain hasn’t actually suspended anything about his campaign, so the gesture is an empty and false one.
I’m also curious how this move that McCain “made another great move in this chess game and left you guys direction-less once again”… I mean, the polls show a ten point lead for Obama and overwhelming sentiment that McCain made the WRONG choice in this whole thing, and even if the Republican base thinks he made the right choice, I see no way whatsoever that this move made us “guys direction-less once again.” I mean, really? Do you really believe that? We have the same direction we’ve had all along, and the polls support that it’s got more momentum than McCain’s…. so really, give me something real here.
So here’s what I’m seeing, and correct me if I’m wrong: Obama and McCain are both doing essentially the same thing, observing in a limited sense the proceedings for the bailout shenanigans, except McCain is making is seem as if he thought of it first AND that he’s devoting all his attention to it by this fake suspension of his campaign, while Obama, like many have already said, seems to have perfected the art of walking and chewing gum at the same time.
Again again again, I UNDERSTAND the spirit of the message McCain is trying to display for us with his “suspension” but at best, he will have limited influence into the proceedings as it is, so why is acting like his campaign is suspended such an ingenious chess move?
What exactly does this accomplish? What exactly does this tell the American people about his leadership potential? Can you deny that Obama is involved in the bailout proceedings about as much as McCain is?
Comment by Josh -
McCain didn’t suspend his campaign, he just moved it to DC
to grandstand. For somebody as smart as you are Mark, I can’t
believe how off the mark you are on this.
Comment by Daniel -
Couldn’t agree more. This may be the most important vote of our lifetime.
Comment by Chip Brown -
If he was right to postpone his campaign to fix things, is he right to start it back up again (he is going to the debate after all) before a fix has been made?
Comment by gardenqueen -
I think this crisis is just one symptom of the larger crisis which motivated Obama to START his campaign, so why should this motivate him to stop it?
And what has really changed, anyway? A month ago Americans were up to their eyeballs in debt, people were losing their homes, etc., but the Bush people and McCain were in denial. Why should Obama stop what he’s doing just because now the kind of rich people who donate to Republican campaigns are starting to feel the heat, too?
Honestly, I think the best thing to calm the situation would be for Obama to win the election so we can get some competent and carefully crafted regulation in place.
Comment by 123fun -
As for this being a political stunt:
What would you be saying if the opposite had happened? What if Obama ran to Washington and McCain kept campaigning?
You’d be proud and happy, and dragging McCain over even more hot coals. I don’t think we expect him to solve the crisis (actually I think most conservatives would prefer no bail-out) but this really is a time to have all hands on deck to represent the people, if only for the reasonable expectation of a resolution that can work for both parties. That’s all I expect.
So yes, McCain made another great move in this chess game and left you guys direction-less once again. Sorry about that, but I’m sure if you keep Digging this you can eventually wipe out any stupid, ugly, ignorant and racist opinions that may not jive with the marketing you’ve bought into. You’re not buying an iPod, you’re electing a President. Act like it.
Comment by Chris -
This highlights one of the big differences between the two candidates: one is about “what is best for the country” and the other is about “what is best for me”.
The question I ask is what is their current job title? Campaigner or Sanator? I believe my taxpayer dollars are paying them to be a Senator and their biggest task right now is to solve the crisis.
Comment by Andy -
M – I usually agree with what you have to say and feel that you are right on, but I think you missed on this one. McCain ‘suspending’ his stumping was not smart for anyone, especially his chances at president and not suprisingly, he is right back on. Do you think he should stay ‘suspended’? Apparently he is back in…
He should have been able to continue both. I am not sure what value he adds in DC besides presence. He has been absent from MANY votes the last year…
Comment by Dan -
I’ll play ball.
How about keeping revenue generated by the bailout from going to special-interest groups like the Housing Trust Fund, an ill-run entity which Congress has used to fund political action groups like ACORN and the National Council of La Raza?
Here’s the relevant part of the Dodd proposal which supports the above:
TRANSFER OF A PERCENTAGE OF PROFITS.
1. DEPOSITS.Not less than 20 percent of any profit realized on the sale of each troubled asset purchased under this Act shall be deposited as provided in paragraph (2).
2. USE OF DEPOSITS.Of the amount referred to in paragraph (1)
1. 65 percent shall be deposited into the Housing Trust Fund established under section 1338 of the Federal Housing Enterprises Regulatory Reform Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4568); and
2. 35 percent shall be deposited into the Capital Magnet Fund established under section 1339 of that Act (12 U.S.C. 4569).
I love how you guys just repeat and amplify. It’s cute, but not as effective as you think.
Comment by Chris -
“Wow.. this site is awash in Kool-Aid all of a sudden. Funny how that works.
Mark, you’re right, and the fact that the Obots heads are exploding is only proof of this.
C.
Comment by Chris — September 26, 2008 @ 10:37 am ”
In all seriousness, Chris, I admit to being an Obama supporter, but I have yet to see a cogent explanation for why McCain was either “right” or at all useful in the Bailout negotiation process in “suspending” his campaign… Anyone else on here, I’d love to have a discussion with you because I really want to understand the argument FOR McCain in this case. Please email me at smithj@dickinson.edu I look forward to intelligent discussion!!!
Comment by Josh Smith -
McCain was against the bailout, now he’s for the bailout. He was against Bush tax cuts, now he’s for them. He was against torture, now he is for them. He asked to postpone the debates, I mean “campaigning”, and now he’s going to do them after all. If there’s a takeaway from all this, its that he’s consistent at being inconsistent. Mark, you are the maverick. Not “wavering” McCain!
Comment by Bob Jones -
Chris at 10:37am please explain how John McCain was asked to help, and most importantly, explain how he COULD help… It doesn’t take an Obama supporter to see that this was a baldfaced political stunt.
Comment by Josh Smith -
The more people you put in a room, the less work that gets done.
This disaster is beyond McCain’s skills to deal with personally, so doing something other than hanging in Washington, such as debating why he should be our next president, would be a better use of his time.
Comment by Ed Kohler -
Mark, Mark, Mark! Please tell me that you put a little more analysis into this than taking McCain’s announcement at face value. Read between the lines a little bit. Don’t get so excited that one of the candidates seemingly agreed with you blog post. Come on I think you’re smarter and able to think about things in a slightly more nuanced manner.
Comment by noah dorrance -
McCain truly has NO CLUE. After suspending the debate, he has done
nothing to alleviate the situation.
Moreover, I’m totally in agreement with Obama…the president will
have to focus on more than one crisis at a time.
And I am promptly removing your blog from my feed.
Comment by Brooke -
Wow.. this site is awash in Kool-Aid all of a sudden. Funny how that works.
Mark, you’re right, and the fact that the Obots heads are exploding is only proof of this.
C.
Comment by Chris -
digg it up fellas!
http://digg.com/politics/Mark_Cuban_is_IN_THE_TANK_for_John_McCain
Comment by Josh Smith -
To pile on with what Ben said at 9:02am, after this discussion dies down, I too will be removing your blog from my rotation. Not that you care, but that you really buy into this garbage right now proves to me that you’ve got nothing valid left to say to me.
Comment by Josh Smith -
Ask yourself this, Mark, what do you think John McCain would have done if it was Barack Obama who first came out and announced he was “suspending” his campaign to address this buyout issue that neither of them can currently offer any valid help with?
Comment by Josh Smith -
Cuban, don’t be a douche. Obama never said he couldn’t add value – actually what he said is that he can help work on this crisis as well as continue his campaign. And if I’m not mistaken, that is exactly what he did, sitting in on the same meetings as McCain did yesterday – meetings which the Republicans seemed to hijack late in the day, derailing any progress made toward starting to fix this crisis.
If you’re going to shill for McCain, at least be up front about it. Don’t try to pass yourself off as some sort of “independent” voter. I just took your blog out of my regular rotation. You and Curt Schilling can have McCain. The rest of the country will be much better off with Obama handling things.
Comment by ben -
I had a great teacher who used to caution us about “Being more right than effective. In this case, McCain was showboating, and obstructive. I hope he gets his butt out of this deal, because he admits himself that he doesn’t know crap about it.
Although, I have to say, that you would have been an interesting choice for VP mark.
Comment by daniel -
Sorry, you missed the mark on this one…
First, as others have noted, what has McCain *actually* suspended? As others have noted, he stayed in NYC to give interviews the night he announced… when he returned to Washington yesterday to meet with the President, Obama was there, too. Then, when negotiations apparently broke down after the meeting, did McCain roll up his sleeves and work through the night with the Congressional delegation? Not according to what I’ve seen… he went back to his office for a while, then hit the news shows. That’s suspending your campaign?? That is putting “Country First”?? It’s pure political hackery, is what it is, and it looks like most American’s can see right through it, except you, of course.
And what about “being there”? McCain has missed 64% of the votes in the Senate, more than Tim Johnson, who was recovering from a *brain hemorrhage*!! Yes, Obama has missed a very high percentage, too, at 46%, but really, you think McCain can make that big of a difference by showing up *now*? Where was he when the problem was being created? He wasn’t helping in the Senate then… While Obama has introduced 5 bills related to regulating banking, McCain has introduced Zero. Now he’s trying to play all shiny white night savior, and to quote David Letterman, “it stinks.”
You’re right, being there does make a difference, and McCain hasn’t been there. He’s been like an absentee father, who couldn’t be bothered to govern before, but now that he sees a giant PR opportunity, wants to milk the press for all it’s worth and try to convince us he’s putting “country first”. B.S. He’s putting PR and John McCain first. I want a president who can walk *and* chew gum at the same time. Or a ticket that has a VP that can actually run the show when the lead has to go take up another task. This move is pure political B.S. and it’s a prime example of why I have virtually no respect left for McCain. Considering I supported him before, and would have gladly voted for him against Kerry, it’s sad to see someone who *was* once a maverick, fall so far into being just another politician.
P.S. Please buy the Cubs!!! And go Hoosiers!!
Comment by Dave! -
If Obama’s camp was screaming for recess of the GOP convention when hurricanes were threatening the Gulf, where is that same voice now that all of America is in the death grip of this economic crisis?
Comment by Lost in it all -
McCain knows he can’t add much “value” to this debate. He’s admitted that he doesn’t know much about economics, or much about anything except endless war. So far, he hasn’t contributed anything beyond overblown outrage and impotent threats toward Chris Cox. Can’t the first MBA president handle this himself? McCain is happy to rubber-stamp Bush on everything else.
Mark, if you’re really endorsing McCain, please reconsider. If McCain wins this, then it’s hard to imagine that anything matters in politics except shrewdness. It’s fun to watch, but it doesn’t justify electing McCain.
You would make a MUCH better candidate than McCain. Please, don’t endorse someone less qualified than yourself.
Comment by Goodness -
complete bullshit. If anything they should have moved the debate up.
They’re trying to be the leader of this country in a mere 40 days.
People want to know who will stand up for them NOW. This was the BEST time to
debate, and McCain was dropping in the poles, partly responsible for
all the deregulation that led to this mess and well, we know who this
country is beginning to believe in. Obama.
Comment by Bobby J. -
You are losing a lot of credibility with dumb posts like this one Mark. Do you really can’t see that this is a political stunt? Who would believe even for one second that McCain can help with anything here? It’s ridiculous.
The “economy fundamentals are strong”, but he’s going to help rescue it now…
I think he’d better continue his campaign and try to at least give the impression that he’s still trying.
Right now, there is only one candidate running for president of USA for god’s sake. Talk about democracy…
Comment by Joe -
actions speak louder than words. plain and simple!
Comment by gabe -
The only reason McCain is suddenly interested in economic times is
because he knows he does not stand a chance against Obama in
a presidential debate.
The only reason (if I was American), I would vote for McCain is
because he is against the murder of unborn children (Abortion).
For all the other issues, Obama IMHO is better.
Just my opinion from my European point of view.
Great blog BTW, I liked your stock articles posts.
Comment by Infonote -
Mark,
I agree completely with your logic that both of these candidates who have almost no expertise in economic matters should use this opportunity to LEARN. Therefore, if LEARNING how our financial system works was their true intention in “suspending” campaigns and going to Washington I would completely support that candidates decision and gain an incredible amount of respect for whichever candidate that was. Unfortunately, Senator McCain announced he was suspending his campaign so he could HELP! That is a blatant lie!
That being said, I’m not very impressed with the way that either candidate has handled their campaign over the last several weeks. However, I suppose the edge here has to go to Senator Obama as he made a lessor effort to politicize this event. Given that both Senators Obama and McCain appeared in Washington for whatever reasons, the debate must go on so that each and every taxpayer can see for ourselves which candidate truly LEARNED from the past weeks financial crisis. Even though the topic of the debate is foreign policy, we all know that every answer tomorrow night will find a way to tie in our economic troubles.
Using your own logic here Mark, Obama should have a slight advantage.
Comment by Peter -
As far as being caught ‘with their hands in the cookie jar’ Obama is one of the highest
recipients in campaign contributions from Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae. Davis may not be innocent
but one should look at the list of recipients to see which party had more hands in this particular
cookie jar.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html
“McCain has long fought to shrink the size of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and earlier this month, a longtime critic of Fannie and Freddie told the Wall Street Journal of the housing giants’ unsuccessful efforts to win McCain over.
“There were quite a few lobbyists retained by Fannie and Freddie who tried to influence Sen. McCain, but they never were able to get their ‘hooks’ into him,” said Anne Canfield, who heads a lending trade group, the Consumer Mortgage Coalition, that has called for greater regulation of the government-backed entities.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/09/24/anyone-not-tied-to-fannie-or-freddie-please-stand-up/
Comment by Theresa -
“One candidate thinks he can add value to solving the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. The other candidate thinks he can’t add value and that its a better idea to campaign.”
this is your opening argument? fictional characterization of the motivations of your primary topic?
you’re kidding, right?
damn, i used to think you knew what you were talking about.
Comment by Mike Amundsen -
Just like everyone else I tend to agree with a lot of things you say as you present a rationale and methodical way of looking at stuff. But man, are you wrong on this point. I understand McCain’s reason about trying to see if he can help move this process along, but seriously I think it is more critical that we have these debates so that the American public can once have these guys go one-on-one in a fair way vs. the trash-talking on BOTH side.
Comment by Marcus Wynn -
Postponing a campaign isn’t any great sacrifice that McCain is doing because he generally cares about the situation he and his cronies in Washington have gotten this country into. It’s a political stunt because his poll numbers are in the toilet. People realize that it will be more of the same, that he chose a joke for a Vice President, and feared too much attention would be put on his buddie who had his hands in the Freddie/Fannie cookie jar.
This has been endlessly covered, but being able to doing more than one thing at a time, and the fact that it was supposed to be a joint statement with Obama, makes McCain look even less genuine.
Comment by Andrew Lombardi -
Very well said Mark. I read your blog last week and totally agreed with you then. Maybe McCain’s got your blog as feed in his RSS Reader. I’m sure he knows what that is. 🙂
Comment by Richard -
Come on Mark, I know you’re not dumb enough to actually believe that!
How many companies and projects are you actively involved in right now?
McCain has disgraced this country with how he is running this campaign and who he chose as a running mate. Have you listened to Palin? there is just too much at stake to let this happen.
Palin interview:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4479049n
Comment by Chris -
Pingback: common sense « rob’s next move
McCain is earning the office of the Presidency, Obama is sitting on the sidelines. He doesn’t get that at some point someone’s going to check his credentials.
This has nothing to do with multi-tasking. This is about rising to the occassion, and having enough confidence in yourself to know you can make a difference. Obama, knew he couldn’t. Plus there’s no teleprompter.
Comment by Oscar -
Mark, notice the balance or lack thereof in the comments here. McCain isn’t fooling anyone…
Comment by Colin -
Can you imagine that your company is in crsis and the CEO is not even present at the meeting
Comment by hms -
1) Actually, 80% of success is showing up–according to Woody Allen.
2) Um, Obama and McCain OWE IT TO THE PUBLIC to have a debate.
3) The debate it meant to help BOTH campaigns.
4) McCain is just using a meeting (in which will accomplish NOTHING and
hurt the environment with the extra travel) as an excuse to get out
of discussing the real issues–which INCLUDE THE ECONOMY!
5) Let the Fed Res. and Treas. do their jobs, and the rest of
Congress, too, while McCain and Obama do theirs: present us with
their ideas and opinions and examples.
Look. It is more effective to show their true colors than to go to
D.C. from some useless photo op. Obama is debating so the
American people can be more educated about their vote; McCain wants
to go to D.C. to help HIS OWN campaign.
THINK ABOUT IT, GOING TO D.C. IS THE MOST CAMPAIGN/PHOTO-OP THING
MCCAIN COULD DO RIGHT NOW! McCain is the one; HE’S the one obsessed
with his campaign! While Obama, of course, is obsessed with making
this country a better place.
Comment by the-cuban-responder -
Considering how both of these candidates have stayed out of Washington
and missed months of committee meetings and votes I’m shocked they
that were able to find Capital Hill today. I know campaigning for the
President takes lots of time but seriously these two should have
been in DC working on this deal days ago. As for suspending the
campaign, Yes they both should be off the trail and prep work for the
Debate and be in Washington representing the people who voted for them.
We need to remember that these two men are Senators first, Campaigners
second! They’ve forgotten that till today. It’s time for them to sit
down and work to fix this.
Comment by oel M -
McCain isn’t even on a relevant committee. He’s just lost, is all. He has a psycho running mate and has sacrificed all his principles to get to where he is. He just wants a time out; this is no more noble than a boxer wrapping his arms around an opponent when he is starting to get tired. You are a Maverick, not John McCain.
Comment by ted -
What better test of a candidates judgment? Don’t suspend the campaign, use it to prove you’re the man. Notice who actually makes sense from this bunch? Ron Paul.
Comment by Kevin -
I think you’re off on this one Mark.
But, I’m comforted by the sanity revealed so far by most of the commenters.
Comment by Jeff -
to those who question McCain’s ability to multi-task i would say this.
sometimes as a leader, any leader, you need to have the ability to
have a laser-sharp focus and forget everything else for a moment and
deal with the overriding task at hand. i don’t know McCain’s motives
but i do know that leadership takes focus and wisdom to know when to
set other things aside for the greater good and deal with a pressing
issue.
Comment by Jason -
WOW – McCain’s presence, his insight, his ability to unite – all of that really helped this crisis resolution. What a joke McCain showed up. Thanks Senator for the big disruption.
Sooooo much value added, huh Mark?
Comment by David -
McCain is a poseur….period.
Considering the media is reporting that none of his other campaign things same to a slow down today….come on.
Comment by whatever -
You’ve got to be fucking KIDDING me. You honestly believe that McCain’s ‘suspension’ had anything at all to do with the Wall St. crisis and nothing at all to do with his tanking poll numbers and catastrophic pick of a running mate??? He’s using this crisis to keep his name in the news cycle. I used to think you were a pretty smart guy, but you’ve just proven that you’re as willfully ignorant as a large part of the US population. McCain has ZERO to contribute to this issue, and has proven since your original post time that his sole purpose is to derail any bipartisan agreement so that he can look like a ‘maverick’ (his words, no one else’s). Unbelievable.
Comment by Chris -
You’re joking right?. McCain really f’ed up any resolution to the crisis.
So glad he added sooo much value. Wow his presence, insight, ability to articulate the matter at hand and to reach across party lines for unity has been tremendous.
Pretty embarassing Mark – you are usually much more insightful.
Comment by Dave -
Not everyone believes McCain suspended his campaign to “help”. In fact
almost no one does.
Comment by ResidentCynic -
Not campaigning is a form of campaigning.
Comment by Ariel Diaz -
Scope creep. Groupthink. Too many cooks. Mark, you have run businesses, so
you know these things can drag solutions to urgent problems out. Obama isn’t president yet, so don’t expect him to
drop everything to get involved. As of this evening, it appears that the
President’s meeting with Obama and McCain has created a side-show distraction
and has had opportunity cost for the legislative branch to get things done. So
please stop praising grandstanding, especially when it likely just prolonged
the problem. And recognize that if taxpayers are on the hook for this bailout
we need to hear from politicians and be involved (that is democracy). Don’t
tell me that the executives and board of a public company with problems should
skip the shareholder meeting, I don’t want McCain to miss America’s shareholder meeting.
Comment by Sean Upton -
Mark,
Instead of Paulson’s plan, how about making mortgage interest 200% deductible. That would (1) increase demand for housing; (2) cut the mortgage default rate (which would make MBS more valuable) and (3) give a bailout to home owners – not Wall Street.
Thanks,
Scott Lewis
Comment by Scott Lewis -
my god-can he only do 1 thing at a time?? thats assinine
Comment by jd byrd -
Here we go again Mark and I thought YOU were a maverick in your thinking process (no pun intended)…unless you are positioning yourself for a future political move but this may be an entire new discussion.
To me the only situation that requires absolute immediate attention is a matter of life and death and this is and was not a matter of life and death . Indeed, this same rush to act or come up with a decision as an ultimatum type of way is precisely what led us to several grave error of judgment costing us taxpayers billions and billions of dollars and thousands of American lives.
European governments “bailout” large institutions and businesses all the time for the sake of their own economic stability. When profitable they put them back in the hands of the private sector. This is not such a big deal.
This brings me to my basic point: Leadership. When everybody is running around like crazy: pause. When the collective hysteria is reaching extreme heights: keep cool and think ahead. When the same pundits who railroaded you the first time tell you that the world will fall apart if you don’t do something in the next 48 hours: wait one more day and act then.
Comment by Michel Thomas -
Direct copy and paste, love the quote…
“90pct of being successful is showing up. The other 10pct is being prepared to know what to do while you are there.” -Mark Cuban
I’m putting this one on Facebook.
Comment by James Stevens -
Totally disagree. Usually I agree with you Mark but here, they are not president yet, they are senators and can deal with this on the road.
On the other hand, we’re trying to elect a president and I see this “suspending the campaign” as a way to grandstand and also avoid having to actually talk about policies.
Pick n Roll!
Comment by Steve -
Are you really the gazillionaire Mark Cuban? or are you his naive secretary posting on
Cuban’s behalf….
simple answer….the president should be able to multi-task because
problems in real life come simultaneously not one at a time.
Moreover McCain needs time out to rethink his campaign and not about the
economy because God forbid he did….then we’ll be in deeper trouble
Comment by Sunil -
As with most of the others here, the move to postpone his campaigning is 100% political in nature only.
Forgive me for not quoting the sources here, but Obama called McCain to request issuing a joint statement with regards to postponing things. McCain declined and then turned around and “postponed” things himself…trying to look like the hero. As a result, Obama has come back and said he qould not agree to delaying the debates.
We already have one President who cannot do or think about more than one things at a time…we don’t need another one.
Comment by Troy -
Mark,
I think you’re way off base here. What is the value added of McCain
showing up? The bill had near-consensus before he even arrived in
Washington.
I understand there is some significance in drawing
attention the magnitude of the problem, but he represents a destablizing
presence to the process. And to save face for his political
grandstanding, he now has to derail a bipartisan effort to prove or
insist that his presence did add some significant value.
And why can’t the Vice-Presidents pick up in his stead? Isn’t there
any value in ensuring informed continuity in governance?
Again, I usually really appreciate what you have to say, but I think
you’re way off base on this one. Also, please fix the comment box…
it’s missing a right side border in Firefox.
Comment by Jon -
well first of all it is the republican party that needs to find consensus as it looks like. so it is up to bush to get that done.
second, this is the task the current president has to do, that is why we have that guy. mccain and obama need to show us and tell us how they would handle and keep working on this situation. there is absolutely no benefit from mccain going back to washington. first of all he didn’t stop his campaign but instead did a ton of tv shows and second the time he spend in washington he used for photo ops … this is the kind of management that we have seen during the last eight years, show up for nice photo ops but not actually doing anything. that is really not the president we need.
Comment by Carsten -
Wow, Mark, what happened to your sense of reality?
“Remember this. 90pct of being successful is showing up. The other 10pct is being prepared to know what to do while you are there.”
Sure. And this will be McCain’s first appearance in the Senate since April 8. He has missed the last 108 votes, including several involving the looming financial crisis.
In the 110th congress, McCain has introduced 38 pieces of legislation. None of them touched on banking, corporate accountability, or the mortgage situation. Obama has introduced 130 pieces of legislation, five of which went to the Banking committee.
And you want to give McCain credit for finally showing up to work, after the crisis has hit, and grandstanding with his stupid “I’m not campaigning, I’m just giving campaign speeches and runnign TV ads and soliciting donations and operating my usual campaign offices” gimmick?
Sheesh. You’re a bright guy. Can you *really* be falling for this idiocy?
Comment by Brooks -
McCain thought it was more important to make theatre, as opposed to progress on this critical issue. He didnt even attend (“show up at” as you say) the meetings that are relevant. You think sitting around at the White House was a valuable use of time for this crisis?
Comment by David -
I gotta say, for the first time since I have been reading your blog,
I couldn’t disagree with you more. McCain will add NOTHING to the
debate. He is trying to divert attention away from Palin’s pathetic
media appearances. His campaign is in the crapper and he is looking
for a life jacket.
Comment by Mike97303 -
CBS News reports that the alternative plan McCain floated would “include fewer regulations and more corporate tax breaks for businesses.”
Comment by Jason -
You must of written this post before it was revealed that –
– McCain hadn’t read Paulson’s 3-page plan
– Continues to campaign even though his campaign is officially “suspended”
– Flew directly to Washington, but right after he first spoke with de
Rothschild, and then Couric, and then attended the Clinton Global Initiative
– Sandbags the process in Washington by offering alternative proposals
Comment by Scott -
Well, let’s take the flip side of this. Both McCain and Obama head to Washington and both add their input which ends up splitting party lines because we’re in an election year. That does not add much of anything to the debate. That would really piss people off.
Good decision by Obama to attend the president’s meeting but not rushing to make this into a partisan event. And I think reaching out to the American voter by campaigning is never a bad idea.
Comment by sanjay55 -
This was a complete and total political move by McCain. However it was just a blunder. He was going to add no value to the situation only distract from the focus already on it. Mark I many times think you are on the money. This time I agree with the comments against McCain’s move. The campaigns have been all about judgement. Obama demonstrated the judgement of a true leader. McCain is in a panic.
Comment by Todd -
Mr. Cuban,
call me a cynic but mccain’s debate move was purely political. Listen to the guy speak on the economy and then tell me how much value he can add to the discussion.
Rishi
Comment by rishi -
It’s fairly evident that you have created a false dichotomy.
Your statement relies on the assumption that both candidates are incapable of doing multiple things simultaneously. I believe that being able to multitask should be a key quality in the next president of the United States.
Comment by Tony Sunshine -
What has McCain added to the debate about any of the current bills being lobbed around capital hill?
Has his campaign really been suspended?
Comment by sethdavidmiller -
Josh, there are a lot of scholarly types that would argue that dismissal of fungibility is delusion.
After lying to David Letterman, McCain did a great job tackling the issue in the Senate’s back-up CBS News chamber with Katie Couric.
Comment by Alex -
I can say that I’m going to sign a free agent contract with the Mavs; doesn’t make it so.
McCain said he’s suspending his campaign; his campaign offices are still open, his ads are still running, and he still has his press flacks out there ripping up Obama. Doesn’t mean he’s actually suspended his campaign.
BTW, I’m still waiting for someone to explain to me how McCain can’t debate tomorrow because he needs to focus on this crisis, but he has plenty of time to do interviews with the major network news outlets.
Let’s just call it what it is; a political stunt. McCain hasn’t given a damn about the economy or the plight of the average person. All of a sudden now that his poll numbers are tanking, he decides to pull this crap.
Comment by Adam -
Surprised you fell for this obvious stunt Mark.
McCain did the same thing in 2000 when the Kosovo bombing started.
But there it was new and he got a huge bump from it.
This time it’s more obvious game play.
Neither McCain or Obama are on any of the committees negotiating the bailout details.
Their presence is symbolic at best.
Comment by Ruiner Severhead -
You seem like an intelligent guy and I love your blog, but your past posts on the election have been fairly misinformed. Obama presented a very rational justification as to why he didn’t want to return to Washington – he didn’t want to infuse presidential politics in the race. With the whirlwind of activity in Congress, we’re already dealing with the “too many cooks” problem. Adding Obama and McCain to the mix has only made things worse – now, politics isn’t “being put aside” because you have two men vying for leader of the free world at the center of the debate of our economy. No sane person would freely speak their mind in such a situation, when taking the wrong position or uttering a bold statement could mean the end of the campaign.
In fact, you can turn this around on McCain fairly easily. First, McCain has the audacity to think he can fly in to Washington and remedy a situation he knows little about (he’s been campaigning, not studying the details of the economic crisis) in a field in which he is illiterate (he’s admit ed he knows next to nothing about the economy, and it shows). Second, you really think politics didn’t play any role in this? He’s trending significantly downward in the polls and needs to make a big move (like he did when he selected Palin) to keep things interesting – the battleground state realities of this election are clear – he needs to win pretty much every true toss up state – and, statistically speaking, this probably won’t happen unless he shakes things up.
Finally, I wouldn’t be so quick to accept Paulson’s plan. While we need to inject liquidity into the markets, allowing the government to purchase a number of securities at inflated prices means we, the taxpayers, will be absorbing losses that resulted in poor practices by private firms. That’s a huge step that will set quite a precedent for this country. While I’m probably voting for Obama, I think we should applaud House Republicans for not being so quick to pass Paulson’s proposal.
Comment by Ravi -
Obama seems capable of multi-tasking to me. As he said, as President he won’t have the liberty to say to a foreign leader, sorry I can only do 1 thing at a time. He didn’t say he didn’t have the pulse on what was happening, or that he had no input to/for the process. He has even been able articulate his views on it, what he feels the direction should be.
Also what better way to show how a President could do the job than to help tackle the Financial issue, and prepare to communicate with the public on the debate Friday.
Comment by GrizDave -
Unrelated: Your commenting feature is messed up. I can’t see all of the box I’m typing in because some of the text is hidden under the links on the right side. I don’t know if this is a Camino-specific problem, but moving on….
Alternative Explanation:
Both candidates know that they will not add significantly to the proceedings either way, since neither of them have any degree of specialty in this.
Candidate A will do nothing to aid in this bill besides casting his vote.
Candidate A feels the need to distract from the proceedings by turning it into a circus of “What’s the Candidate Doing In DC RIGHT NOW!?”
Candidate A is attempting to capitalize on the current situation by turning the spotlight from the nation’s problems to “Watch Me Save the World! Marvel in my Faux-Sacrifice!” He’s willing to be a huge distraction to the affairs for the political capital he can gain from it.
Which one do you think I’m talking about?
You’ve been duped by a man who is manipulating the media and the voters.
Comment by Colin -
“What “value” do you think John McCain is adding, other than apparently torpedoing the bipartisan bailout agreement that apparently had been reached, before John McCain showed up to grandstand?”
McCain gets his value from the idiots who can’t see his actions for what they are – throwing the kitchen sink out of the window, a hail mary…
And how can McCain help – the guy admits he’s weak on the economy so why doesn’t he leave it to people who actually know something about the economy?
Comment by rav -
What exactly did he suspend? He was at Clinton’s conference this morning, his flacks were on all the networks this morning, and he’s scheduled to appear on all the networks tonight.
You’re being duped.
Comment by paul -
Going back to Washington is nothing but a publicity stunt. Neither senator can really help and rather than admitting it and moving on, McCain is going to ride someone’s coattails, so he can get some free publicity.
McCain is just wasting people’s time and trying to put himself in a good position for the final stretch.
Comment by Aaron -
Mark,
Pithy sayings do not verity make. McCain isn’t accomplishing _anything_ by returning to Washington. In fact, quite likely the opposite since – through no fault of his own – anywhere that McCain or Obama show up these days instantly becomes highly politicized. Witness the breakdowns late today in negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. Nice job brokering consensus there, Senator McCain.
Lee
Comment by Lee -
He’s there today, Mark. He can’t do both tomorrow? Both candidates attended the Clinton Global Initiative today also, my God how did anything else get done?? Isn’t this what private jets are for? How about a little direct talk from the two people taking over this mess in a few months? It may be good for the country.
Comment by JM -
Mark, Sen. McCain hasn’t suspending anything. He is still
aggressively running advertising in many states and his fellow senators
have been very clear that they don’t need his help.
Comment by Leo -
It’s very obvious that both gentlemen are doing what they think will help them gain brownie points with the electorate. However, I personally think that McCain made the better choice to “suspend” his campaign in order to give his help to the failing economy.
Comment by Steve Wulf -
after thinking about it for a while, I think that a supension of campaigning for x number of days could be valuable. It would focus everyone on the problem and would show bipartisanship in a crisis situation. One thing I don’t want to see postponed is the debate. If the debate is cancelled, it could look as if McCain was looking to weasel out of it. If that would happen, all Obama would have to do is show up and he would pick up a ton of cred. We need to hear what these two men have to say. This is an important election and we need all the info we can get so we can make a valid choice (even if we may not want to think about it) The rest of the electioneering can wait for a few days.
Comment by tjb -
Oh, and presidents should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
Comment by Pheo -
How did Obama not show up? He was in the same White House meeting with McCain and other congressional leaders. Meanwhile, while McCain promised not to campaign, he will be appearing on all three networks tonight and all of his surrogates are out in force.
Comment by Pheo -
Eh, one last thing: I would have expected someone so in tune with the technological advances of the day would really think being “physically there” matters as much as this blog purports.
Comment by Jason -
“The fundamentals of the economy are strong.” – John McCain.
Glad to see that NOW he thinks it’s a crisis. Last week … not so much.
Comment by Jason -
You’re better than this.
McCain has missed 60% of the votes in the senate – and hasn’t been there since Apirl.
Your entire blog’s premise, is false. Obama did not think he could have better use of his time campaigning. He said he could do both. He said it was possible to run the campaign and help where he was needed on main street. This same sentiment was echoed all over the halls of the senate (by BOTH parties). Those that had been deeply entrenched in this ordeal for the past week themselves said McCain showing up would be grandstanding and a photo op – that he wasn’t any more important (nor on the committees) than the rest of those in office.
Truth be told – so did McCain, as he did not really suspend his campaign. His surrogates are all over television, attacking Obama. His campaign ads are still running and his Internet fundraising is still operational. McCain’s press crew is fully operational. He spent the day with Rick Davis, his lobbyist campaign manager. And all of his campaign offices are still open and fully operational. And now comes word via Jonathan Martin at The Politico that McCain will spend the evening doing interviews on ABC, NBC, and CBS (after doing interviews yesterday as well).
Comment by Jason -
Again, do you honestly think Washington works at 9pm on Friday? I live near Washington and most certainly don’t. McCain isn’t a good orator while, Obama has quite the tongue. McCain is trying to save himself of getting tongue-tied by him. I wouldn’t say it is running away but he is picking his fights. He can’t do anything for the economy right now, but he should man up and be willing to back up why he thinks he should be the president.
Comment by Fund -
Interesting take, Mark. But has McCain actually suspended his campaign?
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/09/25/mccain-s-media-blitz.aspx
I’d be happier with McCain’s decision if it didn’t feel like he was
pandering…but it certainly feels like pandering.
Comment by Jim Brown -
So I assume you are suggesting that the democratic process should be put on hold.
The problem is that I need to konw what the candidates are saying, and socratic dialogue is one way that that is accomplished.
I find it hard to believe that these guys cannot do both.
Comment by Mark -
Come on Mark, it’s classic political b/s on McCain’s part.
Nothing is more important than who will run this country for the next
four years. The American people deserve these timely, fair and honest
debates – now more than ever. Dodd and Schumer can grandstand for
CNBC without them. The debate is at 9 p.m. on a Friday, hardly working
hours in Washington.
Comment by John DeMaio -
Also … just saw this after posting.
McCain doesn’t have time to do a debate, but he does have time to do separate interviews for the prime time news on each of the major networks?
Doesn’t that smell a little fishy to you? Or do you not care because he’s your man and therefore whatever he decides to do will be the right thing.
Comment by Ron -
Bear in mind that McCain hasn’t actually suspended anything. His TV ads are still running, his surrogates are still attacking Obama on TV, and all of his field offices are fully operational.
What’s he actually done? The same thing as Obama – fly to Washington for some photo ops at the White House.
He wants to pull out of the debate, for what reason? Does he think the public is better served by NOT hearing the candidates talk in an open forum? Does he think that the few hours (over a weekend, natch) where he’ll be unavailable to work on a bill (in a committee he’s not a member of!) will somehow derail it?
McCain has both admitted and demonstrated a great deal of ignorance about the economy. In what way is his input going to be useful or relevant in Washington?
Comment by Ron -
Ummmm……Obama was in Washington also. In fact, before McCain showed up, they had a deal in place, and now they do not. McCain, who has not voted in the Senate in over 6 months, has nothing to add, and is using it as a political tool.
And doesnt being president require some multi-tasking? I think they should be able to debate and take care of their senatorial duties, no?
Comment by Ken -
A complete political gimmick by McCain. Yesterday’s cnn.com poll said 70% of respondents agree with me. In any case, the bailout is all but signed, so the debates are on.
“This is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess. And I think it is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once”
Barack Obama, Democratic candidate
Comment by cb -
This is premised on the idea that McCain’s were completely non-political,
The bailout plan is being organized by Dodd and Frank. While obviously were
both Senators not running a campaign they would be in a position to contribute to the plan. But it is a practical reality that they are both running a campaign, no matter if
one called his suspended.
The announcement of campaign suspension, after a week of law makers on the hill working out aplan, is itself a political move. And there is no way around that. The presence and involvement of Obama and McCain immediately injects the Presidential campaign into process already underway. Now lawmakers on both sides will, for good or ill, weigh the result of the bill in the light of this recent turn of political events.
It’s impossible remove the political element, and in the middle of such an important bill, it is vitally important that the political element not be injected.
This is absolutely political, on both sides. I wish it were not so, but that would be the reality and the lens it was viewed through, even if both McCain and Obama had the purest of intentions.
Simply saying your campaign is “suspended” doesn’t mean it is.
Comment by Alex -
I’m confused, didn’t both candidates show up to the bailout meeting at the White House?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/25/campaign.wrap/?iref=mpstoryview
Comment by Gregg -
I think the American public is well served by neither Presidential candidates attempting to politicize “the bailouts”.
Comment by David Troyer -
I, too, am curious as to the value McCain can add. It seems to me like the real value for him was mostly news coverage and some photo ops. I still haven’t heard what he specifically contributed to the bill that the House and Senate are working on. Did he even attend the Senate today?
I’d call wasting people’s time, which is negative value.
Comment by Justin H -
Josh, take it easy, buddy. We know you love Obama and he can do no wrong
in your eyes, but think for a minute before you blindly defend somebody.
Obama and McCain’s first job is that of Senator, and congress goes on
recess after Friday, and you think campaigning is more important?
You also probably think Obama has foreign policy experience, too? Dont
you?
Comment by David -
Come on, McCain hadn’t even read Paulson’s proposal until today. TODAY. This whole “postponement” is a joke, all he’s doing now is parachuting into Washington trying to seem relevant, when the process was going fine without him. In fact, it’s sounding like he’s pushing everything back a square or two. More silly political circus from the out-of-touch Senator from Arizona.
Comment by Jeff Greco -
I’m curious how sitting presidents can debate during wars and yet a senator who hasn’t voted since April now believes he has a role in performing his duties?
McCain’s participation and the politics behind it killed the deal.
I like what Barney Frank said: “He’s been irrelevant to the process. He remains to be,” said Frank. “I was afraid that his dropping in here, like Andy Kaufman’s Mighty Mouse — ‘here I am to save the day’ — I thought that would slow things down. I didn’t see any sign of our Republican colleagues paying any attention to him whatsoever.”
Comment by Jeremy -
Why Obama makes Sense to press the debate
A Friday night will not make or break the political process of pushing through the bailout
Bringing the campaign circus to DC can be a distraction
Phone calls & Blackberry are useful tools
And I agree create understanding, clarity, and show your leadership in this circumstance by elevating the conversation. It will say a lot about the candidate, how they communicate.
Comment by Mark -
Mark,
I think you trust politicians too easily. Do you really think McCain, the man who missed hundreds of other Congressional votes for the sake of his campaign, is really “suspending his campaign” for purist reasons of bipartisanship and “fixing” the economy? McCain has little to offer when it comes to economics, and by doing this he can appear as though it is something he truly cares about. I also do not know what is more corrupt than both parties teaming up to spend HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS (more money than almost every single individual in the world has, yet tothe government it’s just the matter of printing out more dollar bills, borrowing more money, and spending hard-earned taxpayer dollars) on something that was not the American people’s fault, but a few corporate and banker cronies (along with Paulson and Bernanke and all the politicians like McCain out there).
And doesn’t the word “bailout” just make you cringe? Sure, I’ve bailed a couple friends out of jail before, for getting caught smoking pot or speeding or breaking someother victimless crime. But 700 billion dollars? Also, eventually I STOP bailing out my friends if they don’t learn their lesson, though I offer support and encouragement. Our federal government and central bank have not taken responsibilities for actions previously mentioned in over ONE HUNDRED YEARS. And the taxpayers and innocent citizens of this supposedly great nation pay the price. I cannot support anything with the word “bailout” in it.
Comment by Joel -
What actually happened today?
Both candidates were in DC, meeting with the White House and Congress.
McCain is scheduled to give three network interviews tonight.
The Huffington Post called 15 McCain campaign offices and all were in full swing.
He continued to run TV commercials.
His campaign staff was on every channel.
He was still soliciting donations on his web site.
What did McCain actually suspend?
Oh, right, that pesky debate tomorrow.
Comment by Chris -
To wit:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/25/mccain_stops_at_senate_en_rout.html
Comment by Brian Cook -
I usually agree with you but not this time. The President needs to be able to multi-task. Whomever he will be will need to be fixing the economy, running a war, protecting us at home and doing a myriad of other things. McCain is showing how limited he is.
Comment by katie -
Perhaps Sen. Obama thought he could use his time campaigning to explain the Americans what is going on w/r/t a financial crisis that is far from easy for most of us to understand. Perhpas he thought he should leave the mechanics of the bill to the senators who are actually on the relevant Senate Finance Committee.
Meanwhile, I’d ask you: What “value” do you think John McCain is adding, other than apparently torpedoing the bipartisan bailout agreement that apparently had been reached, before John McCain showed up to grandstand? It’s a serious question, one that I don’t think you can answer
Comment by Brian Cook -
Could not have said it better.
Obama would rather debate on national security…talk about out of
touch!
Comment by Josh -