McCain suspends campaign, backs out of debate due to economy

[motivez]

Here's the timeline of events:

Obama calls McCain campaign to request joint statement -> McCain calls news conference to announce he's suspending campaign to travel to DC to work on deal -> Dodd holds press conference announcing an agreement in principle on the broad strokes of the plan -> McCain lands in DC -> White House meeting designed as a bailout plan for McCain campaign -> House Republicans bail on the plan

So, now that McCain has injected Presidential politics into this whole thing, unlike Obama, who had worked behind the scenes to make sure he was doing everything he could without trying to take credit or worry about political posturing, he's essentially risked the unity that we had before he landed

Democrats aren't going to pass a bill (hopefully) without a large majority of Republicans on board with it, because if they do, the Republicans will turn around and try to blame this on Democrats, and if it doesn't work, say that they tried to make the fat cats on Wall Street even fatter..

I have a stinking suspicion that this is a ploy for McCain to essentially vote no or come out opposing the bi-partisan plan created by Dodd and agreed to in principle by the House Republicans before he landed.

Then, he'll offer his own version of the plan, something that includes a capital gains tax cut, a few less regulations for companies, etc.. and try to force the Democrats to come around to that plan, maybe a few concessions on one or two issues, and if the Democrats say no.. he'll get to accuse them of playing politics instead of doing what's right

I mean, Barney Frank was right when he said this is the biggest Hail Mary in the history of Football or Mary's.. I see Fox news has fallen for it and is talking about it in positive terms, but the rest of the media, both print, radio, and television seems to be calling it what it is.. showmanship, a political ploy, a stunt, and nothing more.

If he shows up for the debate tomorrow and there's no deal, he looks like he was trying to grab the headlines even more than he does now, and if he doesn't show up, he's denying the American people the chance to really get to understand the differences in opinion and vision for the country on important issues like the economy between him and Obama

I don't see how this is a political winner for him at all unless the American people are far less intelligent than even I give them credit for on a whole, or the Democrats fall into this trap where he gets to come out opposing the heavily modified Dodd version of the Bush bill that contains regulation and ownership and all sorts of needed things that protect the taxpayers

Kind of a long post, anyone else think I'm on the right track though?

[motivez]

Looks like my theory may have some teeth after all:

Kevin Smith, a spokesman for House Republican Leader John Boehner, said the speed with which Dodd's plan was put together was designed ``to deny Senator McCain a role in trying to craft a bipartisan solution.''

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Are you fucking serious? So in other words, McCain is willing to risk the bipartisan deal that was essentially a done deal because he wasn't involved in its creation..

McCain isn't on the banking committee and really has no role aside from helping direct his party to work together with the Democrats to come up with a deal.. and we already essentially had that. Now he's working on derailing it so he can try to slap his name on whatever eventually gets passed.

Country First? I think not. Campaign First is more like it.

Seriously disgusting.

[thatguyoverthere]

Hopefully the media will call it for what it is. Good analysis, Motivez.

Like Colbert said the other night: It looks like McCain would rather lose a campaign, than win a campaign!

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by motivez

Looks like my theory may have some teeth after all:



Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Are you fucking serious? So in other words, McCain is willing to risk the bipartisan deal that was essentially a done deal because he wasn't involved in its creation..

McCain isn't on the banking committee and really has no role aside from helping direct his party to work together with the Democrats to come up with a deal.. and we already essentially had that. Now he's working on derailing it so he can try to slap his name on whatever eventually gets passed.

Country First? I think not. Campaign First is more like it.

Seriously disgusting.

I think so too.

I wish this were enough to make people NOT vote for him. I wish this was the last draw, because I don't think I can handle watching the Bush Administration and The Republicans run this farse.

[WickedLou9]

A bad day for the GOP on politics, bailout plan - Yahoo! News

Sounds like this whole process has devolved into a shouting match. the GOP injected a poison pill into the process and derailed the entire thing.
Way to go McCain!

[motivez]

If he hadn't shown up, I suspect we'd have a deal being voted on either today or tomorrow.

[tbone]

If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a stall tactic to legitimize his suspending his campaign. If there's some sort of "breakthrough" (staged) tonight right before the scheduled debate that gets major news coverage, I'll really start to wonder how manipulated this is at the expense of the American people.

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by motivez

If he hadn't shown up, I suspect we'd have a deal being voted on either today or tomorrow.

Putting the country first!

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by tbone

If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a stall tactic to legitimize his suspending his campaign. If there's some sort of "breakthrough" (staged) tonight right before the scheduled debate that gets major news coverage, I'll really start to wonder how manipulated this is at the expense of the American people.

Honestly, the less we hear from him the better he does in the polls. Every time he opens his mouth he says something stupid and he gets attacked for it. He has stopped talking to reporters, he has stopped taking questions. There is an actual concerted effort to simply let things stand as they are and have the election without any further discourse. I honestly think that is thier goal.

[Phantom]

First Boner, now:

Originally Posted by washingtonpost.com

Democrats say they would not approve the legislation without a significant number of Republican votes to share in any political fallout from the controversial proposal, which comes just weeks before the November election.

F all the guys. Not a single one cares about anyone but themselves. We need a benevolent despot in times like these.

[SoFlaJDM]

mccain's back in

[motivez]

He never really suspended anything, this was all a campaign event, including the photo op at the White House

His talking heads were still on all the news stations, his advertisements were still running, and he still did plenty of interviews with people..

Complete stunt.

[HughRuss]

Jon Stewart put it best last night.

McCain Returns to Washington | The Daily Show |...

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

mccain's back in

Yeah, before " there is no deal until there is a deal and I will stay untill we have an agreement"... Yeah now that the agreement has fallen apart, the deal is close enough that he can leave and have the debate.

What a total fucking joke he has turned into.
I honestly think he has lost his mind.

[Scrum]

Looks like McCain already won the debate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...Friday_WSJ.JPG

[Donkey®]

So McCain said he wouldn't debate until a deal is reached. Apparently his word doesn't mean anything.

[HughRuss]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

So McCain said he wouldn't debate until a deal is reached. Apparently his word doesn't mean anything.

We already know his vernacular != that in New Oxford

He's going to redefine "deal" "reached" "debate" and "said"

"I guess that depends on what your definition of 'deal' 'reached' 'debate' and 'said' is..."

[motivez]

I think it's pretty telling that he had these ads ready to go and already paid for apparently.. just further proves the idea that this whole thing was a stunt..

[motivez]

McCain's talking heads are going around now saying that McCain has played a "key role" and that Obama didn't play a constructive role...

Lieberman was on MSNBC a second ago and essentially suggested that any bill that passes would be "John McCain's bill" even though he refused to say it directly.