Election Shocker: McCain Suspends Campaign to Work on Financial Crisis
In an unexpected move today, Republican nominee John McCain called on his political rival to put politics on the back burner for the time being so they can roll up their sleeves and sort through the financial crisis that seems to be getting worse by the hour.
McCain also is requesting that the presidential debate scheduled for Friday afternoon in Mississippi be delayed until legislation can be ironed out to resolve the problems that are hitting the economy so hard.
Caught by surprise, the Barack Obama campaign said the Democratic nominee was the real impetus behind McCain's move, and that Obama would not be suspending his campaign, nor would he support any kind of delay in the presidential debate.
So far, McCain has not acknowledged Obama's response. Instead, he made a brief statement moments ago that he was returning to Washington, DC immediately to get to work, and that he invites Sen. Obama to join him to get the job done. McCain said he wants to meet with Obama and President Bush to develop a solution.
"All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside," McCain said. "I am committed to doing just that."
Pundits will call it a PR move, but I think McCain's "stunt" is in the best interests of the American people. This is an example of the kind of leadership it takes to run a country. While McCain is willing to put the games away for awhile to put work first, Obama is still out on the field hoping to play politics as usual.
McCain is right about what needs to be done right now. With millions of American mortgages, car loans and insurance policies being potentially affected by the federal Wall Street bailout proposal, McCain seems to understand the grave nature of the situation and, more importantly, is willing to put the interests of Americans ahead of his own political future.
John McCain and Barack Obama, together, can send a huge message to the Democratic-controlled congress that this is an issue that's bigger than their fall recess. McCain, while not in Senate leadership, is a veteran lawmaker whose opinion on a host of issues has been not only sought after, but taken to heart by many of his Republican and Democratic friends on The Hill. While it may appear that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is close to closing the deal with Congressional leaders, an intervention by the two major party candidates might be enough to persuade their colleagues to take a long, hard look at this legislation before signing it off willy-nilly and making Paulson a federal financial czar.
This may be the first time in American political history a presidential campaign has been put on hold to address a major crisis, and if that's the case, it's just one more way that McCain is exhibiting his leadership. Yes, both Obama and McCain need to be vetted by the American people before the Nov. 4 election, but what better way to do that than by watching them take action to resolve a historic national problem. There will be time for debate later. I would hope that when the debates resume, they would be held in the same place to ensure any economic benefits remain tied to the venues where they are currently scheduled to be held.
McCain is showing me more and more each day why he is the kind of leader I want in the Oval Office -- and why he'll be the kind of leader we haven't seen in a long, long time.
Photo © Justin Quinn/About.com
Comments
Yes….it is a PR move….one that gives Obama no way out. He agrees with McCain…it was McCain’s idea and Obama was led by McCain.
Obama loses.
Obama disagrees to suspend his campaign…the McCain campaign will say Obama is putting his ambitions above politics.
McCain sees this as an opportunity to get out of the debates, play hero, and degrade Obama. Smart move politically….but ultimately nothing more than a PR move.
Your rewrite-history blog fails to even mention that today’s events began with an 8:30 a.m. phone call from Barack Obama directly to John McCain urging him to work together behind the scenes today in order to draft a statement they could issue jointly in an effort to help resolve the nation’s financial crisis. John McCain took several hours to respond (at 2:30 p.m.). Then, at 3:00 p.m. he strode before the TV cameras and made his own independent play to build his own image, further his political ambitions, and make news. Whatever happened to the John McCain who used to believe in “putting the country first”? He seems to have disappeared long ago in favor of a candidate (a man with a long record of high-stakes craps gambling as documented in Time Magazine, by the way) whose applied his reckless, impulsive decisionmaking style to furthering his own personal agenda which he now values above all.
PLEASE, Senator Obama, don’t fall for that chickens**t McCain trying to weasel out of the Friday night debate. I could not believe what I was hearing. But what else did I expect?
The well-rehearsed pompous ’seriousity’… the false call to put politics aside even while playing a total political game; the reflexive reference to 9/11; the self-serving timing. It was all there – the whole GOP arsenal.
I almost puked on my steering wheel while I was driving.
Don’t let him push you, Barack. He played a wicked trump card, out of fear and playing on American fears (another GOP habit) but I think you can deflect it.
Or…. Let us do it for you. Ask your ‘troops’ whether they think you should play McCain’s game. I vote NOOOOooOOOOoooo!!!!
The irony is that the corporate media will treat McCain with the same deference and soft touch they used with Bush in the 2004 debates with Kerry — all McCain has to do is not drool all over himself, and they’ll call him the winner.
Obama and his blind followers are pretty nervous now. WOW! What a move by a man with integrity. McCain 2008 and 2012. Get use to it brainless libs.
Maybe the problem is McCain can’t handle the pressure of doing two difficult things at once. I guess it’s hard when you can’t rely on your VP to help you with…anything.
Maybe Obama can do a debate on Friday night *and* go to Washington on the weekend.
More importantly, neither candidate is going to affect the actual economic policy, they’re just trying to move it faster. Something they could do from anywhere. Meanwhile, having presidential candidates come give opinions on things makes the entire thing MORE political, not less.
There was plenty of time to work on this issue, the crisis didn’t happen overnight, and it will be around for a long while. Funny that McCain decided he had to do something about it right before an important debate.
I concur with all of the above statements. This was utterly disingenuous — capitalizing on a discussion Barack Obama instigated in private, and then blatantly used for political purposes by McCain. Of course, that seems to be the order of the day with McCain camp these days. If this is the type of leader you genuinely want in the White House, then there’s a dichotomy in this country I fear will never be breached as long as these misrepresentations ensue. I always thought that Americans as a whole could connect on the idea — at least — of honesty. People supporting McCain really need to take an inventory of this candidate’s consistent reversals and cover ups.
Just what Washington needs rolling into town – a political dog’n'pony show. McCain just gave up.
I beg to differ with the post. McCain is a sly fox and he should be treated like one. He is trying all kinds of tricks to stay on top of Obama. I think since the McCain camp hasn’t been so successful with a message, they are just trying shortcuts to get people’s attention and hopefully, their vote. It’s sickening. It’s distracting voters. Any little respect I had for McCain is gone now.
This is a pathetic attempt by McCain to look like the hero who swooped into D.C. to save the day in the midst of his lead on Obama beginning to lag. I hope the American people can see through this for what it is. However, I think Obama responded well. McCain isn’t calling the shots here like he thinks he is. This was a frantic move by a desperate man, orchestrated behind Obama’s back after he called for solidarity that morning!
Ugh! I’m sick from it.
What a complete contradiction. McCain says he wants to keep politics out of the process, but then unilaterally calls on Bush to have the presidential candidates meet at the WH.
Bush completely crossed the line inviting the presidential candidates. As candidates, they have no official role in the process.
As candidates, they don’t have an official role, but as SENATORS, they have a mandatory role in the process. Especially McCain. If anyone in Washington can bring the two sides together, it’s him. Remember, voting against his own party 55 percent of the time (according to Rasmussen Reports) is what got him in trouble with conservatives for so long. Obama voted against his party 12 percent of the time, keeping him quite cozy with his party leaders.
McCain is so desperate. Will 12-16 hours make THAT much of a difference. If this is so so dire just do the debate and then the next morning go to washington. Is Mccain IN washington now. NO But he will be for that ONE day. I guess the lip stick pig debate is kind of dead right now. I even heard the debate for the VP might be delayed. Maybe they can do the debate on November 5, 2008. Sarah can congratulate Obama on a victory and a what fun it was to campaign. Shoot she even got to go to school and learn the countries of the former Soviet Union and even meet the Iranian president. Plus she got to be a big girl and travel to the big city of New York
McCain’s move is a bogus PR ploy. These guys will do ANYTHING, including continuing to manipulate the public and enrich their corporate cronies through fear. Just what positive input can a guy have who admits he doesn’t understand economics and thinks the economy is in great shape? I’m failing to understand how anyone could possibly want the
whole universe of failed Bush policies to continue by voting for John
(maverick? voted with Bush 90%) McCain and Sarah (science, what’s science?)
Palin. If you like having China own the keys to the U.S. Treasury, enjoy having our country reviled around the world, think the middle class should be eliminated, don’t mind your job being shipped overseas because you want a living wage, think the separation of church and state is a quaint concept to
be cast aside (never mind that it’s part of the U.S. Constitution), are still deluded into thinking Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility, and like eliminating environmental and consumer protection
standards so a few mega-corporations and Bush cronies can pollute your neighborhood and profit from your struggles, McCain/Palin is your ticket. And let’s not forget using warfare as the first choice for foreign policy.
Remember, John McCain challenged Obama to ten, TEN, townhall debates and Obama rejected the offer. Friday’s debate is supposed to be on foreign policy, an area regarding which McCain has quite a bit to say. So please, let us put to one side this garbage that McCain is trying to duck Obama. That simply won’t do.