Slog - Comments on What's McCain's Endgame Here?

Comment by tsm

tsm — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:37:24 -0800

Do you even think he's thinking that far ahead? The Sarah Palin pick does not seem like the act of a guy who thinks in the long term.

Comment by Just Sayin'

Just Sayin' — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:37:47 -0800

It would probably make more sense if McCain had done anything by way of Senatorial work all year...

Comment by vooodooo84

vooodooo84 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:39:40 -0800

If McCain doesn't show up could Obama still show up and use the debate as an hour-long infomercial?

Comment by left coast

left coast — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:40:09 -0800

Just a further undermining of democracy in the name of immediacy. How is this guy going to be able to handle more than one crisis at a time?

Comment by sleestak

sleestak — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:41:09 -0800

This freaks me out. It may just be McCain chickening out. It may also be a setup for Bush to suspend the election. I'd put money on the former, but I don't discount the latter.

Comment by Anthony Hecht

Anthony Hecht — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:41:54 -0800

I think it's fairly simple in that it forces Obama to react, and lets McCain dictate terms of the debate. He comes off as the guy who wants to get back to work, and if Obama accepts this, he's following the leader. McCain looks like the man with the plan, Obama looks like the "Oh yeah, good idea. Me too!" guy.

It's bullshit, of course, McCain doesn't give a rat's ass about anything but winning. The Rove guys he has running the show probably know he's going to look bad in a debate with Obama, especially this week, and this is a brilliant way to get out of it without looking scared.

It's up to the Obama camp to come up with a good response. I'm not sure what it would be.

Comment by Al

Al — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:42:17 -0800

The McCain campaign "says" they'd still do three debates.

"Advisers also say that McCain still wants to participate in all three presidential debates, but that the schedule is up in the air." -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26872907/

Comment by elenchos

elenchos — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:48:07 -0800

McCain doesn't want to be President any more. He does want to get back to work -- his real work, in the Senate.

And he is in a panic. And he really can't multitask dealing with the economic crisis and doing debate prep at the same time. It's too much for him.

Comment by flamingbanjo

flamingbanjo — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:49:59 -0800

Another attempt to change the subject, force the terms of debate, and regain initiative on the economy. Similar to using the Hurricane to cancel Bush's convention appearance -- creating the appearance of deep concern over an ongoing crisis while conveniently dodging something they didn't want to do anyway.

Comment by Vince

Vince — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:51:03 -0800

Some things I never expect to hear from the R'S again:
1 D's want bigger government. The Dem's have never proposed an expansion of government as big as the R's are proposing. Not even close.
2 The Dem's want to socialise medicine. The R's want to socialise the entire economy.
3 The Dem's want pork barrel spending. Never has there been a Dem proposal to feed the pigs on Wall Street a trillion dollars.
4 That this deregulation mantra of the R's will ever rear it's ugly head again.
5 That the R's want to privatize Social Security and invest the money in Wall Street.
Frankly, I wish the R's would shut up all together and let the Dem's shut down this fiasco.

Comment by bearseatbeats

bearseatbeats — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:51:56 -0800

I don't know what McCain's endgame is here, but I'm guessing that this is his basic strategy:

Number of times the word "Obama" appears on the front page of NYtimes.com (for example) = 3. Number of times "McCain" appears = 7.

Comment by Sir Vic

Sir Vic — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:52:36 -0800

Why not let McCain go hide somewhere (like he's really going to "work" in DC on a Friday & Saturday), and get a skilled surrogate to stand in? Wouldn't a debate between Obama and, say, Newt make for good policy discussion? I detest Newt, but he's smart, knows the issues and has at least thought about them. He opposes Obama's positions on many issues, so there would be natural friction to the debate. And Newt would certainly fare better than McCain would in any scenario.

I'm not really advoating that Newt Gingrich be THE guy, but someone like him who could step up to the plate on short notice. The GOP bench is a little short on major league talent right now.

If that doesn't fail, how 'bout a Palin v. Hillary cat-fight?

Comment by jackie treehorn

jackie treehorn — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:53:22 -0800

What if McCain's handlers planned this.

The current bailout proposal is designed to look terrible so it can be universally objected to, allowing McCain to 'get back to work' with a new idea that's far superior, which is accepted, allowing him to return to his campaign casually tossing off any accusations that he is and has been economically retarded for most of his political career because HE fixed that big financial problem and saved everything, with Palin smiling the whole time.

Being a paranoid voter is the balls.

Comment by Balt-O-Matt

Balt-O-Matt — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:56:25 -0800

How can *anyone* support this Bozo? I mean, honestly. McCain's lost his bearings. He's adrift.

Comment by Bellevue Ave

Bellevue Ave — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:57:29 -0800

Seriously though, it's as simple as saying; we can do both and anyone that can't isn't fit to be president. game over. obama wins.

Comment by David

David — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:59:50 -0800

@17 - Step one, collect underpants.

For that strategy to work, McCain would first have to actually come up with an alternative plan (one that beats out the other alternatives proposed by Obama & other Dems). I'm not holding my breath.

Also, Obama's going to be in the Senate for the vote, just as McCain is. Obama is multitasking, McCain is panicking.

Comment by Westside forever

Westside forever — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:00:14 -0800

So a guy who's admitted he doesn't know much about the economy and is one of the "Keating five" needs to rush back to DC and put out the fire!?! Strains credulity to say the least.

Oh, and it's rich to call the debates between the men who want to run the country show business--an incredibly cynical and revealing attitude.

Comment by natopotato

natopotato — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:08:07 -0800

Obama's statement should be:

"Without McCain's previous efforts as a champion of de-regulation, there would be no economic meltdown. His so-called 'leadership' and 'help' are no longer being solicited on this issue..."

Comment by Phenics

Phenics — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:08:17 -0800

Team McC'alin motto: you ask no questions, you get no lies.

Comment by m-e

m-e — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:08:53 -0800

Re point #3, there's no Florida debate. Friday's is scheduled in Oxford, MS. Florida is just where Obama is preparing.

Comment by DavidC

DavidC — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:08:57 -0800

If I were Obama I'd send Biden in and say "It's too important not to deliver the message directly to the American people" - and say" I have to able to be president on wherever I am" - and let the surrogates rip McCain out of this chicken shit move.

You know if the shoe was on the other foot they would start up all that 'presumptious' bullshit again.

Imagine if the R's campaigning genius was used to govern - they might actually be worth voting for 8^)

Comment by Original Monique

Original Monique — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:09:46 -0800

@14: We'll see at 4:00pm, the debate here will be interesting!

Comment by LMSW

LMSW — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:10:38 -0800

Here's a thought: McCain knows that distraction (sarah P) and lies (too many to count) are his friends whereas allowing voters to think and see the two debate (such as they are) the merits are his enemy. Putting politics aside lets the right work through sleazy issue oriented channels and simultaneously co-ops Obama's "I'm a different kind of politician" while rebutting the sleazy campaign label. Plus McCains history of deregulation is a pair of cement overshoes that he wants to distract people from by supporting the rush to bailout movement with meaningless regulation. Plus he gets to play leader in all the photo ops without actually proposing any changes.

Comment by Mom

Mom — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:10:49 -0800

He looks to me like he's close to losing it on some really deep personal level, and realizes he can't hold it together for a debate. Just watching him make the announcement - he said all the words, but his eyes are crazy.

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:27:09 -0800

Off topic a little, but I'd love to see a Biden vs. Palin debate.

Comment by Demolator

Demolator — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:32:27 -0800

This is going to backfire on McCain, in light of his week of hiding from the media. They're going to frame this decision as a chicken shit move- because it is. Should have gone on Larry King, dipshit.

Comment by bookworm

bookworm — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:33:23 -0800

@ 25: The Biden-Palin debate is scheduled for next week (Oct 2nd). That is, of course, unless the McCain-Palin campaign doesn't try to postpone that one, too.

Comment by Nat

Nat — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:51:08 -0800

Eli -- the trouble with your theory is that the first debate was supposed to be the foreign policy debate, which McCain for some reason believes is his strong suit. If that's the one which gets punted, he's not going to see it as a win.

Comment by violet_dagrinder

violet_dagrinder — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:14:06 -0800

McCain is such a fucking coward. He knows the debates are going to be TERRIBLE for him. He sees an opportunity to skip out on one.

Gawd, I hate his guts.