Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for McCain on Thursday. He stands implicated in the stalling of the financial rescue plan. His proposal to postpone Friday's planned television debate ended up looking like a cheap political ploy, intended either to break Obama's renewed momentum, push back the Palin-Biden debate, or even let McCain hide from his opponent. And that second theory, strained as it may seem, was made to look plausible by Palin's truly dismal performance in part two of her television interview with Katie Couric.
Was this the same Palin who gave the convention speech--or even the less-than-stunning Palin of the Charles Gibson interview? She was simply awful. In response to straightforward questions, she was scared, rambling, incoherent, and at times completely unintelligible. She looked stupid. She gave her critics everything they could have wished.
Exactly what happened during the White House talks about the rescue package is unclear. Both sides were certainly playing politics--but there can be no doubt that the Democrats won the contest. McCain wanted to seize the initiative, look presidential, and get credit for bringing forth an agreement. The Democrats wanted to deny him that success (by announcing prematurely that a deal had been done), and to force him to reverse himself over Friday's debate. McCain was dished because neither he nor the House Republicans who blocked the revised package could explain why they had done so: at any rate, they had no intelligent alternative to suggest. McCain apparently sat quiet through most of the meeting. He put politics aside and rushed back to Washington for this?
If I were McCain, I'd be dreading the next batch of polls. What does he do to retrieve the situation? I don't know that it can be retrieved. Staying away from Friday's debate is not going to help. He needs to turn up and win.
Clive,
Is it true you have three testicles?
I see things a lot different than this article. I feel that Palin did a good job on the Gibson interview. I feel Gibson did a lousy job on the interview, when the media stops being so one sided maybe interviews and debates will get better.
Well, Bob, glad to read that you see things a lot "different" than this article. Your grammar faux pas tells me why.
I see things a lot different than this article. I feel that Palin did a good job on the Gibson interview. I feel Gibson did a lousy job on the interview, when the media stops being so one sided maybe interviews and debates will get better.
Posted by Bob | September 26, 2008 7:06 AM
Ok, Sarah, I mean Bob.
I see things a lot different than this article. I feel that Palin did a good job on the Gibson interview. I feel Gibson did a lousy job on the interview, when the media stops being so one sided maybe interviews and debates will get better.
Oh. My. God.
Sarah Palin could get convicted for grand theft auto and these people would blame it on the lib'ruls. The Katie Couric interview was the most painful thing I've ever seen. Palin thinks Henry Kissinger is naive? And she's so simple-minded that she has to reduce the Israeli/Iranian standoff to "good guys" vs. "bad guys"? This isn't Battlefield Earth.
Lord help us all.
I disagree with the statement that McCain is trying to "hide from his opponent," for the same reason I don't believe Obama was trying to "hide from his opponent" when we refused to do all the townhall debates that McCain had initially requested.
I don't think even Quayle approached this level of idiocy as a VP. Palin looks alternately piteous and passive-aggressive, while her ignorance is embarrassing to behold.
LOL sarah paling did a good job?, since this woman was nominated the only thing she's done well is keep her mouth shut and stay away from interviewers.
And after yesterday's interview with katie couric, we can all understand why. The mere possibility of this woman becoming president of the united states, means PURE DISASTER.
For me, it's as simple as this: This was the absolute worst time for the administration to sound another emergency and demand immediate action. It's the "silly season" and the best to be expected was political electioneering.
The Dems have promptly larded the bailout with lots of Dem pet projects, and the Repubs in the House have returned to their fall-back position of rejecting more federal bailouts. But it is clearly the Dems who set the agenda by virtue of their congressional majorities.
The Repubs are the minority party in Congress and doing what you would expect them to do anyway: oppose the majority.
The whole situation is FUBAR for the McCain campaign at the moment. If he backs the minority position, the Dems can let the whole deal fall apart and blame him and the GOP. If he backs a compromise plan, die-hard conservatives and libertarian-leaning Repubs will revolt, effectively launching a campaign against him and "Warshington."
But there are still weeks to go to see how all this shakes out.
I agree with Clive, basically, but see the situation as a lose-lose setup for McCain from the outset.
The Dems have promptly larded the bailout with lots of Dem pet projects
That's not true. There was talk of adding stimulus to the package, but the Dem leadership in both Houses decided to drop it.
The Repubs are the minority party in Congress and doing what you would expect them to do anyway: oppose the majority.
Posted by MarkG | September 26, 2008 9:40 AM
Funny that some of us had the idea that these same representatives were elected to SERVE the people of the United States. But I guess that service is no longer something that matters to the GOP. Still, you'd think that in a national crisis they might discover a smidgeon of patriotism.
1992:"It's the economy stupid."
2008:"a president should be able to do more than one thing at a time..."
Watch Obama's townhall meeting tonight at 9PM
McCain should man up and do the right thing at this point and just bow out....
He could say it's for the good of the country and that would make him a major player in the Senate for the rest of his life and gain him the respect he no longer has.
But to continue the prolonged lunacy that has become his campaign is just insulting to America.
He's not only hurting himself...he's hurting the country he 'claims' to put first
Great Moments in History
July 4th, 1776
"It is agreed, we will now all sign this
Declaration of Independence".
"Gentlemen, Senator McCain is here!".
"God save our gracious King!".
According to the polls, the people are near open revolt in opposition to anything perceived as a Wall Street "bailout." House members in particular will face the wrath of angry voters if they don't come up with something they can sell at home. The Dems are in their default position of extending the bailout to "Main Street." Repubs are in their default position of relying on the markets to clean themselves up by virtue of lower taxes.
At some point even the GOP base has to stop playing pretend and see what's happening here, don't they? McCain just looks lost right now, like he's blundering about in a fearful fog.
I'm not anybody's idea of a Democratic partisan -- I voted for Bush 43 twice -- but this is horrible. I'm with Andrew Sullivan these days, though I'm starting to think that there's something genuinely wrong with McCain himself. Certainly his senior campaign staff should be completely unemployable after this effort. Wow.
I'm certainly not crowing about the Palin-Couric interview. It reveals many distressing aspects about the state of America. First, the cynicism of putting a clearly unqualified person on the ballot for what was clearly an attempt to score gender points. The Republicans have many smart-as-a-whip, qualified women, including Condoleeza Rice, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe... Palin?
That brings me to the second distressing aspect: we have too many people who care more about ideology and less about competence. Too many people care less about a person's ability to govern in favor of seeing their own perspective reflected in their candidates.
The last distressing problem is what I call the Peggy Noonan, 'But is it true?' problem. That is, too many people focus more on strawmen instead of addressing the substance of criticism. The most valid question being asked right now is whether Palin is qualified, and instead of saying critics are wrong because of X, Y and Z, defenders simply lodge accusations that don't ever touch on answering the criticisms.
It's all very distressing - one wonders how we have all gotten so far apart on what we think is best for our country. At the very least, competence should be one of the most supreme things we look for. Not inarticulate, uninformed rambling.
David Shankbone
What I really don't understand Clive is why you are still rooting for the McCain/Palin ticket or the republican party in general right now.
I mean what will it take to get you to switch your vote? This isn't enough?
Clive,
Long time reader - love your columns in the FT and Atlantic. Always a calm voice of reason and it's much appreciated. Indulge me, if you will:
Help me figure the McCain gambit out... The outlines of a deal were in place that would, unlike the original Paulson plan, give the government an equity stake in the companies it was bailing out - this, according to the democrats, was good for taxpayers, because if they weren't getting an equity stake it would be all risk and no reward. Makes sense to me so far. And as much as i hate to see the government acquiring stakes in private financial companies, it seems reasonable considering the stakes for taxpayers. House republicans, led by Boehner, to the seeming surprise of democrats and Paulson, decided not to put their weight behind the deal, calling for a different plan that avoided, in large part, the buying up of the assets and acquisition of stakes in private companies. They claimed the Paulson / democrat plan was borderline socialism.... And McCain, who called for a special meeting and campaign suspension, sat idly by and didn't take a stance.
Do I have that basically correct?
So how is one to make sense of this? I do not for a second by the socialism argument. Transparent bull. Where was the "socialism" cry during the medicare drug benefit that republicans passed through with little debate? And besides there are big differences between the nationalization of private companies (parts of private companies, to be exact) and "socialism"...
So then, should one assume it is merely political posturing? I am a cynic and this is not hard for me. If republicans put their foot down, as they have, one might think that Pelosi will have no choice but to support the (coming soon) proposed Republican deal for fear it will fail and democrats will be looked to with blame. McCain could be seen as the leader of the Republican effort, with Boehner, to support the new deal that they assume the democrats will have no choice but to support and pass. This seems like, well, just about the biggest gamble ever - HUGE risk, not as big a reward. IF that's the posture, I just don't think it will work - it does not seem like an accurate reading of how things will play out.
What is the alternative explanation for McCain not taking a position? If he sided with Bush and the Democrats and against the house republicans, he'd be shooting himself in the foot as it would by no means guarantee passage of the bill - if his support did guarantee it, my guess is he would've ushered in house Republicans support and claimed the mantle of "grand leader". On the other hand if he came out explicitly against the bill, with Boehner and the rest of them, he would've been culprit numero uno in obstructing a deal that had bipartisan (read democrats and the white house) support and he would've hurt his election chances even further. So no easy choice for McCain - though a dumb choice initially to go back to Washington to begin with, not seeing he'd get blindsided by a Democrat proposal - instead he stays mum and waits to see what happens...either hoping he can corral Republican support for the proposal that is now in tatters, or put forth "the solution" with the house republicans and hope that democrats accept it and vindicate McCain.
It just doesn't seem to make sense, politically.
As a Republican, I cannot in good conscience vote for McCain and Palin. I would have gladly elected McCain years ago when he was stronger and saner, but now he has become a total embarrassment to himself and to the party.
And the less said about Palin, the better. I wouldn't trust this woman to babysit my kids, let alone the country.
I don't want Obama in the White House either, but at this point what else can one do? The GOP needs to take McCain aside and ask him to step down for the good of the party. I would accept ANY other Republican candidate over McCain - even Huckabee.
How will she handle Senator Biden, who stated four days ago that in 1929 President FDR went on TV to talk to the American public about the stock market crash, when we all know that TV wasn't even invented until years later by Al Gore?
There is something seriously wrong with John McCain. He seems to be in survival mode -- thrashing around, just trying to survive somehow day to day. Where is his vision? Where is his much-tauted leadership? Thanks to Bush's disastrous 8 years in office, we're going to need a great President next to clean up the mess. Yet, McCain's own campaign is a mess, his VP choice is incoherent,and he seems to make one ill-timed, poorly-conceived, rash decision after another. It's like watching a man drown himself in a bathtub. I just hope he doesn't get the chance to do so in the White House's bathtub.
Just LOOK around YOU !
Piss-Poor State-Craft...
A Bungled Economy...
Is this the America you remember growing up?
So where does the Buck Stop NOW ?
Why would America REWARD complete Republican failure ?
We wont.
With McCain's many bizarre behaviors, his judgement is seriously in question. When bush invaded Iraq and recites that all was going well, majority of our citizens started questioning his mental state. I think that with Mccain choosing Palin and abruptly suspending his campaign it is not unreasonable to question his mental state and character at this time. The most bizarre came with his new mantra of change after GOP's 8 years of fatal destruction of this great nation and his 26 years in the congress. Who is this man deceiving? Perhaps only the dumb and the blind. I am woman and Palin does not represent me. "Hillary I know, but Palin you are no Hillary Clinton".
The House Republicans are the only ones hitting the pause button. Whether their positions are better in this matter doesn't matter so much at this moment in time. They are forcing everyone on the Hill to stop and consider other facets to this problem. This is actually a good thing.
If McCain were smart, he would have taken the "let's pause" approach, throwing water on the fire pointing out the Administration was wrong to take such a harsh alarmist approach, which promotes hasty action.
But he didn't. He created a distraction. Instead of learning more about the plans, and merits thereof, we had to hear about presidential political B.S.
I say Boo, Boo, Boo, McCain!! Thanks a lot for blowing this opportunity for taxpayeers to understand what's going on with our economy.
Democrats have royally screwed up Paulson's proposal, but overdoing the populist ranting. Chris Dodd and Barney Frank know they have their finger prints on the housing mess, so to overcompensate they've railed about the evils of Wall Street while, stupidly, positioning this plan as a bailout of Wall Street. Because of this, the public has turned against the plan. That's on the Dems.
First the Democrats blindly follow Obama ... now, they are willing to blindly follow Reid, Bush and Paulson ... in a decision which could dramatically affect every American for decades. Well, thank God, Senator John McCain, Senator Shelby, and hundreds of economists don't just want to take a few people's word for it. Already, Reid has tried to tack additional pork, like Acorn, to this bailout. I didn't think I could dislike inept Harry Reid, with his 15% approval rating, any more than I already did, but this isn't about Reid being left alone to decide America's future. It will be interesting to look back at this in retrospect, to see if we really did have to RUSH this 750 Billion dollar decision ... and, who really benefitted from pushing it through so quickly. ALSO ... WHAT'S ALAN GREENSPAN'S OPINION ON THE BAILOUT???
Bob,
So it was Gibson's fault, eh? And the one-sided media to which you refer is the problem we're having in understanding more about Palin?
I, for one, want the media to be hard-nosed in all their interviews with candidates on BOTH sides. I want the media to ask really tough questions, not only so I can hear candidates' responses but to see how they think and present themselves under the pressure of tough questions.
Sarah has (so far) demonstrated she is not skilled at handling questions thrown her way unless she's fortunate enough to have had a prepared answer. If she can't think on her own, can't forumulate meaningful answers, can't stay on point--what does that say about her cognitive skills?
It says to me we have something serious to worry about.....
McCain seems flummoxed and incoherent, Palin is simply not ready to be president, the main qualification for the vice-presidency. The Bush administration is ending in economic disaster and incoherence... Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, Wall Street, Enough !!
There's no way McCain can allow this woman to debate. It will be the greatest disaster in the history of political debates in this country. McCain has to find a way to weasel her out of the VP Debate:
http://stonecipher.typepad.com/the_stonecipher_report/2008/09/mccainpalin-wil.html
Look a simple analogous parable.that might help to get around this Afgani vs iraqi issue
Two patients were in a hospital.it might have made what happeedn more clear.
In rom 101 is Afgany who is dying, multi traumas, organ damage burns etc.
The Doctors Bush, McCain, and Chaney go in the room to look at Afgany; they see he is a serious case and after poking around a bit decide to get go to get a coffee and take a little break in the Cafe
Then one pf them probably Chaney says we better get back to that patient: Bush looks at the charts and says "oh you mean that Guy n 102, Mr. Iraqi, and McCain says yes we better get to, it: I think he will need every organ removed an replaced, so McCain gets all the heavy surgery equipment he can find and runs up to 103, and starts cutting the patient apart with a chain saw, pneumatic drills everything. Imaginable, squirting blood and Organ tissue everywhere Bush wanders into the room and says I don’t think this s the right guy; McCain is having too much fun- he says bullshit and screams I will win this war against disease don’t tell me he is not the enemy- I mean patient.
Then Chaney comes in the room, and Bush says Dick is this the right patient, he doesn’t look right, Chaney ah don” worry they all look the same, and I think this one is richer, and you can’t interfere with MACS fun, he will freak out.
Then Doctor Obama walks into the room:” What the hell are you doing McCain, this man only has an ulcer, McCain says fu*k you, I know what Im doing.
So Obama gets the chart, and shows them. Then McCain says no big deal: I’ll get doc Patreus, Know as the SURGEon; he always clans up the Garbage.
So Partreu come, and saves the patient, at least in some state of hideous viability,
McCain claps his hands – “what did I say the SURGEo always works- I’m the best.
, He squealls with his sick old grimace: everybody left the room disgusted
If McCain is "implicated" in stalling the bailout legislation then good for him
The democrats have a terrible bill
if the government is buying assets at fair prices then why do they need equity in the seller?
Why should we modify loans to "the people"? We are already subsidizing them by having the taxpayers buy their debt (they are buying the HOMEOWNER"S debt - let's be clear what is at hand here)
All this populist nonsense about what are the "people" getting! the people are getting $700 bil to carry their debt and so they have a banking system that works. We could do it the hard way and liquidate all this debt, but it would get very ugly and the same people squwacking now would be screaming
What interview were you watching? Sarah Palin was reciting poetic masterpieces for Katie Couric. Straight from the transcript:
We have trade missions
Back and forth
We do,
it's very important when you consider
Even national security issues
With Russia,
As Putin rears his head and comes
Into the air space of the United States of America
Where do they go?
It's Alaska,
It's just right over the border it is
From Alaska,
That we send those out to make sure
That an eye is being kept
On this very powerful nation
Russia,
Because they are right
There they are right
Next to our state.
@Deeva: LOL! Thanks for the laugh...
I wouldn't be surprised if the McCain camp comes out and says that Sarah isn't incoherent, nay nay! She is a POET...
...just like Miss South Carolina was, too...
Howard,
Greenspan came out strongly in favor of the bailout in the WSJ. The consensus among economists, regardless of party affiliation, is a bailout of some sort is necessary. What the House Republicans brought up as a counterproposal (insuring the securities to encourage private investment) has been shot down as inadequate. "Hundreds of economists" have agreed that a bailout is necessary. Unpopular, but necessary and urgent. The economic world has been forecasting this very situation for months now.
I don't think the letters should be capital in all that. Palin would be ee cummings if she were a poet.
Palin really makes some people think that we Americans are dumb. Please do something about it, save her the pain and the country the shame.