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October 7, 2008 at 05:15:06

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Headlined on 10/7/08:
McCain vs. Obama - Debate Preview

by Steven Leser     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

 

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The big question about tonight's debate is whether the town hall format will allow McCain to go on the attack as he intends. The town hall format involves the candidates fielding questions from ordinary citizens. In the last few days, the McCain campaign has decided to try to make this campaign about attacks on Obama. As I noted on Sunday in this column http://www.opednews.com/articles/McCain--Coming-are-his-De-by-Steven-Leser-081005-137.html , in every chance he will get , McCain will attack Obama on his past associations with three people. Obama never did anything wrong, and he isn't accused of doing anything wrong with these people, but that is to what McCain is reduced. McCain will also try to make people afraid of Obama despite Obama having been vetted in no less than 23 debates and through an 18 month campaign.

McCain Attacks Wildly and erratically While People are Hurting

McCain's attacks will come in the middle of one of the worst economic crises in the history of this country. Just yesterday, the Associated Press reported here http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081006/ap_on_re_us/utility_shut_offs_1 that people are getting their electric, other utility services shut off in alarming numbers. According to AP:

Shut-offs have been running 17 percent higher than last year among customers of New York state's major utilities, and 22 percent higher in economically hard-hit Michigan. They are up in all or part of dozens of other states, including Pennsylvania, Florida and California, according to an Associated Press check of regulators and energy companies.

Despite stepped-up efforts by state and federal governments, utilities and private groups to help people avoid shut-offs this winter, some worry the problem will only get worse in the coming months, particularly with the downturn on Wall Street.

"I just didn't have the money to pay," said Marie Williams, a single mother raising four daughters in Cohoes, N.Y., a former mill city on the Hudson River. "Rent had to be paid, and food for the girls."

--------------------

A week ago, employment figures showed that the Unemployment rate had risen to 6.1% and that 750,000 Americans had lost their jobs in the last year. The stock market lost 350 points yesterday despite the passage of the $700 Billion dollar bailout and at closed below 10,000 for the first time in the last four years. Asian and European markets were down sharply again last night indicating we may be in for additional massive losses in the US Equity markets.

People are hurting, those who participate in the financial markets are terrified, and John McCain wants to talk about something that has already been discussed and has absolutely no bearing on what is going on in this country. It brings to mind the old yarn about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

The people of this country want to hear from McCain and Obama what they intend to do about the financial crisis. They don't care about past trivial associations, they want to know what is going to be the way out of this mess in which we find ourselves. I have a prediction and that is if John McCain spends time over the next debate or the next few weeks on personal attacks instead of his plans for fixing the economy, he is going to be on the wrong side of the worst electoral landslide since 1984. McCain and his handlers can say the words Ayers, Wright and Rezco a billion times between now and November fourth and it will not help them. Even worse, as I mentioned yesterday, McCain has much more serious issues in his past that caused serious harm and loss to the American people and has parallels to the current economic crisis. McCain's Keating Five involvement, detailed here http://www.keatingeconomics.com involved McCain getting money from the owner of a savings and loan so that McCain would not pass laws that would regulate that Savings and Loan and others like it. The public, mostly elderly retired people lost almost five billion dollars from that particular savings and loan, and the public lost $100 Billion overall.  The below video explains McCain's involvement in the Keating Five scandal.

If the video embed does not work, click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDofbll86dY

If I could talk to John McCain about tonight's debate and the next few weeks, I would ask him this simple question. Senator McCain, is it going to be all about YOU? Do you care AT ALL what this country and its people are going through right now, or is it all about you trying to win this election? If you want to talk character and patriotism, here it is as clear as could be. Is it about the country, or you? I guess we will all see. My prediction is, as far as John McCain is concerned, it is all about him.

 

Steven Leser specializes in Politics, Science & Health, and Entertainment topics. He has held positions within the Democratic Party including District Chair and Public Relations Chair within county organizations. Steven Leser writes for www.opednews.com, an internet only media site that has grown to become one of the highest traffic news sites in America, reaching more traffic, according to alexa.com, than all but the thirty largest daily newspapers in the US. Mr. Leser is one of the 500+ liberal pundits who, each month, are published in what has become one of the top five Liberal/progressive media sites in the US.

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11 comments

I try to be open-minded and logical when considering elections/issues. Most definitely leftist, I am still capable of hearing more conservative ideas and will back them if they make sense. The gooey mess of politics occasionally has good ideas embedded in the syrup.
jeffrey faulknerI try to be open-minded and logical when considering elections/issues. Most definitely leftist, I am still capable of hearing more conservative ideas and will back them if they make sense. The gooey mess of politics occasionally has good ideas embedded in the syrup.

McCain's attacks

I believe that McCain will come out swinging.  He did that in the first debate.  I remember thinking while watching debate 1, "oh no, McCain is winning via aggression.  Punch him, Obama."  Obama rose above McCain's  BS, and the polls showed it.  While I'm sure the snarling will be more intense in debate 2, I'm comforted to know that people consider the economy far more important than smear campaigns.

by jeffrey faulkner (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 18 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 12:30:33 PM
 


I am here to express my humble and outrageous opinions. I hope your blood boils and your brain tunes in. My blog is written for the people who feel that they are living in a parallel universe and wonder who else is out there!
Steph FauxcoI am here to express my humble and outrageous opinions. I hope your blood boils and your brain tunes in. My blog is written for the people who feel that they are living in a parallel universe and wonder who else is out there!

Not so much

Mc Cain came out talking about the glory days of the 80's, hair plugs and all.

 

What a loser in the personality category. He made me very uncomfortable, especially how he refused o engage with the people of color in the audience asking questions.

 

Dissappointing performance by McCain, sigh of relief with Obama's demeanor.

by Steph Fauxco (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 68 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 10:25:44 PM
 


I try to be open-minded and logical when considering elections/issues. Most definitely leftist, I am still capable of hearing more conservative ideas and will back them if they make sense. The gooey mess of politics occasionally has good ideas embedded in the syrup.
jeffrey faulknerI try to be open-minded and logical when considering elections/issues. Most definitely leftist, I am still capable of hearing more conservative ideas and will back them if they make sense. The gooey mess of politics occasionally has good ideas embedded in the syrup.

McCain's attacks

I believe that McCain will come out swinging.  He did that in the first debate.  I remember thinking while watching debate 1, "oh no, McCain is winning via aggression.  Punch him, Obama."  Obama rose above McCain's  BS, and the polls showed it.  While I'm sure the snarling will be more intense in debate 2, I'm comforted to know that people consider the economy far more important than smear campaigns.

by jeffrey faulkner (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 18 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 12:31:19 PM
 


A writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Mark SashineA writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

to see more of bio, click on member name

I sympathise

and I admire  Mr. Leser's conviction. Still, I have to say that neither Obama or McCain can do anything in economy ( I mean for us) without first stopping the war machine. Neither Obama or McCain seem to  want to stop  it ( Obama's claims about Afgahnistan are as bizarre as anything) and that  means that politics  is driving the economics. Neither Obama nor McCain actually WANT to rule the country as it is supposed to be ruled, which means - solve its problems.  In fact, none of them had defined  the very root cause of all the problems - a total paralysis of the power structure through corrupt elite.  In sorts, this country is not governed- it just rolls on.

by Mark Sashine (54 articles, 19 quicklinks, 252 diaries, 3605 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 2:39:21 PM
 


Richard Mynick is a US citizen who, despite the best efforts of the corporate media, noticed something disturbing about how the 2000 election was decided, & felt it augured poorly for democracy.
Richard MynickRichard Mynick is a US citizen who, despite the best efforts of the corporate media, noticed something disturbing about how the 2000 election was decided, & felt it augured poorly for democracy.

I agree with Mark Sashine. But (& this is admittedly not as

important as the things Mark mentioned), if McCain tries to smear Obama tonight with Ayers, Wright & Rezko, I really hope Obama has a good strong response ready for him. In the first debate, McCain said, "Senator Obama just doesn't understand [such & such]" about a dozen times -- and Obama chose to merely smile passively, trying to "take the high road" in response.

I hope he has a far more forceful (but also well-planned) comeback to that sort of stuff, tonight. He could hit McCain with the Keating Five, as you mentioned; or with McCain's membership in the 1980's on the US Council for World Freedom, a right-wing extremist group that Amy Goodman says had links to former Nazi collaborators & Central American deaths squads.

It would of course be easy to hit back too wildly, & to wind up with both guys just slinging mud back & forth. But I think it would also be a mistake to be passive, & to allow McCain to get away with all these gutter attacks. Obama should go in there with a well-crafted prepared response -- tough enough to sting, & to demonstrate that he won't tolerate unlimited abuse from McCain; but at the same time dignified enough to prevent the whole thing from collapsing into a totally repugnant spectacle.

by Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1234 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 5:19:59 PM
 


Charlie Levenson is a writer and activist in Portland, Oregon. In addition to serving as the Manager of Electronic Communications for a social/athletic club in Portland, he instructs in Digital Media at Portland State University, consults on communications strategy, and occasionally writes/directs videos.
Charlie LCharlie Levenson is a writer and activist in Portland, Oregon. In addition to serving as the Manager of Electronic Communications for a social/athletic club in Portland, he instructs in Digital Media at Portland State University, consults on communications strategy, and occasionally writes/directs videos.

If McCain goes negative...

Here is how Barack Obama should respond to John McCain when he attacks him on a personal level in the next Presidential debate.

"Well John, I am very disappointed. Like many Americans, I used to admire you. I respected your service to your country, and especially the time you spent without a kitchen table. But now your campaign has sunk to new lows, and your erratic, emotional, and unprofessional attacks on me personally are bringing this debate down into the mud. I am very sorry you feel you need to go into the gutter to win. I would prefer to discuss the important issues of the day: the economy, national security, the war, health care, education, the environment -- and our differences of opinion about these, and how I plan to solve the problems that face middle-class Americans."

then, next time...

"There you go again, John -- running away from the issue at hand and falling back on personal attacks, innuendo, and outright lies. I thought you were better than that John. I thought you were BRAVER than that John. Are you AFRAID to debate the ISSUES John? I'm not."

then...

"I am so sorry, John, that you can't answer a simple question without throwing a personal attack in there."

Then, to really get him going...

"Give it up John. The American people really are NOT as stupid as you and your running mate treat them. They are SICK of these personal attacks John. They want ANSWERS. They want to know WHY you were against regulation and oversight of banks and investment institutions. They want to know why over 70 people at the top of your campaign took money from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. They want to know why you were working for bankers during the KEATING FIVE. They want to know why your running mate was FOR the Bridge to nowhere before she was AGAINST it, before she took the money for the bridge and spent it. Americans want to know why you voted AGAINST putting body protection on our troops in Iraq and why you continue to vote against Veterans and children's health care. Enough with the attacks, John. It's time for you and the REPUBLICAN PARTY you represent to EXPLAIN how and why you got America into this horrible mess and why Americans should EVER TRUST ANY REPUBLICAN AGAIN with power."

and finally...

"John, you seem to forget that you ARE a Republican, and that you voted to support George Bush and the Republican Agenda that got us into this mess over 90% of the time, and really closer to 100% if you count only the votes that were close enough to matter. John, you ARE the Republican Party, and you've got to start running against ME and not George Bush, the man you hugged repeatedly and thanked for everything he has done for America. Personally, I think George Bush has put America in the toilet, and it's going to take somebody besides YOU and other REPUBLICANS to get America back where it belongs."

With this one in the pocket, in case he needs it...

"I'm sorry, John, but you and Sarah Palin are not 'mavericks.' You are traditional Republicans. You are just more of the same -- corrupt, lying, and incompetent political leaders who are not going to get us out of these problems, but drive us deeper into the mess the Republican Party has created."

BUT, that said, I don't think he will, and we'll see the polls do another "reversal" tomorrow with the "trend" back to McCain.

Americans LIKE nasty.  Americans LIKE ugly.  Americans LIKE fighters and "scrappy" and all that other shit.

And McCain is going to feed them red meat until they are bloated, and Obama is going to come off as too passive, too "nice," too "wishy washy" and too "easy to punch around."

To pardon the ugly pun, it's time for Obama to "call a spade a spade."

by Charlie L (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 720 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 5:46:58 PM
 


Richard Mynick is a US citizen who, despite the best efforts of the corporate media, noticed something disturbing about how the 2000 election was decided, & felt it augured poorly for democracy.
Richard MynickRichard Mynick is a US citizen who, despite the best efforts of the corporate media, noticed something disturbing about how the 2000 election was decided, & felt it augured poorly for democracy.

Those would be terrific come-backs. There might be a word

here & there that should be changed, but those are basically great. They're the right combination of sounding tough yet principled; of sticking up for oneself, while sounding dedicated to "solving the nations's problems."

(As minor quibbles: I'm not sure if one can get away with saying "You are traditional Republicans. You are just more of the same -- corrupt, lying, and incompetent political leaders..." because it's basically saying that all Republicans are liars -- which is of course true, but not the sort of thing you can say in one of these debates. Besides, it gets messy, because virtually all Democrats are liars too.

And I think Obama also has some advisors that were involved in Fannie & Freddie. So maybe he has to stay away from that.)

But basically, those are great responses. // And, just like you, I doubt Obama is going to come out with anything nearly that feisty. Which I agree will hurt him -- if he just stands there & lets McCain whale away at him, his American audience is going to see him as a wimp. And they'll be right.

by Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1234 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 6:25:35 PM
 


Richard Mynick is a US citizen who, despite the best efforts of the corporate media, noticed something disturbing about how the 2000 election was decided, & felt it augured poorly for democracy.
Richard MynickRichard Mynick is a US citizen who, despite the best efforts of the corporate media, noticed something disturbing about how the 2000 election was decided, & felt it augured poorly for democracy.

The NYT is now saying "Obama is Prepared to Hit Back"

NASHVILLE — Senator Barack Obama is prepared to hit back, including with Keating Five scandal if necessary, if Senator John McCain uses tonight’s presidential debate to attack him over his associations with controversial figures like former William C. Ayers, the former Weather Underground leader, Mr. Obama’s chief strategist said this afternoon....

Here's a link

by Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1234 comments) on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 6:30:11 PM
 

 

11 comments

 
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