McCain dumps Letterman to rush to DC to save US Economy

[headscratcher4]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/24/letterman-mccain/

Letterman reacts. McCain gets make-up before getting on plane to DC.

Nakedly shallow political manouver anyone?

[WildCat]

Yet more evidence of "the maverick" not being ready for prime time. The man makes off-the-cuff, stupid decisions.

[headscratcher4]

FOrtunately, just the very thought that McCain might come back to the Senate (for the first time since April) seems to have spurred on a deal...The man's a miracle worker.

[corplinx]

Well, apparently it went down like this.
Obama called McCain about issueing a joint statement on the crisis.
McCain called Obama back and upped the ante by offering a cease-fire under which they can go back to Washington and push through something. After all, whichever one of them wins winds up with this in their lap in 3 months.
McCain, shortly after making the offer, declares a unilateral ceasefire and clears his bookings.

There are two incompatible memes about it. One is that he was acting brashly. The other is that its cold and devious political calculation. It was too sudden to be a Karl Rove master plan.

I think the problem is. Joe Sixpack is already feeling the pinch of a stagnant economy. There isn't a bread line today because Lehman went out of business yesterday. You and I don't see the immediacy or urgency of the financial crisis. Most of us show up at work, do our jobs, and figure it will all just work itself out by magic.

So I wonder if part of the cynicism here is that people don't get how bad it is? I wonder if its possible that things might get so bad without intervention, that we'd be watching a documentary a year from now showing McCain going on Letterman "while the economy crumbled around him".

If the crisis is overstated, then by all means cancel the comedy show appearance. However, if the crisis is not overstated, the urgency needs to be conveyed without causing a panic. The economy collapsing was actually a joke on Letterman. It's not real to people yet.

[Cleon]

If the crisis is overstated, then by all means cancel the comedy show appearance.

Well, if you look at the link, the thing here is that he wasn't "racing off to Washington," but ditching Letterman for a different interview.

[headscratcher4]

What is overstated is -- and whether Joe sixpack will buy the lie or not remains to be seen -- is that either Obama or McCain would have much inflluence or role in creating the economic package to come.

First, McCain hasn't been seen in Washington since April. He's never been a economic player before. The negotiations were already going on and well down the road. There is nothing that McCain was going to bring to the discussion that had any value. Indeed, the only way that he wins is if he disagrees witht he proposal. If he agrees and votes for it, you can bet that the Dems. will all be saying that McCain had nothing to do with it...which is probably true. He probably can't even bring many members of his own party to support it, if if they will support it.

If he opposes it, than he better have a detailed alternative...otherwise he looks like he just is trying to make politics out of the situation...and it was a situation that he implanted himself into, claiming that it was time to put politics aside.

[boloboffin]

Letterman and Couric are both CBS. Letterman was going to find out. They had the direct live feed. It's a stupid lie.

Why didn't he just say, "some straight talk, Dave. I can't do the show tonight. I'm doing the Couric interview because it airs on Monday, but I can't campaign on your show tonight. I'll reschedule as soon as I can." Dave still would have been grumpy about it, but he probably wouldn't have gone ballistic on him.

[ParanoidAndroid]

At best this just piles-on the growing impression in the minds of many Americans that McCain's judgment might not be so...executive.

[not_so_new]

"....maybe there will be other things down the road -- if he's in the White House, he might just suspend being president. I mean, we've got a guy like that now!"

David Letterman

GO Dave GO!

LOFL

[Eskarina]

Letterman and Couric are both CBS. Letterman was going to find out. They had the direct live feed. It's a stupid lie.

McCain also found the time to make a slight detour to NY to appear at Clinton's Global Initiative Forum, before "rushing off" to Washington and saving the US economy, if this report can be believed: :rolleyes:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/25/mccain-suspends-campaign-but-politics-still-simmer-at-surface/

[OneShotKi11]

I could have swore someone posted this earlier today....
Oh yea, that someone was me.
LoL

[NotJesus]

Country Couric first.

Grandstanding second.

No, wait -- Grandstanding FIRST, Couric second.

Oh yeah, country's in there too, somewhere.

Letterman last.

[The Mutha]

What I find amazing is that people actually believe McCain and Obama have something to do with the negotiations and the outcome of the deal -- other than the fact that they actually have to vote yea or nay...

McCain "rushed" back to Washington to vote on whatever bill comes before the Senate and it's probably not going to come up until tomorrow at the very earliest?

If he skips the Presidential Debate and Obama shows, that's going to really hurt the Republicans in this election.

[DavidJames]

Looks like the kinder gentler John McCain will try to kiss and make up with Letterman (http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/12/letterman.mccain/index.html).

Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain is slated to make an appearance on David Letterman's show Thursday, three weeks after he raised the ire of the generally mild-mannered host by canceling his scheduled appearance at the last minute, citing his decision to suspend his presidential campaign because of the financial crisis.

[Ausmerican]

Looks like the kinder gentler John McCain will try to kiss and make up with Letterman (http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/12/letterman.mccain/index.html).

I can see some of the lines already.
"Glad you could make it Senator. You CAN stay can't you?"
"We have a car standing by in case you need to race off to save the economy."
"Katie busy tonight?"

[MattusMaximus]

If the crisis is overstated, then by all means cancel the comedy show appearance. However, if the crisis is not overstated, the urgency needs to be conveyed without causing a panic. The economy collapsing was actually a joke on Letterman. It's not real to people yet.


I knew in my head intellectually that the crisis was real - I've known this for weeks.

But it didn't really hit me in the gut until today, when my wife opened up a notice from her retirement account which told her that this quarter she'd deposited $700 in the account... which simultaneously lost $730 in the same quarter.

Now I feel it. Ouch.

[Puppycow]

I knew in my head intellectually that the crisis was real - I've known this for weeks.

But it didn't really hit me in the gut until today, when my wife opened up a notice from her retirement account which told her that this quarter she'd deposited $700 in the account... which simultaneously lost $730 in the same quarter.

Now I feel it. Ouch.

Don't worry about it too much if you're in it for the long haul. I'm buying more stocks this week. They're on sale.