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Go Home Yet Another Mccain Gambit Thought

THE PLANK SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

Yet Another Mccain Gambit Thought

It occurs to me that McCain's gambit is likely to delay the bailout negotiations, not speed them up. Why? Because now, if the administration and Congressional Republicans can't make a deal without undercutting McCain's claim that the negotiations are failing and a campaign suspension is needed to rescure them. All the reporting I've seen suggests a deal was in the works. Now it's going to be in limbo, unless Republicans are willing to kneecap their own candidate.

--Jonathan Chait

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31 comments

Yes, and that WOULD actually be putting country first...which is why they'll never do it.

- tjlinko

September 24, 2008 at 5:47pm

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If it's a deal that comports with the principles that Obama outlined and that McCain parroted, I'm not sure how they could NOT pass it without demonstrating that this crisis was pure political theater.  

- kj_593

September 24, 2008 at 5:58pm

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For once I was reading about economic model specifics on the FRONT PAGES of newspapers, but suddenly those were resigned to the back pages for McCain metaspeak about "the economy".  

- dylanposer

September 24, 2008 at 6:01pm

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Thank god. Tell the nation what exactly are the assumptions behind this plan, who's bearing which risks, how much of that risk each household will bear, what alternative approaches exist and why, exactly, this particular path is recommended etc.

- teplukhin2you

September 24, 2008 at 6:12pm

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You know, it would not surprise me if more than a few capitol hill republicans DID want to kneecap their candidate, for several reasons.

- timteeter

September 24, 2008 at 6:16pm

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Good point Chait!  The more I think about this whole thing the more I realize McCain has made another colossal mistake.  Just look at the Bush statement in response to McCain's latest gimmick.  Bush says that progress is being made now.  If progress is being made now and no one is complaining of deadlock, why the hell is McCain sticking his nose in?   You are right in pointing out the negative effects of McCain interjecting Presidential politics in a situation where there is still a good chance of bipartisan Congressional and Presidential agreement.

- woland

September 24, 2008 at 6:19pm

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The stench of fear and desperation permeates the air around McCain, his cohorts in the Republican party, and the conservative blogosphere.

- desertdog

September 24, 2008 at 6:39pm

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McCain has destroyed his brand. This is from Letterman today:

Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

- ralphnelle

September 24, 2008 at 6:45pm

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Now McCain is saying 'no bailout, no debate!'

Wow, I don't understand this at all. Obama's response was perfect ('now is the perfect time...') and McCain's making it worse, all Obama has to do now is call McCain some polite form of 'chickenshit.'

Obama should propose not only debating, but switching the topic to 'the economy.'

- mmathog

September 24, 2008 at 6:55pm

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Ooooh, that's bad, ralph.  That's very, very bad.  Just as I think the SNL thing is what started Palin's steady nose-dive, having the late night guys going after you like that is baaaaaad news.

- drdannyu

September 24, 2008 at 6:59pm

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Here's the thing.  I'm working on meatballs for tonight's movie night, and I say to myself - now, that was a pretty stupid thing for Obama to do, call at 830 in the morning and ask for a bipartisan approach.  If he knows anything - if there is one thing clear in this campaign - it is that McCain and his campaign have no honour, that they would try to put one over Obama - in Legal Jargon, to be Clever.  Which of course  McCain, true to form, proceeded to be: instead of a joint statement, he tried to be the sole Statesman, Putting The Country First, Foregoing The Advantage Of The Debates and all that.  And claim credit for the bipartisan approach.  Why, I asked myself, would Obama give such an opening to McCain?

Then it dawned on me, Obama is a poker player.  Poker is about psychology, about drawing the other side in, about exploiting the pride and arrogance of your opponents.  It is about making a calculated risk about the course of action of your opponent and then beating him senseless.

And this is what Obama did this morning.

At 830, Obama showed McCain an opening.  He allowed McCain to think that Obama, the weak liberal, the decent professor, the Dukakis of this campaign, really is going the bipartisan route.  And McCain struck hard.  Another roll of the dice; another gambit.  Ha!

Except that ...

Except that, it seems as if Obama was ready for this.  Not exactly this, but certainly SOMETHING out of the ordinary, an UNCALCULATED risk, a risk taken without talking to anyone (Republican leaders, the President? Nah, why bother.  Go for broke, strike, be Clever.

Well, in this case, too clever by half.  The McCain "persona" is now, more than ever, etched in stone.  This is the unstable, intemperate, vehement, incoherent persona Will has committed to paper, and this is the character that will come through from now on.  

I'd say he was set up.  I'd say McCain was punk'd.

The meatballs are burning.

- icarusr

September 24, 2008 at 7:00pm

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This whole comedy made me think of Jesus:

What's this day of rest shit? What's this bullshit? I don't fuckin' care! It don't matter to Jesus. But you're not foolin' me, man. You might fool the fucks in the league office, but you don't fool Jesus. This bush league psyche-out stuff. Laughable, man - ha ha! I would have fucked you in the ass Saturday. I fuck you in the ass next Wednesday instead. Wooo! You got a date Wednesday, baby!

- thetraytiger

September 24, 2008 at 7:09pm

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"Yet Another McCain Gambit Thought   It occurs to me that McCain's gambit is likely to delay the bailout negotiations, not speed them up. Why? Because now, if the administration and Congressional Republicans can't make a deal without undercutting McCain's claim that the negotiations are failing and a campaign suspension is needed to rescure them."

This is a ridiculous supposition. McCain is fighting his own party which doesn't want to let go of the sacrosanct notion of a “self correcting market. They would rather lose the election than give up their libertarian sacred creed.

" All the reporting I've seen suggests a deal was in the works.”

You have no facts, you are just speculating.  Just listen to what the Republicans are actually saying. Only four of their people on the Banking committee would vote for a rescue deal.

The Democrats me thinks are happy to see this crises drag on because they believe that it strengthens their poll numbers.

McCain is fighting on two fronts and I wish him well.  

- jacksondyer

September 24, 2008 at 7:25pm

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Obligatory youtube clip: www.youtube.com/watch

- thetraytiger

September 24, 2008 at 7:26pm

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The notion that bailout negotiations will be easier with a presidential candidate at the table is patently absurd.

- lonestarpedro

September 24, 2008 at 7:30pm

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"And this is what Obama did this morning." Icarus

Please Mr., Obama proposed that they issue a statement. In other words that they do some more talking. This is what he is good at, TALK.

McCain is a man of action as well as talk. And suspending his campaign is a signal he is sending his own party that they need to compromise and abandon their "free market shibboleths."

Because you, like Obama, feel more comfortable talking than doing you see his stance as the worthier of the two.

- jacksondyer

September 24, 2008 at 7:31pm

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icarusr,

Excellent post!

- ralphnelle

September 24, 2008 at 7:35pm

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"McCain is fighting on two fronts and I wish him well."

haha ha ha ha ha ha, hilarious.

The deal is largely done, Treasury has caved to most demands.

McCain is trying to stop both sides from politicking because he's LOSING, so he's hoping that levels the playing field.

Americans prefer Obama to run the economy, and McCain is desperately trying to put himself on equal footing with him, also make himself 'someone who can run the economy,' it's a desperate joke.

This isn't a terrorist attack, we shouldn't stop arguing, in fact, as we witnessed today, arguing is GOOD, we should be doing nothing BUT arguing; arguing is the best chance to produce an equitable deal.

- mmathog

September 24, 2008 at 7:42pm

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"This is what he is good at, TALK."

TALK is what MATTERS here. This is an economic crisis, we live in a democracy, "talking" (or "arguing") is what gets us a decent policy.

Why do you hate democracy Jackson?

- mmathog

September 24, 2008 at 7:43pm

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"suspending his campaign is a signal he is sending his own party that they need to compromise and abandon their "free market shibboleths." "

Where do you get that?

"McCain is a man of action..."

What 'action' are you talking about? Handing Paulson a trillion dollar check with no oversight? There's no hill to charge, top policymakers need to talk in order to do a deal, and our presidential candidates should keep talking in public so the public knows how they think and react.

- mmathog

September 24, 2008 at 8:03pm

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mmathog you are clueless about the real meaning of democracy.

Democracy is not about TALK it's about allowing people to chose their elected officials which will not be affected by postponing a debate. It's about in independent judiciary which will not be affected by postponing a debate; it's about separations of powers, which will not be not be affected by postponing a debate.

What about this don't you understand? thog?

In spite of the name of the party Democrats do not own democracy.

- jacksondyer

September 24, 2008 at 8:10pm

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"The deal is largely done, Treasury has caved to most demands."  mmathog

says who? Do you have a link?

- jacksondyer

September 24, 2008 at 8:11pm

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McCain may be fighting on two fronts, but he created one of those fronts himself by selecting Palin.  If he had gone for Romney, he'd have him popping up all over the place these days saying reasonably qualified stuff about business and finance, and generally making McCain look good.

Instead, now he's chained to a nincompoop who is in over her head.

- ironyroad

September 24, 2008 at 8:27pm

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ironyroad said:  “McCain may be fighting on two fronts, but he created one of those fronts himself by selecting Palin.”

Oh come on Irony,

Palin has nothing to do with the fact that McCain’s is fighting off members of his own party as well as the Democratic challenger.

Palin is not “a lightweight” even though she is inexperienced.

In her recent interview on CBS she asked for an example of McCain’s introducing regulation legislation. She said she would have to check into that.

There is an obvious example which I am sure she knew that she couldn’t mention because the bill in question is disliked by libertarians: It’s the finance reform bill which regulated moneys flowing into campaigns.

Personally, I wish McCain would just let the libertarians go and aim at getting the votes of independent moderates. He chances of wining might be more difficult but he still would have a fighting chance.

- jacksondyer

September 24, 2008 at 9:22pm

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UPDATE 1-US lawmakers set to draft final bailout bill:source

Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:24pm EDT

(Adds details)

"WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - U.S. congressional Democrats and Republicans plan to meet on Thursday to draft a final bipartisan Wall Street bailout bill, a Democratic source said on Wednesday night.

"Not too many unresolved issues remain," the source said.

The source spoke after meetings earlier in the day by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and members of the House of Representatives and Senate.

House and Senate Democrats, along with some Republican committee members, intend "to sit down at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) tomorrow to draft a final bipartisan bill to be passed and signed into law," the Democratic source said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd emerged from a meeting with Paulson and other Democratic senators saying there was no deal yet on a financial bailout bill, but he expressed optimism one could come soon.

"We're not there yet," Dodd told reporters, adding there was a "good possibility we'll get there in a day or so."

Dodd refused to discuss details of the negotiations, but said lawmakers would work deliberatively on a bill he said could have an impact for "decades." "

www.reuters.com/articlePrint

Hope springs eternal in Washington, doesn't it.

- jacksondyer

September 24, 2008 at 9:50pm

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JD:  "Palin has nothing to do with the fact that McCain’s is fighting off members of his own party as well as the Democratic challenger"

But she has everything to do with the fact that the debates have turned into a problem for him.

- ironyroad

September 24, 2008 at 10:11pm

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I agree with the Jesus.

- jhildner

September 24, 2008 at 10:39pm

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Palin is not a lightweight? That assertion is 1) hilarious, 2) sad, and 3) ridiculous.

Check out her chat with Katie Couric, who pretty much bent over backwards to give the governor every benefit of the doubt, and Sarah still ended up sounding like someone who weighs less than a lightweight. She's certainly the least qualified, least qualified candidate for national office in my lifetime. She makes J. Danforth Quayle look like Thomas Jefferson.  

I would feel sorry for this poor in-over-her-head woman if her views on religion, government, politics and society weren't so poisonous. And if she wasn't so nasty.

- WoodyBombay

September 24, 2008 at 10:56pm

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Yeah, that's right - Sarah Palin is so "least qualified" that I said it twice!

She would be bad, bad for the nation.

- WoodyBombay

September 24, 2008 at 11:06pm

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Nobody fucks with the Jesus.

- thetraytiger

September 24, 2008 at 11:40pm

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12-year olds Dude, 12-year olds.

- mundye

September 25, 2008 at 2:09pm

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