McCain suspends campaigning over financial crisis; Obama rejects call for debate delay

Thursday 25th September, 07:28 AM JST

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

Latest 15 of 139 Total Comments Show All

unscrejects at 02:35 PM JST - 26th September

USARonin With wit like yours sir, you certainly don't need a leader - you're doing okay by yourself ha ha... Actually I empathise with the senator. This has to be the result of bad karma. Man, talk about lightning strike more than three times in the same place... I had a feeling this was going to be an unusual year - Hilary suddenly has it all to lose and... she loses it. Then McCain's turn and his party let's him know exactly what it has been thinking about him for years. Well at least he's still got Joe. Happened to see the gov on Katie Couric this morning... my eyes are still watering. Well if the debate fizzles, I've still got F1 to look forward this weekend. Have a good weekend.
USARonin at 02:40 PM JST - 26th September

You, too.

(Watch the debates!)
bluespaceoddity at 03:20 PM JST - 26th September

Earlier in this thread the suggestion was made that Obama has been derelict in his duties as a Senator. I pointed out that this claim can apply to both Presidential candidates and provided voting statistics to substantiate my rebuttal. You noted that Biden's performance was even worse by citing the numbers from the previous session of Congress. I provided the numbers for the current session. Regardless of the reasons, those numbers show that your claim about Biden isn't accurate.

Now let's go beyond voting records and see if either candidate has introduced any legislation. Introducing and sponsoring presumably means doing some actual work beyond merely showing up at the end of the process to vote. Turns out that:

McCain is the lead sponsor of 38 pieces of legislation during the 110th Congress, none of which have been referred to the Banking panel, according to a review of Thomas, a congressional website.

Obama has introduced 130 measures during this Congress. Five of Obama’s standalone bills fall within the Banking Committee's jurisdiction.

That seems to me an indication that some actual work was done by the Senators. I think that information like this once again makes the original claim somewhat dubious. Is it a reality that campaigns take candidates away from their original jobs? Yes, but it is true for all candidates, The record reflects that currently one candidates' record is worse than the other in that respect and it isn't the one against whom the original accusation was leveled.

Actual negotiators on the bail-out legislation from both parties have suggested that the presence in DC of both campaigns is an obstacle, not an aid to getting this deal approved.

Furthermore if the three Senators are to return to DC it would be only fair to have the Governor return to her state as well. After all her presence there was actually requested, backed by a subpoena.
Nippon5 at 03:48 PM JST - 26th September

And an apple is an orange..

I said all of them are worthless not just one of them. You pointed out both sessions and I corrected your nissing one of the members of this group, you pointed out he hadnt missed as much this years session and I said dah he wasnt a canidate until last month..

Problem is this we are paying people a lot of money and they are not doing their job.. COuld you miss that many days of a very little work schedule and still be working???

Obama is more handsome then McCain, Palin is hotter then Biden.. yack yack yack blah blah blah
bluespaceoddity at 05:11 PM JST - 26th September

My original reply was to a comment, made by RomeoRamenII, about Obama's performance as a Senator.

You want to appoint a temp. while they campaign or fire and replace them completely when they accept a candidacy?
Nippon5 at 05:21 PM JST - 26th September

Yes.... why should they have a job when they do not do it properly...... When a campaign over takes your responsibility to your job then that shows you really dont want your original job..

Like I said will your boss let you not do your work so you can go interview for a new job??

Think about it in a non political way, you pay their salary, do you want to pay a person so he can not do what he is paid to do?? If so are you hiring???
bluespaceoddity at 06:23 PM JST - 26th September

I understand your point and actually agree with it. It would indeed be good if the jobs they were originally hired/elected/or appointed to do would not suffer from their candidacy.

There is no argument that they had better voting and attendance records before they announced their candidacy. With the situation as it stands currently, however, two Senators running for President, I think the negotiations don't benefit from the presence of these candidates in DC.
Nippon5 at 06:48 PM JST - 26th September

I think the main reason they do help the negotiations is they are the spokesman for their parties. I think the debate is just a debate and its not even an open question debate, the questions are agreed to before the debate just like all of them. So missing it isnt the end of the world for me. Although I really want to tape the UH UH UH UH UH fest that they both will do.

I would hope that all of the house and senate come together and get each others noses out of their party based butts and actually do the right thing. I dont know if that is to give money to businesses that didnt take care of their own financials, or to give them loans, or just let them fail, but I do know that what ever they decide is going to be politically motivated and not truely in the intrest of the people of the US. It seems to be a lose lose for us as Americans
yabits at 07:19 PM JST - 26th September

Mr. McCain made a decision to go back to Washington D.C, to do the job that Arizona voters expect him to do.

Yes, waste air miles to add nothing of value in a meeting and then sit on his hands.
Sarge at 07:25 PM JST - 26th September

Obama can debate himself:

Obama ( several months ago ): I will bring home all of our troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office as President of the United States.

Obama ( more recently ): I will make a decision on a withdrawal after consulting with the commanders on the ground.

Obama ( several months ago ): We will be free of Middle East oil within 10 years.

Obama ( more recently ): We may have to drill for oil.

Hee hee! I can't wait for this debate!
Sarge at 07:50 PM JST - 26th September

Alinsky - I can't get your link to work.
USARonin at 06:14 AM JST - 27th September

For those of you that said McCain was "dodgy" or pullin' a publicity stunt by goin' to Washington, whattasay now that Obama made sure he showed up at the White House, too?
Sarge at 06:51 AM JST - 27th September

Ronin - Obama is being presidential, of course.
zurcronium at 07:37 AM JST - 27th September

Flip Flop Flip Flop Flip Flop

Now mccain will debate even though there is no deal, mostly due to him running the publicity stunt in going to washington. He just messed things up after an agreement was reached by all.

It over and out. Even the repubs, the intelligent ones, are dumping mccain now. Palin was bad enough and now this? mccain cant even run a decent campaign, let alone anything else.

mccain said he used his fighter pilot instincts to go to washington. Well he just crashed his plane again, for the 6th time now.

After he gets mopped up in the debates, he may as well just give up. Oh sorry, by suspending his campaign I guess he already has.
zurcronium at 07:34 AM JST - 28th September

I would like to officially start the save Sarah Palin fund here on JT. Since she is being held hostage by the republican party and is only allowed to see the light of day for five minutes a day, like prisoners in guantanamo, she needs to be freed. Let the winges go! Power to the people, especially mayors of small dysfunctional towns. Sarah Plain is not a hostageto be held by grumpy old man mccain.