Economic crisis called campaign turning point
Left: Sen. Barack Obama walks to a waiting car upon his arrival in Washington on , Oct 18th, 2008. Right: Sen. John McCain between meetings on Capitol Hill With the future of America's economy hanging in the balance and their presidential campaigns at a crucial turning point, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama played competing roles in the drama over forging a $700 billion financial bailout. Along with the unresolved cliffhanger of the financial crisis, another major drama remained to be played out - the status of today's first 2008 general election debate, expected to be watched by as many as 80 million Americans. The GOP senator from Arizona continued to insist that he would not attend the 90-minute forum at the University of Mississippi until a financial bailout deal was signed and delivered on Capitol Hill. The McCain campaign said the senator today will "return to Capitol Hill where he will work with all sides to build a bipartisan solution that protects taxpayers and keeps Americans in their homes." "I understand how important this debate is, and I'm very hopeful," McCain told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric earlier Thursday. "But I also have to put the country first." With more than two-thirds of voters saying in polls that they intended to watch the debate, Obama insisted that he was confident of a deal and would go on with the event in Oxford, Miss., whether or not McCain attended. He told CNN that the forum, originally planned to discuss national security, would be an opportunity to talk directly to millions of concerned Americans about "our economic strength at home ... (that's) absolutely critical, because if we're not strong at home, we're not going to be strong abroad." Obama's stance
Obama also insisted that the presidential candidates should handle both the debate and the financial crisis at the same time. "I've been able to stay entirely on top of negotiations" through phone, e-mail and staff communications, Obama said. "We can do more than one thing at a time; that's part of what's required if you want to be president of the United States."
Meanwhile, McCain - saying he would put "all hands on deck" regarding the financial crisis - continued to insist that he had suspended his presidential campaign effort. But he addressed former President Bill Clinton's Global Initiative on the crisis and did a round of TV interviews Thursday, while his campaign offices and fundraising - as well as TV spots in many markets - continued on track. And his vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, as well as campaign surrogates, continued to press his message on TV.
"Make no mistake: John McCain did not 'suspend' his campaign," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "He just turned a national crisis into an occasion to promote his campaign. It's become just another political stunt, aimed more at shoring up the senator's political fortunes than the nation's economy." The risky move by McCain to pull out of a national debate could have negative impacts - as a similar one by the Arizona senator did in 2000 when he announced that he would withdraw from a debate in Los Angeles with George W. Bush. The public feedback was so negative that McCain reconsidered and made a last-minute appearance, debating by video - a move that proved detrimental as Bush connected personally with both the audience and the moderators. But just 24 hours after McCain's decision to focus on finances and effectively declare a time out in the presidential race, his campaign might have already reaped an important, and many say intended, benefit: stopping his slide in the polls. A Gallup tracking poll on Thursday showed McCain tied with Obama in the national race - compared with a four-point Obama advantage three days before. Political strategists on both sides described the Republican's unprecedented moves as a potential turning point in the campaign, one that could determine the fortunes of both candidates from now until election day.
Dem strategist's take
"I can spell this out in five letters: P-A-N-I-C," said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, a former spokesman for the 2000 presidential campaign of Al Gore, of McCain's decisions this week. "It's an effort to try to change the conversation after seeing the tectonic plates shift in the last seven to 10 days," he said. "It comes from a campaign that has less money, so being off the air doesn't particularly dismay them. They have not done well in the economic exchange, and their candidate, by his own admission, does not do well on economic issues."
Lehane insisted that Obama also can benefit from the changed landscape. "This is a potential moment for Obama to take the six- to nine-point lead he has and lock it in," he said, adding that the Democrat's campaign must ''move aggressively ... and hammer home that we ought to be talking about the economy, that (Obama) doesn't need days to address the issue, that the people need a president who can hit the ground running.
"McCain is trying to change the conversation - and Obama has the opportunity to take it to the next level," he said.
Obama also insisted that the presidential candidates should handle both the debate and the financial crisis at the same time. "I've been able to stay entirely on top of negotiations" through phone, e-mail and staff communications, Obama said. "We can do more than one thing at a time; that's part of what's required if you want to be president of the United States."
Meanwhile, McCain - saying he would put "all hands on deck" regarding the financial crisis - continued to insist that he had suspended his presidential campaign effort. But he addressed former President Bill Clinton's Global Initiative on the crisis and did a round of TV interviews Thursday, while his campaign offices and fundraising - as well as TV spots in many markets - continued on track. And his vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, as well as campaign surrogates, continued to press his message on TV.
"Make no mistake: John McCain did not 'suspend' his campaign," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "He just turned a national crisis into an occasion to promote his campaign. It's become just another political stunt, aimed more at shoring up the senator's political fortunes than the nation's economy." The risky move by McCain to pull out of a national debate could have negative impacts - as a similar one by the Arizona senator did in 2000 when he announced that he would withdraw from a debate in Los Angeles with George W. Bush. The public feedback was so negative that McCain reconsidered and made a last-minute appearance, debating by video - a move that proved detrimental as Bush connected personally with both the audience and the moderators. But just 24 hours after McCain's decision to focus on finances and effectively declare a time out in the presidential race, his campaign might have already reaped an important, and many say intended, benefit: stopping his slide in the polls. A Gallup tracking poll on Thursday showed McCain tied with Obama in the national race - compared with a four-point Obama advantage three days before. Political strategists on both sides described the Republican's unprecedented moves as a potential turning point in the campaign, one that could determine the fortunes of both candidates from now until election day.
Dem strategist's take
"I can spell this out in five letters: P-A-N-I-C," said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, a former spokesman for the 2000 presidential campaign of Al Gore, of McCain's decisions this week. "It's an effort to try to change the conversation after seeing the tectonic plates shift in the last seven to 10 days," he said. "It comes from a campaign that has less money, so being off the air doesn't particularly dismay them. They have not done well in the economic exchange, and their candidate, by his own admission, does not do well on economic issues."
Lehane insisted that Obama also can benefit from the changed landscape. "This is a potential moment for Obama to take the six- to nine-point lead he has and lock it in," he said, adding that the Democrat's campaign must ''move aggressively ... and hammer home that we ought to be talking about the economy, that (Obama) doesn't need days to address the issue, that the people need a president who can hit the ground running.
"McCain is trying to change the conversation - and Obama has the opportunity to take it to the next level," he said.
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