Clearly, Steve, the bailout failure is a nefarious plot by Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama to indefinitely suspend McCain's campaign and exploit his love and dedication to this great nation.

Yeah--What happened to "All Hands on Deck!"?

McCain would very much like to save the day, but when the deal looked imminent, a staffer sent his cape to the cleaners!

Quite obviously, McCain can't save the day without his cape. He will have to go back to campaigning--at least until the staffer digs up his claim ticket.

With John McCain flying the airplane, all hands know to stay well away and off the deck!

Yeah, I'm holding my breath to see the media make 1/10th as big a deal of this as Al Gore's "sighing."

NB: I almost agree with you about the Pelosi/Obama plot, but The McSiah would suspend his campaign for a pony ride at this point. Or because there's a spider on the bus. Anything but go back out and face actual Americans.

Er--Dare I say it? Maybe the time has come for *Obama* to drop his outside appearances and head back to Washington to buck up *Democratic* support, or else take some role in new negotiations. The Republican Party is now officially headless--but the Democrats also need a strong, undisputed leader, and there's no one but Obama to fill the bill. Certainly the congressional leadership of the party won't object, and Obama will be properly deferential to the expertise of people by Frank. But somebody has to be a grownup here.

Does anyone know why most of the first term Dems voted no?

Obama's ahead now in most polls. He should "put country first" and suspend his campaign, and I mean really suspend it, not the fake "suspend" McCain't lead his own party - muddled through. Then he should hunker down with a bipartisan commitee, and start negotiations with an ironclad commitment to have 100% of his party support the rescue plan.

My friends, that's "country first" you can believe in.

ummm... Bill Kristol just called for McCain to re-suspend in his blog on the Weekly Standard.

Well, McCain doesn't see a need to suspend his campaign again, but he DOES think it's important to bring in the big guns...that's why Sarah Palin is suspending HER campaign (sorry about not being able to make that debate) so she can go work her anti-voodoo white magic on that whole Fannie/Freddie mess. Remember, she's been blessed, so, she's immune!

McCain is still campaigning because he has delegated bail-out negotiations to Sarah Palin. That's why she hasn't been in the limelight recently.

John is clearly putting the country ahead of his party, because poll results would be much different if Governor Palin were actively campaigning.

McCain may suspend his campaign again allowing Palin to miss her debate...........

Or if she does show up, everyone needs to be on the lookout for outlines of wires under her jacket like Bush had in his debates. I wish there was some way to "jam" the area to prevent Palin being given help.

Just watched his statement to the press and (drum roll please)...he blames it on Obama for bringing partisan politics into the process.
No irony.

McCain's sending in the big guns! Therefore...
Sarah's gonna have to suspend her campaign (sorry, no debate) and go straighten out that Fannie/Freddie mess. She can finally put her blessings against voodoo to fight those ungodly fatcats in Washington!

Al-

Huh? If you're fake Al you're not doing a very good fake Al. If you're real Al, well, did you start hitting the bottle early today? That was less coherent than Sarah Palin talking to Katie Couric about the bailout plan.

There is a way to jam Sarah's wire. Just find out what frequency her IFB transmits on and set up another transmitter to broadcast on that freq. Instant jamming.

Now would be a great time for Obama to quietly, without fanfare, fly into Washington start using his legendary negotiating skills with key members of each faction (probably skip the House GOP initially, since they have too many irrationally hostile members to work with).

Get a deal, let others announce (otherwise the GOP won't sign on), then let the Washington whispers go out that it was Obama who brokered it.

"ummm... Bill Kristol just called for McCain to re-suspend in his blog on the Weekly Standard."

Kristol is the most accurate and reliable prognosticator and strategist in the country. All McAin't has to do is do the exact opposite of what Kristol says and he's sure to score a win.

Actually, it's Sarah's turn to suspend her campaign as it is the VP debate that's coming up this week. Given all the media exposure her candidacy has offered, it will be an extreme blow to the McCain campaign. :P

I wonder if there might be another way to look at this fiasco today. Reid assures passage of the bill in the Senate Wednesday. So if 12 votes can be flipped in the House, the bill goes through.

Those votes can come from either side, so if Obama could persuade 12 Dem house members to flip before McCain gets the same number, he would clearly demonstrate leadership, etc. I see this as a Leadership Race. Let's see whether McCain really does put Country First and whether he has any ability whatsoever to arm-twist his own party.

the banner on fox news, right below the "BREAKING NEWS" said: 95 democrats voted against the bill. SERIOUSLY? this is why the election has been as close as it has been. people that exclusively watch fox and believe that it is fair and balanced get that kind of a headline when more repubs voted against it.

A second suspension in just days would no doubt fuel late night talk, but it would bring more pluses than minuses. John McCain could, for all of those whom he missed the first time around, show Americans his commitment to putting country first.

Having a suspension also has the added advantage of being able to continue to campaign - Bill Clinton would probably love the company.

Most importantly (having reassured the electorate regarding his 'happiness with the choice of running mate on "This Week," and the campaigns insistence that Gov. Palin's on air interviews have largely been a successful) he can have the good governor of Alaska replace him on the trail, subsequently restricting her availability for Thursday nights debate! Viola crisis solved!

Now only if he could actually do something to help this bailout mess!

John is clearly putting the country ahead of his party, because poll results would be much different if Governor Palin were actively campaigning.

Huh? Are you suggesting that McCain can't win without Palin? That doesn't speak very well for McCain, does it? She isn't campaigning at the moment because she's spending the next 4 days cramming for her big day with Biden.

What is clear is that they won't let Palin in front of an open mic without a teleprompter because it would completely torpedo McCain's campaign. McCain's people believed that she'd be a "quick study" but it's clear that she's getting worse as time goes on, not better.

Palin was plucked from obscurity and has never been in the national spotlight before. Being a VP nominee is a lot of pressure and stress, they placed a pretty blind bet that she'd be able to handle it. So far they're losing their big gamble. So far it appears that they have violated the "do no harm" rule of VP politics.

I think McCain really needs to step it up. Since he suspended his campaign last week, this week he needs to actually expel it. (He should have just given his campaign dentention last week, to leave himself some room to escalate.)

Does anyone know why most of the first term Dems voted no? -danp

I think there is some overestimation of the public push against this, though there is a significant backlash.

I'm guessing it's reelection concerns for the most part, but the dwindling DOW will change the publics mind.

When this bill is up for a revote, it will pass with the 'begrudging' support of many of those who voted against it. They've covered their asses.

BTW (slightly OT)
I think now is the time to officially start the Name-This-Depression contest.
The last one was the Great Depression. Before that, depressions were usually named after the year they started. I'm sure with a little work we can do better than that.

Suggestions---

The Depression to End All Bank Accounts
The Wall Street Inverse Surge
The George I-wanted-to-be-remembered-as-another-Harry-Truman-not-another-Herbert-Hoover Bush Depression
Fred

Tim H,

How about the Gramm Cracker?

Dare I say it? Maybe the time has come for *Obama* to drop his outside appearances and head back to Washington to buck up *Democratic* support, or else take some role in new negotiations.

Um, no. The Democrats held up their end of the bargain, and yet did not get suckered -- amazingly enough! -- into passing a bill in the face of Republican bad faith. Boner didn't deliver the votes he promised, when he knew he had to in order for the bill to pass. The ball's in the Republicans' court, no one else's.

Thank you for your concern, though.

I think there is some overestimation of the public push against this, though there is a significant backlash.

I'm not so sure. I think the media has done quite a bit to muddy the waters. I've read opinions of about four economists and frankly, I'm more confused than ever.

As for the first-term Dems, what I find interesting about this bloc is that the seem to be the conscience of the House. They pushed for ethics reform far beyond that of the leadership, and while they represent a wide range of left to right Dems, they're clearly not Tom Delay style followers. Anyway, it will be an interesting group to watch. We'll call 'em "high functioning" for now. :)

Just watched his statement to the press and (drum roll please)...he blames it on Obama for bringing partisan politics into the process.

and immediately following that, he says, "Now is not the time to fix the blame!"

Gotta love the guy!

danp - Nate Silver over at fivethirtyeight.com does a nice job of matching up the closeness of the re-election race with the vote on the bailout bill. It should surprise no one that the correlation is quite strong: in a contested race, vote against. Unopposed or not seriously contested, vote for. Most first-termers get contested.

This is why John McCain is a maverick and you guys are so yesterday.

Suspending his campaign was last week.

This week, in the face of our country's economic collapse, McCain is going to suspend his VP pick.

Try to keep up, okay?

This actually has the makings of some very good comedy....

The double-secret plot of the House Republicans is that they all hate John McCain so damned much, they voted the bill down on the hopes that he would suspend his campaign until January, 2009, when the 2011 Congress takes it up again. By then, an Obama presidency would be a foregone conclusion---and the entire world could sit back and watch the weekly antics as John Quixote and his faithful sidekick, Sancho Palin, campaign for an election that's already over and done with....

I would LOVE to see Palin wired with whispered sweet nothings during her debate. If she seems confused now . . .

zeitgeist,

Haha, I was just getting ready to link that article.

He also takes a look here at what I mentioned before, too, about the public outcry possibly being a skewed due to polling.

I think the biggest problem is that it's too complicated for most people, myself included. I think we obviously need to stress finance and economics in grade and high school.

zeitgeist - Thanks. That shouldn't surprise me, I suppose. But it is disappointing. As I wrote on an earlier thread, even the most intelligent and well-meaning congressman has to be thinking in the back of his head, "can I sell this to people who have no capacity to understand it?"

zeitgeist - Thanks. That shouldn't surprise me, I suppose. But it is disappointing. As I wrote on an earlier thread, even the most intelligent and well-meaning congressman has to be thinking in the back of his head, "can I sell this to people who have no capacity to understand it?"

But you fail to see McCain for the raging maverick that he is, unable to be pinned down, unfettered of responsibility, suspending only when it is absolutely the last resort, capitulating, claiming premature victory! Behold the maverick momentum that is John McCain! Taking up the fight wherever he finds it

Hopefully near one of his homes, because McCain needs his naps.

Just wait 'till the media grills him about his suspension... not. They're more interested in speculating about the Bristol Palin wedding.

But doesn't McCain have to wait 10 days to do anything definitive, as he did last week?

Perhaps we need to contact all of the Reps who voted against the bailout to see which ones were contacted by JMcCain while he was working the phones...

Maybe the time has come for *Obama* to drop his outside appearances and head back to Washington to buck up *Democratic* support, or else take some role in new negotiations. -- David in Nashville, @17:10

Like hell, he should.

A week ago, we were being sold a pig in a poke. Now, we're being sold a pig whose head is sticking out of the sack, but who wears a lot of lipstick. We still can't tell how diseased it might be, or whether its hind quarters are paralysed. Perhaps, by the next week, we'll get a bill with the whole pig out in the open, who knows? If it's *really* such an immediate crisis, it might be possible to bargain a bit more.

I'm sure Obama is keeping in touch and is being fully informed of what's going on, just as I'm sure... no... I'm *hopeful*, that Pelosi will ensure that anything that goes down, goes down in a bipartisan fashion, so that not only kudos but the blame can be apportioned more equitably.

If McCain wants to run around the country like a headless chicken, clucking through his other hole, that's his lookout. Obama's strength is in being less flappable than the Old Coot.

He'll only need to suspend his campaign again if CBS airs some more of the Couric/Palin interview. Stay tuned.

I can't decide whether to laugh or cry. If McCain wins the election, he'd better pull himself together and stop doing stuff like this. Otherwise, I'd be surprised if he actually got anything done that he's been saying he'll get done.

McCain really believes in the myth of his own leadership. He thinks that his personal presence can actually change what others will do.

It's a fantasy, of course. But it has led him to actually announce the suspension of his campaign and fly back to Washington to influence the decisions of those at the meeting the Bush administration called (at McCain's request.) Only he had no clue how to talk to those experts present who really knew what was going on.

Leadership? McCain has no clue what's actually happening and no ability to learn how to listen to the experts. He's running for President on his history as a POW and on the fact that he is as close to being a non-Bush Republican as the Republican Party can field.

The really scary part is that McCain is competitive against a truly competent competitor - Obama.

How many absolutely insane conservative fools are qualified to vote in Presidential elections?

Doubling down on dumbing down

I argued a few weeks back that Team McCain was attempting nothing less than the dumbing down of the second highest office in the land. That their plan was to turn the normal knowledge we might expect VPs carry in their heads into "gotchas."

As part of my argument I used the Bratz doll's remarks about playing stump-the-candidate. You do remember that Palinism, don't you? Well it is all officially official now. You did see the video of McCain spinning Air Caribou didn't you? It is all about gotchas! A recent Andrew Sullivan post rubs at this same nub, so I am far from being alone:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/the-latest-pali.html

Once again, I remind all concerned: What we are witnessing is nothing less than an argument that stupidity is good. Team McCain isn't just engaging in good old fashioned anti-intellectualism, they are actively leading the cheers for an idiotcracy: In daylight. In the sun. With eyes wide open...

It will all be fixed soon.

Pastor Muthee has declared Nancy Pelosi to be a witch and Sarah Palin is out gathering stones.

It will all be fixed soon.

Pastor Muthee has declared Nancy Pelosi to be a witch and Sarah Palin is out gathering stones.

I'm John S. McKeating and I invented the Blackberry. Therefore, have no fear. I am here to save the day. With my vast experience, and knowledge, I will regulate the industry (or not), I will cut taxes for the rich, I will stop children and poor families from getting health care insurance, and I will vote against more money and benefits for our brave Vets while I am behind the walls of Congress while simultaneously proclaiming from the rooftops how much I love our Vets. Then I will right this economic wrong, kill lots of brown people, and lead the world to peace through war. I'm John S(upermaverick) McKeating and I approve this message (as of this moment anyway.)

No matter how you look at it, John McCain suspending his campaign is a bad idea. He's running for president, he can't exactly stop whenever he feels like it. If he wants more influence then he's more likely to get it if he keeps up his campaign; giving it up says that he's not going to be a good leader. It's possible to care about the crisis, and still campaign; just look at Obama.

This response is in keeping with McCain's return to the Gulf Coast to help with hurricane Ike...oh, wait, that one didn't count, I guess. At least there is consistent inconsistency.

At what point will he officially be declared the absolute worst Presidential candidate ever?

Am I the only one who doubts he'll be the least bit gracious when he conceeds?