McCain Stacks Fox News 'Town Hall' With Supporters

Tonight was the first in a much-hyped series of 'town hall' forums scheduled by John McCain's campaign, in which Barack Obama had been challenged to show up to discuss the issues directly with the GOP nominee.

Except, as Fox News reported, McCain's campaign misled the public about the nature of the event. The forum was "billed by the McCain campaign as a town hall with independent and Democratic voters," but Fox News noted at the end that the audience was actually "made up of invited guests and supporters," the Democratic National Committee said in a statement.

Here is FNC's Shepard Smith breaking the news:

SMITH: "I reported at the top of this hour that the campaign had told us at Fox News that the audience would be made up of Republicans, Democrats, and independents. We have now received a clarification from the campaign and I feel I should pass it along to you. The McCain campaign distributed tickets to supporters, Mayor Bloomberg, who of course is a registered Republican, and other independent groups."

DNC Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement:

"Once again John McCain's campaign is trying to mislead the American people. Senator McCain should understand that after seven years of a President who has divided Americans and pursued a scorched earth policy full of misleading propaganda campaigns, we need a leader who understands he is the President for all Americans not just his supporters. Copying the Bush campaign model of stacking events with his prescreened supporters is not the transparency Americans are looking for. If that is Senator McCain's idea of straight talk, the American people are in for a long and disappointing campaign season."

Comments

[Boboday555]

FOX-KIDS: 'News' for stupid people.

[yoli647]

Not surprised!

[JackND]

So John McCain essentially tried to cheat?

My opinion of McCain has fallen so far just since he secured the nomination, I can hardly believe it.

[armadillious2002]

Amen - I kind of liked and respected the guy before. Oh well - live and learn.

[Chad53916]

Right there with you. I had hoped he would be the republican nominee since I would have been alright with him as President. Flipping on his stance regarding the tax cuts shocked me into looking a little deeper. Then the gas tax holiday, etc. At least my choice for the democratic nominee seems to have made it! That's where my $ and support is going.

[layman]

A FOOL-THE-PUBLIC, ORGANIZED SNAKE OIL SHOW, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FAKE-NEWS NETWORK.

[paganmist]

Dude.

If you haven't noticed

the rest of us aren't typing in ALL CAPS.

Know why?

Because it's like talking to someone, except you're screaming in their face the entire time. Online etiquette says that all caps online is like SCREAMING at someone and should be used for EMPHASIS.

In other words, all caps, all the time, is very rude.

Could you please stop?

[MariaHopeful]

So Granddad seeks to outsmart the cool young kid? Formulating a plan all by himself and then challenging the charismatic young leader to sign on or face accusation of being weak. Clever nineteenth century politics. You know his aides have given him a number of "clever" lines that he is practicing before the mirror every night. The lines that it doesn't matter what the kid answers, they will become the story the day after as the media picks up the GOP narrative. Clever one-liners like: That is not change you can believe in Barack. That's change you can Xerox! Yeah. Can you picture him in front of the mirror? Because he has to get it just right. Good luck, Chump.

[TheKaled]

somewhat missing in all this; McCain has NO education policy. None.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/opinion/13brooks.html?hp

[jackieblu23]

You should have to be smarter than a 5th grader to be president. Count McCain out, he can't even use a computer! He stacks the deck to make sure the questions don't get too hard.

[Christopher1]

Oh no Obama would never think of stacking the deck silly me....

[Actionmac]

with the number of people that come to an Obama rally, you must be joking. The problem would be finding mcsame supporters that can ask an intelligent question.

Q. Senator Obama don't you love this country, why don't you wear a flag pin?

Q. Senator Obama don't you think it's better to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here?

Q. Senator Obama did you pass the Commander in Chief test yet, and if so what was your score? (sorry bout that one, but there is a ditto head out there thing that there is a formal test on paper to be taken)

[darker]

Oh no, INANE MCCAIN = same old Bush-Cheney tactics.
How predictable. Yucko.

[rucognizant]

You can fool some of the people
"SOME of the time......
We're OVER IT~!

[butchie65]

He doesn't have to, he's smart enough to answer the questions. McFlip Flopper needs all the help he can get, even if he has to cheat. How can he answer a question without Lieberman at his side whispering the answer in his ear ?

[THEhillbilly]

"...yap yap yap...McFl­ip Flopper ...yap yap yap..."

A reminder that the lamest of the lame love the grandiloquent, done-nothing trainee from Illinois.

[Myshkin57]

Didn't this thing violate FEC and FCC laws? It looks like a greater-th­an-the-max­imum allowable donation to a campaign to me.

[NotMcCain]

True. How is this not the same as if FOX hosted a McSame info-mercial?

1Candidate+roomful of supporters+gullible public+FREE MEDIA TIME claiming to be "news"= McSnakeOilSalesman

That should totally violate FCC/FEC laws. Where the heck is the Fairness Doctrine?

I want to see FOX now forced to host an hour-long "townhall" of Barack and HIS supporters asking about issues. Seems only fair.

[sherllo]

Let's see if the mainstream press picks this up and shows it for what it is.

[ObamaLover]

yes he did stack it... that's too bad.

If obama will agree to town halls with mccain i'm sure it will be 50/50.

it's just too bad obama has more conditions for a town hall meeting with mccain than he does for a meeting with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

[diamondgirl9]

Looks like Obama can recognize a set up when he hears one. Keep on underestimating him.

[xmw]

I agree 100% This man is truly smart and insightful. People still are not getting it. He is not to be underestimated. But yes, please by all means keep underestimating him.

[Boboday555]

Well McCain is a bigger threat to world peace than Ahmadineja­d...you know it, I know it, everyone knows it!

[zookeeper]

Dont forget ME I know it too

[Kalima]

I should imagine that the crowd was made up mainly of insomniacs, saving on their
medication.

[glaze]

Maybe they should call them
CLOWN halls...
That's truthier..­.

[PioneerKing]

Now the cat's out of the bag - the reason the usually addlepated McCain comes off so good in town hall style meetings is that the audience is packed with his supporters who toss McCain prearranged questions.
McCain wants town hall meetings with Obama so that his supporters can toss Obama hostile, nasty questions and spin softballs to McCain.

[OCPatriot]

McCain is as phony as a two dollar bill. So what else can we expect from his "town hall"? First he states that we may be in Iraq for "a hundred years"; then he pretends he didn't mean it. He doesn't know who the parties are in Iraq and needs turncoat Lieberman to cue him on which party is which there. He says he wants federal funds, then exceeds the limit for spending his funds, and he would be guilty of a crime . He tells homeowners that he believes they shouldn't get government help because that isn't free enterprise, then promises help but it's so meager it won't mean much. He calls himself a straight talker, but won't release his wife's complete tax returns (to show how wealthy she really is and who they may be beholden to). The Media is so screwed up because they take him seriously when he'll say anything, promise anything, to get elected. He is a supreme flip-flopper, who says one thing one day and, when caught at it, reverses himself. So beware of being sucked in to his latest quote. Along, shortly, will come another on the same subject that you may or may not like better. This makes it very difficult for anyone who is a true conservative Republican to back him, and if it indicates the kind of irresonsibility it appears to, it may mean more of the Bush agenda with more Iraq involvement and inattention to the economy.

[hokulele]

Make that a three dollar Bill and Hil. Her website does not endorse Obama as she gives both candidates' links and has mailed to her supporters notice of her "Million Women March," and her 2012 election bid. She is a snake and shedding her skin like a rattle snake in August, in August where she will continue to boast and support herself and her "followers­." Maybe have someone pronounce a recall to further diminish Obama's campaign. Can't trust the Clintons any further than you can throw a three dollar bill into a headwind.

[glaze]

OK, now I'm REALLY confused.
1) McCain stacks the deck and FAKES an 'open town hall with independent and Democratic voters'. Nothing new here, BUT... 2)This chicanery is exposed by none other than FOX News! 3) Last I heard, Shepard Smith still had his job. 4) A pretty lady talking head thinks she's being clever and wants to make points with Uncle Rupie, follows the FOXCO line and stupidly implies fist-bumping may be a terrorist gesture. She loses her show! (but not her job). 5) Contrarily, last I heard, Hannity, FOX & Friends and similar FOXCRAP are still on the air.
What is Murdoch up to? And don't try to tell me he really wants his news empire to be 'Fair and Balanced'. If he wanted that, he'd hire some actual liberal talent (TROLLS, don't bother, yes there are). I suppose I can accept that he reads the writing on the wall and therefore can make more money by doing this. Seems too easy, and I trust him as far as I do O'Reilly.

[rucognizant]

I was once married to a man, ( til I divorced him) who sadly was unable to be introspective,
& self actualizing.
To KEEP form being bored, he needed to stir up trouble, & drama!
Sounds like Ruppert's problem.
Control freak!