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

[TooLooze]

The amusing part is that McCain had to invite people there. If Obama were speaking, they'd have to turn people away at the door.

[demfriend]

Here we go again! This filling the room with only those who support McCain is out of the same playbook as Bush. For those with memories like McCain, this was the only way the campaign worked for rove/bush/cheney last election for president. That along with the fear mongering, color codes, terrorist in every bush (ha ha) and the support of Faux news is the way they did it then. So next is what? If he has a town hall meet up with Obama who will control the door into the hall? A real debate isn't what McCain wants as he really thinks he can do the one liners he likes to do to disarm Obama and make him look bad, or try to. I think at this stage we would all like to see just how McCain would hold up to any debate with Obama when he cannot remmeber who is fighting/training who in the middle east.

[kfdan]

Fake town hall meetings and fake McCain campaign. I can see it all now! Question everything coming out of the GOP and don't believe a thing coming out of Fox!

[researcher]

what fox news admitted to this. i meant fox fixed news.

hey folks corp fascism is here

look around the world and third world countries have fixed news to control the people

we are fast becoming a third world country

oh the fruits of capitalism

[FarOutFish]

If Fox News stacked the audience, why did they report it had been stacked? The audience was picked by McCain and other Republicans. They stacked the audience and Fox reported that embarrassing fact. Hardly “Fixed” news.

“hey folks corp. fascism is here”

You seem to think corporations are wholly owned by “Robber barons” of the Gilded Age. Corporations are owned by their stockholders and they are more than one half of all Americans. They invest in retirement programs that own the stock.

By the way Italy’s fascist were left wing not right. They along with Germany’s NAZI Party proposed the nationalism of all industry, seizure of all wealth and government control of everything. The Fascist’s and Nazi’s party platforms could have been written by Uncle Joe Stalin.

The fruits of Capitalism have given the people in the West a good standard of living. It’s in the Socialist economies that people suffer.

[qdog112]

Thanks for the history lesson, but your logic falls apart if you think Fox News is not the Public Relations Department of the Republican Party.

BTW, the investors don't call the shots - the BOARD does.

[openlids]

i would rather be invited to a dentist office to get my wisdom teeth pulled than to see a McCain "town-hall" event. unless they offer equivalent sedatives.

[gditty]

Question for McCain:

Boxers?....Briefs?...Diapers?

[MACS]

.
Depends???
.

[lizr]

too bad for gop :)

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/in_more_grim_news_gop_writes_o.php

[Mdazes]

McCain is the next Tricky Nick.

[suzyhein]

did you mean tricky mick?

[qdog112]

It doesn't matter where they debate or the format or even if it's done in front of a McCain friendly crowd. McCain will be EXPOSED, DISMANTLED AND DEFEATED.

However, I believe the media will SPIN for McCain as they do now, "explaining" the very words that come from his mouth. So nothing short of complete and total SELF -DESTRUCTION, showing Johnny's ineptness is going to mean much to the undecided voters.

Barack will show why what Wes Clark, Biden and Kerry said about McCain's shortcomings in foreign policy are true. Any way it will be entertaining.

[birdiegirl123]

I figured that. That's why he kept insisting on having TOWN HALLS, where he could exercise total control! Let's see how your old a## does when the crowd is not stacked with McCain supporters. Obama is going to eat you alive, depends and all!

[ClydeSloppers]

Obama was the no-show. He could have been there and had his supporters in the audience. McCain welcomes debate and face to face discussions of the issues without teleprompters. A few angry Obama supporters would have been welcome in my eyes.

[UncommonSenz]

No he doesn't welcome debates, he welcomes town halls (where he won't get pounded for saying something that is an out an out lie)

So he can continue to say "I was never in favor of privatizing SS" (when he HAS said that), "I didn't say we were at pre-surge levels" (when he HAS said that), and other lies about taxes, Iran, Iraq, etc.

He can only win if he doesn't get challenged by the facts. In a town hall meeting what you will have is McCain lying, Obama correcting him, and then McCain repeating the lie.

[justadreamer]

That logic doesn't make sense to me. If you believe what you said, it seems that Obama would like the opertunity to point out his lies.

[MACS]

.
He can only win if he doesn't get challenged by the facts.

Sounds much like the FAUX NOISE mantra.
.

[elr50]

Since when do debate (network) moderators at debates "pound" Republicans? Nobody ever pounded George Bushit-although I would love to do it personally.

[riverhouse]

Really, you think so? McCain declined a debate with Obama just today. McCain only does town hall meetings with a stacked audience.

[WLA]

Please refer to the current article on this very site about McCa-in turning down O'Bama's invitation for a debate.

[SCG]

I missed that and will check that out now, personally I want to see an actual formal debate .

[Midwest08]

How can anyone take McCain guy seriously? I am looking forward to seeing his face in Nov, when he gives the concession speech!

[UltraClassic]

I wonder why Obama refuses to do a town hall with McCain?

[njack]

I don't think he has refused; he is just not taking the bait at this time. He's doing just fine the way he's campaigning, thank you very much!

[WLA]

I wonder why Mc-Cain refuses to do a real debate with O'bama?

[suzyhein]

like he said, he wants to let McOldfart finish the debate with himself first.

[mccabe49]

oh lord you republican's are so thick. reread the article McCain refused a debate

[BWonka]

I wonder why McLoser refuses to have a real deabte with Sen. Obama? Maybe because it wouldn't be as phony as McLoser's "Town Hall" meetings chock full of invitees ONLY?

[JRandomPoster]

My first reaction was, "Hey! FOX did something honest!"

But then I got to thinking about it. FOX probably knew before hand that it was a cherry picked audience, but went with the spin that it was truly an open forum. Then they announce afterwards - when most folks have tuned out - that it was actually full of McCain supporters.

I really miss the days when I could believe things on their face value. Too many lies from these folks to really have faith in anything they say at all.

[loki]

No a shock, this is what bush did. I totally understand why Obama did not want to do this with him on Faux news. The cards, and the audience , will be stacked against him. McCain , like all Rethugs, will never win an election honestly. They always push the limits and rig events , and lie. There is no honest Repug anywhere on earth.