McCain On Negative Turn: "I'm Very Sorry About It"

The Washington Post's David Broder talks to both candidates about the campaign tone:

The first question I asked John McCain and then Barack Obama was: How do you feel about the tone and direction of the campaign so far?

No surprise. Both men pronounced themselves thoroughly frustrated by the personal bitterness and negativism they have seen in the two months since they learned they would be running against each other.

"I'm very sorry about it," McCain said in a Saturday interview at his Arlington headquarters. "I think we could have avoided at least some of this if we had agreed to do the town hall meetings" together, as he had suggested, during the summer months.

TNR's Chris Orr is impressed that Broder managed to write about negative campaigning without mentioning any of McCain's, well, negative campaigning:

Broder manages the remarkable feat of writing on negativity in the campaign without once mentioning McCain's "troops" smear (which his own paper led the way in declaring untrue), any of his ads deriding Obama as a Paris-Hilton-like celebrity or self-imagined Messiah, or the GOP's hilarious tire-gauge antics. (Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln....) The only actual attacks Broder cites are the charge that Obama was "playing the race card," and McCain's suggestion that Obama would be willing to lose a war in order to win an election. (Moreover, he backs into this latter attack, citing Obama's complaint about it rather than the smear itself.)

But none of that will happen again if Obama agrees to a town hall.

Comments

[w8aminute]

"But none of that will happen again if Obama agrees to a town hall. "....

Come on - do you honestly believe the Republicans are capable of anything EXCEPT negativity?
It's in their DNA.

[layman]

He's very sorry that it doesn't work so well. He thought people are stupid like him and his gang

[layman]

He's very sorry that it doesn't so well. He thought people are stupid like him and his gang.

[hmmmmmer]

Right, America wake up, you think things are bad now just wait and see what McCain administration will bring. It won't be just McCain it will be a string of the same corrupt Republicans that we have now.

[gotalife]

“In a tough year like this, Democrats could probably have defeated Republican John McCain with a flawed, but seasoned candidate like Hillary Clinton. But long-suffering liberals convinced their party to go with a messiah rather than a dependable nominee ” and thereby they probably will get neither.”

Freaking libs.

[BobinKS]

Your view is amazing. Your canidate blew her campaign and lost. She screwed it up and you and others like you that are looking for somebody to blame should look no further than your canidate. She hired Mark Penn who may be a good pollster but didn't know the first thing about running a complete campaign strategy. You and your group grabbed defeat from the hands of victory and don't have the courage to acknowledge that you blew it.

[Beninn]

Ob.ama's no lib, and Repubs are desperate to run against HiIIary, and so they'll collaborate with her on this last ditch effort to stage a coup at the Dem conventi0n.

Mc's an untreated trauma patient and we've had enough Republican mental defects running the country.

[storeyy]

Hillary is not seasoned..­...she was groomed, there's a difference. You don't inherit the Presidency, you are not ordained either, you must earn it by winning delegated.­....she didn't.
Turn the page.

[londongal]

Gotalife:

Heard this same bullcrap before. Yes, Hillary Clinton is a "seasoned" candidate. We all get it. But, Obama's the nominee now -- it is what it is.

BTW, Obama is NO Messiah, so stop blaspheming and gogetalife!

[LiberTLover]

The only freaky libs are those like you who continue to pout because your candidate lost, instead of doing everything possible to ensure that the Dems take the WH. Even the people behind the failed Repub candidates have rallied behind their nominee. It is people like you who are weakening the Dems, and over a woman who could pay off the $10 million to the small business owners she screwed over tomorrow, and still live like a queen for the rest of her life, but wants those who have far less to do it for her so she can keep her money.
Well many people dont have a bank account that looks like hers, nowhere even close. They have a lot to lose in this election, and don't want to see that happen. If you want to be part of the solution, then pitch in and start doing something to help. If you don't want the Dems to win then go sign up as a Repub and help McMetooMagoo. But stop pretending to care about democratic issues and doing nothing but endless negative whining and complaining. Put your money where your words are and put up or shut up. Dems who care about the future of this country and the many people who need help are working hard to achieve that goal, and if you don't want to join us, then at least please spare us the petty theatrics.

[watchingthings]

Just elect me POTUS and I promise not to slander Obama with lies and innuendo thereafter.

[Nofuzzydreams]

If Obama did not think townhalls are the right format to discuss issues, what are his alternatives for discussing the issues fairly and squarly?? McCain proposed a format for discussing issues, Obama suggested none because he thought he can overcome McCain through soaring speeches, sound bites and TV advertising. He has been attacking McCain all along saying that McCain is just the same as Bush which is a personal attack. But now that the tables are turned he is whining about old-fashioned hardball politics.

[SmokinJoeCalculus]

did you even read the article? obama responded with having 2 town hall debates - which I thinkw ould be a great start.

they would each be televised nationally, and instead of feeding the networks wallets (remember the 2,484 primary debates?) have a few, WELL ORGANIZED events.

[Beninn]

Why are you leaving it up to the candidates? These are OUR elections.

The League of Women Voters need to take back the debates and the format needs to be a grueling grilling of the candidates. No sitting down, no spin rooms outside the hall where the campaign surrogates get to tell the media, "This is what my candidate meant when he said that."

We've had enough middle men and women in the deregulating and privatizing of our government. Enough in everything from the elections themselves to HMOs, and everything in between (lobbyists). It's We, the People, not We, the People and Anybody Else Who Can Figure Out A Way To Get A Piece Of The Americans' Tax Dollars.

[nodonjuan]

I was against it, before I was for it, now I'm against it again. I only have one word.....A­recept.

[ldaniel65]

JM is being negative because BO will not agree to townhall meetings, and that makes since why??

[mergina]

I would not agree to anything McCain asks for. REPUBLICANS CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. They are all greed fueled wretches.

[IndependentTogether]

[PumaAnn]

I think it's odd that so many "Democrats" are not interested in town-hall format. Why? What are YOU afraid of?

I don't like the formal debate format. It's boring. I doubt I'll watch them. It's the same ole, same ole.

I'm disappointed in Democrats. We used to relish this type of format.

How disappointing that it's the Republican who is willing, but our candidate hides behind formality.

[gotalife]

Political cowardice.

[LiberTLover]

That is funny coming from someone sitting on the sidelines predicting defeat but unwilling to do anything to achieve victory. If you can do nothing but accuse and complain, go to the other side so we can identify our enemiess clearly and don't have to worry about getting a knife in the back from one of our own.

[watchingthings]

McCain's audiences will fit in townhalls of villages alot of the time. Many cities don't have town halls big enough to fit in Obama's audiences. How is this supposed to work?....D­oes McCain choose who is to be in the audience for Obama?

[patriotic008]

You always have something so negative to say

Why don't you just make yourself and the rest of us all happy and go vote Republican, line up for Hillary - whatever.

Just stop your moaning

[LiberTLover]

Ah PumaAnn, your criticism and negativity can be depended upon like a well made Swiss timepiece.
Did it ever occur to you to wonder why the other camp was so eager for the town halls? The O camp came back and offered 2 meetings and were turned down. Had they truly been interested in a debate for the citizens they would have thought that better than nothing and accepted. As it turns out, they had noticed that when O was in the Primaries, when he came into a state and started campaigning his way , his poll numbers would go up quite a bit. They thought that by forcing him into the town halls they might be able to blunt that effect, while giving their guy more bodies in the seats, with actual pulses, that is.
Any self respecting business person knows that when your competitor is bending over backwards to get you to do something, that it is not your best interests that they are looking out for. And if you think HC would have let JM dictate how she campaigned, and look like he was telling her what to do, you don't know her very well either. Even she is smarter than to fall for that.

[suzyhein]

You're disappointed in us? that's rich ya Pumass!

[tel8034]

If McCain is sooooooooooooooo SORRY, then why is he engaging in DIRTY politics?

His explantion that he HAS to go the DIRTY, SMEAR TACTIC, LYING route because Obama doesn't want to do town meetings with him, is just as believable as having to to to war in Iraq because of WMD.

[ViciousKitty]

HAHAHAH!!! It's HIS fault because he wouldn't agree to the town halls. Priceless!

[SmokinJoeCalculus]

he didn't agree to several, but he agreed to two town hall meetings (plenty for now).

[LucieLee]

McCain wants townhalls so the focus won't be on him.......­.I've seen some of his townhalls when they show them on TV.....he'­s not so great!!! Looking forward to the debates...­.Obama will "eat McCain for supper then spit him out!" McCain shows more and more how he is not to be believed..­..he even makes me gag~