McCain's Very Bad Day

McCain's campaign has been all over the place today - from the economy, to his criticism of morning show anchors, to whether he invented the BlackBerry and on Sarah Palin's inability to run a company. And to make matters worse, conservative pundits are turning against McCain.

The biggest flub came this morning when McCain slammed Wall Street "fat cats" even though his single biggest donor is Merrill Lynch. After denouncing the very people that help pay for his campaign, McCain suggested the government set up a commission to look into what went wrong. Barack Obama criticized McCain for "passing the buck" on the economy:

Democratic candidate Barack Obama says he will take regulatory oversight seriously as president and accuses his Republican opponent, John McCain, of wanting to "pass the buck."

McCain proposed Tuesday to create a commission to study how the economic crisis came about. McCain compared it to the Sept. 11 commission established to investigate the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Katharine Zaleski is the Senior News Editor of HuffingtonPost.com. She can be reached at [e-mail]

Comments

[jsinclair]

Look how he won't go on the record backing up his lying ads! "Go to my website for the facts" is another LIE--and also keeps him from saying anything that he can be held to.

Sneaky, sneaky..

As for townhalls--in Obama's position, McCain would call it "bullying" and play the aggrieved victim of dirty tricks (remember when McCain said the townhall Obama was expected at was "Independents and Democrats" when it was INVITED Republicans.

Lying and cheating. Cheating and lyiing. Why -would- Obama waste his precious campaign time with this man?

[jskelley714]

Dear John McCain,

Perhaps you should consider hiring Don Rickles for the remainder of the campaign. The Weather in La Jolla is beautiful this time of year. You can sit back and enjoy the beauty if the pacific. As for Don Rickles, he's much more witty and can make you believe anything... with a two drink minimum.

[CocteausTwin]

I love me some Rickles!

[troika]

LOVE IT, LOVE IT and LOVE IT.

[NTO08]

I have said it before, and many of you know it is true...we can get out all the votes, Obama can be leading in the electoral tally, but the Repubs are poised to steal an election again...from voter caging in Ohio, to telling Harlem voters that they cannot vote if they are a felon (NOT true in NY, if you are out on payroll), to this little game in Michigan, they are ready to cheat:


GOP in Michigan to Use List of Foreclosed Homes to Block Voters

In election news, the Michigan Messenger reports the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of a Republican effort to challenge some voters on Election Day. The Republican plan to challenge voters who have defaulted on their house payments is likely to disproportionately affect African Americans who are overwhelmingly Democratic voters. In Michigan, more than 60 percent of all sub-prime loans were made to African Americans. John McCain’s campaign stands to benefit in other ways, as well, from the burgeoning number of foreclosures in Michigan. McCain’s regional headquarters are housed in the office building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The firm’s founder, David Trott, has raised between $100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee.

From Democracy Now democracynow.orgw.org)

[postman606]

Help me if, McCain can walk the campaign line and shake hands can he not type on a keyboard?

[liseworks]

It's politically expedient for him to use his POW experience to explain why he can't use a computer or ....make a cup of coffee or ....understand the economy or ....catch Binlaladen (even tho he knows how) :
It's a POW finger problem, see.

[stayinsouth1981]

Heaven help us if that FINGER twitches over THE BUTTON.

[rmreddicks]

I know people or have neighbors with ALS, Cerebral Palsy, a former co-worker who was blind and some other people with physical problems who can manage to use a computer (for more than email). If you're making more than $5,000,000 a year and have a cushy job in the Senate I guess you just get someone to do it for you. Probably at minimum wage, unless the people are picking up the tab. Some of that republican rugged independence.

[Ozarks]

He claims he has POW abused fingers. That's why he invented the Blackberry , he can just use his thumbs on the blackberry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This post was partially sponsored by the inventor of the Blackberry J McCain

[troika]

Only an excuse postman606. He is incapable of doing anything intellectual. Remember the republicans are anti-intellects.

[tekno2600]

How big a fact finding commission does McCain need for someone to hand him a mirror and say: "Here, take a look at one of the people responsible for this mess."?

[deliriousgod]

the Keating Five passed that mirror around once before

[troika]

At the presidential debate the Keating five should be brought out. McCain said his judgement was wrong then. He was about 52 years then. I will not buy the argument that he did this with poor judgement or lack thereof. Poor judgement will prove to be disastrous. How can we trust him with a country ? He is incapable of thinking through. He got away with a slap on the wrist.

[rocky786]

What's the logical reason for any person to still vote for John despite all this negative information?

[CocteausTwin]

Logical reason? None. Why will they? Uniformed and lied to by so many people including the huge majority of the failing MSM.

[troika]

LOGIC and REPUBLICANS is an OXYMORON!!!

[nostalgia]

race

[kcam44]

bingo

[troika]

It beats me!!

[yorkie]

I THINK IT'S TIME FOR AMERICANS TO VIEW THE GREAT FILMS OF PAST TO THINK ABOUT SOME VERY SERIOUS SITUATIONS WELL DRAMATIZED IN FILMS THAT TURNER CLASSIC IS SHOWING WED NIGHTS INSEP--LIKE DR.STRANGELOVE,,,,THE BEST MAN, THE CANDIDATE, THE LAST HURRAH , IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, FAIL SAFE, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN, ALL THE KING'S MEN, AND MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON........WE NEED TRUTH TELLERS,,,,,NO GIMMICKS OR TRICKS UP SLEAVE,,SHADY BUSH/ROVE/CHENEY/MAC DEALERS!!!! WE NEED THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST!!! NO BEER DRINKING HEE HAW MEN AGAIN OR BACK ROOM FORTUNE 500 DEALERS AS WE SINK BAILING THEM OUT WITH LOW WAGES ETC!!!!!!

[MalloMel]

You are a smart person, but sorry, I think you are a little too late.

[eltee21]

You left out one of the best: The American President, written by the amazing Aaron Sorkin. Not all the great ones are in the distant past....

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

I'm feeling NETWORK...."...I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANY MORE!!"

Albert Finney right?!

[stayinsouth1981]

The Manchurian Candidate.

[rmreddicks]

Major "King" Kong. And he's taking us along for the ride.

[Ozarks]

You missed the classic Three Stooge movies, Moe , Larry and Curly . Rove, McCain and Cheney could fill in for Moe , Larry and Curly in a heartbeat. Bushie is busy auditioning for another movie- "All Hat" so he is out of getting the Curly role.

[troika]

This would be an insult to the three stooges.

[NTO08]

In all the attacks on Mack, just WHAT did Obama do in the Senate to stem any of this disaster...come to think of it, what did anyone in Congress do to tell the Feds to get a grip!

[Parkhurst]

He took the most amount of campaign contributions in four years than nearly any senator took in the past twenty years. In the past two decades only Dodd and Kerry took more.

[doctorwang]

McCain campaign manager Davis headed the Homeownership Alliance, a lobbying association that included Fannie, Freddie, nonprofit groups, real estate agents, homebuilders and consumer advocates. The group’s stated goal was to increase affordable housing. But it also worked to oppose congressional efforts to tighten controls on Fannie and Freddie.

In July 2003, Davis wrote to the American Banker, taking issue with an opinion piece by Leslie Paige of Citizens Against Government Waste, arguing that Fannie and Freddie should operate with greater transparency.

“Several of Ms. Paige’s assertions bear correction,” Davis wrote, defending Fannie and Freddie on behalf of the group. “The GSEs are subject to an innovative and stringent risk-based capital stress test — the toughest in the financial services industry.”

Other McCain aides with ties to the two companies include economic adviser Aquiles Suarez, who worked as Fannie’s director of government and industry relations; congressional liaison John Green, who lobbied for Fannie from 2004 to 2007; and finance co-chairman Frederic V. Malek, a former Freddie board member.

OUCH!

[docallen001]

Your talking points are showing. You could have noted the large amount of money that McCain has gotten from wall street.

[doctorwang]

O tried to warn Paulson earlier this year. McC has fought for government deregulation of the banking industry for years.

[Parkhurst]

Probably he warned them when he went to collect his last large donation from them. Obama has taken by far the largest amount of money from Mae and Mac than any senator in the pst four years.

[deliriousgod]

McCain's policy on deregulating investment banking hasn't changed since he first formulated it in his first at-bat as a freshman Senator when he interfered on behalf of Charles Keating and the Savings and Loan junk-bond scandal triggered the last worldwide economic downturn in the 1980's. As it was in the beginning, so it shall be in the end.

[NTO08]

Thanks for this...and for Ron Paul's actions, also.

[troika]

Got to hold the republicans accountable for this. One of the key player being Phil Graham of Texas, McCain's economic advisor. That spells disaster.

[DixieMelody]

Sen. Ron Paul has been sounding the warning that this was going to happen for years but with true urgency this past yea. But he was derided and made fun of and treated with almost no dignity by his colleagues in the Senate and House.

[troika]

As a democrat I tend to agree with you on this.

[missmuffette]

I just found this on perezhilton.com, um I mean my daughter found it.... um yeah but this is awesome:
According to an analysis by The Washington Times of legislative records of the presidential candidates, John McCain's history of working with Democrats outdoes Obama's work with Republicans.

The silver-haired vet is more bipartisan than the Illinois Senator.

For McCain, Democrats populated 55% of his political partners through the past two Congresses, which included some difficult issues such as campaign finance and global warming. For Obama, however, Republicans composed only 13% of his co-sponsors during his time in Senate, which included honoring civil rights icon Rosa Parks with a postage stamp.

If you want some more numbers, McCain has voted with the majority of Senate Republicans 85% of the time throughout his Senate career, while Obama voted in favor of his party 97% of the time.

So, basically, McCain is a Republican who happens to agree with Democrats more often than Obama, a Democrat, happens to agree with Republicans.

So you see, even the Republican presidential candidate is voting Democratic!

[Chillinout]

All that happened prior to his run for the presidency. 95% with Bush for the last year.

What you don't seem to understand is that the McCain of 2008 doesn't resemble the McCain of prior years. I used to have a lot of respect for John McCain at one time. I didn't necessarily agree with his policies, but I admired him for his principles.

Those principles, along with his integrity, honesty and honor are now gone. He is going to have a very hard time living with himself after he loses in November and he realizes that he lost it all for his bid for the presidency.

The ONLY thing anyone truly owns in this world is their word. Everything else can be taken from you by others. Your word is the only thing that you have to let go on your own.

[MalloMel]

The way I see it: I would not agree with the devil so that I would seem non-partisan. The Republicans are pure evil, and that is what has brought us so low. This crap has got to stop, or our country has had it. Actually, I don't think it's going to stop, so good luck!

[CocteausTwin]

Thank you for expressing my thought on the matter.

[MidwestMomma]

Who cares! He's still an old trickledown neocon hawk! Had enough of that over the last eight years!

NoWay! No how! No McCain

[BrazilJiujitsu83]

gee, considering john mccains been in the senate for how many decades ? why is this a shocking fact ? heres the only fact that matters JOHN MCCAIN VOTED WITH BUSH 90%, AND HAS FAILED TO SAY HOW HIS ECONOMIC POLICIES OR FOREIGN POLICIES WILL BE DIFFERENT FROM PRESIDENT 43 (MCCAINS NICKNAME FOR HIS OL BUDDY BUSH)

[dogwalker]

That would be great if the Republicans were right about anything in the past eight years. Sadly 85% wrong is a lot of bad choices.

[Parkhurst]

I see Obama has taken more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since he became a senator than practically any other holder of that office in the past 20 years.

So you're asking us to believe that Obama who is bankrolled by these people is going to regulate them.

Right.

[doctorwang]

"At least 20 McCain fundraisers have lobbied on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, netting at least $12.3 million in fees over the past nine years.

And for years, Rick Davis (you know, Rick - McC's campaign mamnger) served as president of an advocacy group led by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that defended the two companies against increased regulation."

How about that?

[Ozarks]

Nice rebutt doctorwang , mind if I copy your post??

[truthynesslover]

just take a good look at whos bankrolled mccain and get back to me.

[dashcat]

Can you give a source for this information? I like to follow up on this kind of thing. A link or at least the name of the source would be helpful. Thanks.

[shadow322]

Clinton 8 years TRICKLE UP ECONOMICS

Bush/Republican 8 years TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS

Which one worked for you?

[soupson52]

Great statement. Well put. Should be an ad. Black screen. Just the print as you put it.

[Parkhurst]

Clinton's 8 years. The same 8 year Obama trashed constantly during the primaries when he told us how much better Reagan, the King of trickle-down economics, was as a president compared to Clinton.

[PissedOffProf]

Could you please quote, within proper context and with the citation (time, date, place, link), the exact words where Obama insinuated "how much better Reagan...was as a president compared to Clinton."

If such commentary exists, then I need to reconsider my evaluation of the candidates.

[Daly]

O said RR was a great communicator able to get folks to vote against their own interest - not that he was better than Clinton who is deft at communications to - wven with the BB McCain is not great at communicating but when it comes to lying - he is tops; beating out Bush by miles.

[truthynesslover]

here is the quote from Obama on reagan;

But I think, when I think about great presidents, I think about those who transform how we think about ourselves as a country in fundamental ways...And, you know, there are circumstances in which, I would argue, Ronald Reagan was a very successful president, even though I did not agree with him on many issues, partly because at the end of his presidency, people, I think, said, “You know what? We can regain our greatness. Individual responsibility and personal responsibility are important.” And they transformed the culture and not simply promoted one or two particular issues

what exactlly is wrong whith that again?

[Rictracee]

yep that exactly what McCain and the republicans do , pass the buck.. they are the reason we are in this crisis.. We have been spending all this money on a WAR that we should not be in, we are spending MONEY THAT WE DO NOT HAVE.. And then the republicans CUT TAXES DURING WAR TIME.. that is unheard of.

now you see the the outcome of this borrow money and spend and NATIONAL DEBT.. it cheapens everything.. where America has no value.

[larryMI]

Forclosure crisis? I still have a job and my home but find myself wondering; if my budget was handled like the government would i have a home today. I doubt it, just an observatrion.

[MalloMel]

Count yourself among the lucky ones.

With what is coming down the pike, and real soon, I don't think anyone is absolutely safe. Even those with all that money stashed off shore. Just look at the Russian Revolution of 1917. Imagine that happening world wide. Good Luck.

[MalloMel]

I agree. We have absolutely no value any more. Cutting taxes and running this horrendous deficit gets votes. Never mind that it is killing our country. Just look at what it has helped do. What a shame on us.

[PTAPittbull]

governor, Palin vetoed $275,000 in Special Olympics Alaska funds
(Page 100, SB 221 with vetoes), slashing the organization’s operating budget in half.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/15/palin-cut-funding-for-alaska-special-olympics/

[starfire426]

Who wants to wager that in a week to 10 days, an (ARTIFICIAL) internantional "crisis" will "evolve" (this can be easily created by the present administration) that will divert everyone's attention away from the Wall Street meltdown just in time to get McDeRegulation's fan ny out of the fire prior to the 1st presidential debate? Any takers?

[larryMI]

Sarcastic like me. Shortly before 2004 election Osama released a video. Middle east..Osama..Middle east oil, Bush/Cheney....oil. not a coinsidence. Now the repubs would like to associate Obama with Osama because the names sound the same. We will find out in November if the nation is that stupid. I hope not.

[soupson52]

Only on the side that says "you got it."

[21stCenturyMan]

The USA agreed yesterday to sell 1,000 bunker buster bombs to Israel. You don't think Bush gave Israel the OK to use any of those bombs on say... Iran? Bomb, bomb, bomb - bomb bomb Iran?

[NTO08]

Congress now has the option to refuse to fund this, according to Amy Goodman on Democracy Now...we'll see how Obama and Mack vote on this...will tell us a lot about them.

[troika]

Just happens to be MCCain's favorite song. It just crossed my mind.

[Novelene]

McCain's bad day? Did you see/hear the crowds cheering Sarah? And Cindy? And Trap, or whatever's-his-name-Dude? Issues don't mean squat to the Bubba/Catholic/Faith voters. Or do you have another reason for McCain's rising poll numbers?

[bigbenny]

You need to re post this on Friday, tr0//

[soupson52]

I heard soura just dropped 10 points in the polls. In one day. YES!

[PissedOffProf]

"Or do you have another reason for McCain's rising poll numbers?"

Not another reason per se, just a recasting of the "don't mean squat" theme. Half the population must be, by definition of the mean, below average.