Bill Kristol: To Help Economy, McCain Should Talk About Ayers

The economy is in tatters and shambles, and it's tattering and shambling its way along no matter what bailouts and rescues and Jim Cramer rant choruses are thrown at it. Now's the time for our presidential candidates to show leadership and vision, right? Not according to Bill Kristol, who thinks America needs to find out if our market woes weren't actually caused by a secret plan, hatched during a meeting of the Annenberg Challenge, in which Barack Obama and William Ayers agreed to use Weather Underground mind control techniques to convince Henry Paulson to stand back and do nothing while Ayers terror-bombed Lehman Brothers with his radical liberal derivatives. That's the basic gist of what Kristol was spitting at Fox News Channel this afternoon, as he stoically made the case for McCain going negative, forever. Why can't America understand that everyone got deep into bad mortgages and crazy credit default swaps because Barack Obama attended a Chicago Machine Church?

[WATCH.]

KRISTOL: The economy will be center stage but I disagree with some of the advice that McCain is giving. Saying you have to talk endlessly about the economy. These attacks on Obama on Bill Ayers and Reverend Wright don't matter. I don't agree. It is a severe economic crisis and McCain and Obama don't know what they would do. They both supported the bailout. It's not clear except on taxes that there are huge divisions about what to do with the credit markets. McCain has to show is he concerned about it and willing to be a strong leader and say look, when you're in a crisis you have to judge the character, the judgment, the background of the person you are putting in charge, that's more important than trying to evaluate the details of Obama's plans on credit swaps. I don't think we will be able to judge what the best way to handle bad debt. So McCain has to tie the economic crisis to Obama's character and judgment and say who you want in charge in difficult years, who is up to the job, liberal democrats who has hung out with characters, do you want him to run the country. That's got to be the core of McCain's message.

Comments

[greenpaz]

No one is more out of touch than Bill Kristol.

[katlade]

yeah, that is what the American people want to hear when they have lost jobs, health care, homes and retirement savings. That is the first and foremost thing on our minds - questionable persons who were marginally acquainted with Obama. If the American people thought Obama was a terrorist he would not have gotten this far. You stupid republicans did not get the message on Clinton's first run to the office, and the economy was not as bad as it is now. "It's the economy, stupid" This is all just smoke and mirrors and we have had enough. If McCain is going to get dirty tonight, he can bury any small chances he had of getting elected. Who is advising him.? Sharks smell blood in the water, so be careful tonight.

[burndtdan]

If Bill Kristol says it, you know it's wrong.

[JZaretsky]

Even more shocking were his comments just after the interview. From the transcript -

Bill Kristol: I am the seemy underbelly of the Republican party incarnate.

While this advice would be disastrous to the candidate, party and country that I claim to love, I must continue unabated my quest to destroy all of my heroes through the use of what my admirers call "unbelievably bad advice".

It is this "unbelievably bad advice" that has allowed me to gain the power and influence I wield today, as one of the masterminds of the Iraq war and one of George Bush's greatest admirers in the press.

Up next: I'll accuse Obama of being soft on the Spanish menace! Armadas of Mass Destruction anyone?

Viva McCain!

[ClevelandTom]

For a presumably smart and well-educated guy, Kristol is pretty dumb. He claims that the economy is not that big of an issue because both Obama and McCain support the bailout. This is true but out here in the 'real economy', the economy was getting very shaky before the mortgage meltdown and is only getting worse now. It's an economy that is losing jobs, has stagnant wages and increasing costs.

[legoh]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/axelrod-says-obama-will-counterpunch/

Axelrod Says Obama Will Counterpunch if McCain Raises Ayers

[Leon72]

I agree with mrnegron post. There are voters out there are begging to have a reason not to vote for the black man, but McCain camp is not giving them anything to work with. This is why up until the crisis that race was close recently and it is why it keeps shifting. Until their is a catastrophe that is when people come to their senses then support Obama. Once there is not a disaster not staring people in the face that is when support for McCain grows. These people are so ashamed of their rascist tendencies that is why they will grab on to any excuse to support McCain. They would prefer to see country brought to its knees then have "a n....r" as their president. Absolutely disgraceful and pathetic.

[metivo]

I absolutely HATE Bill Kristol. Question: how can I lodge a complaint against him? Who should I direct a criticism to? The NY Times? MSNBC? I'd love to know who to write to. He needs to be getting more negative mail.

[ReportThis]

Kristol is one to talk about "hanging out with unsavory characters." During the mid-70's, Kristol was Harvey Mansfield's butt-boy at Harvard. In the early 1980's, Kristol worked for that degenerate gambler Bill Bennett. And from 1988 through 1992, Kristol was Dan Quayle's chief of staff. Boy, there's a resume to be proud of.

And McCain and Palin both have their own skeletons that need explaining: McCain was the most culpable of the "Keeting Five." He also served on the board of the U.S. Council on World Freedom -- a right wing, extremist organization with ties to South American death squads. And McCain recently has sucked right up to Reverend Hagree -- you know, the wingnut that proclaimed Hurricane Katrina as God's punishment of homosexuals.

And Palin? She needs to explain her ties to that voodoo pastor from Kenya, and her family's ties to the Alaskan Independent Party and secessionist Joe Voegler.

[chubbydogwalker]

Attack the others with trash and lies doesn't automatically make you qualify for the job. McCain and Palin haven't showed themselves can handle the economy yet. It is a bad advice. Look at the polls.

[dagdavid]

These idiots are simply taking their last deep breath before going down with the ship. The revolution is here and Obama is our promise!

[grantlingel]

that stuff is in the past... we don't care anymore... we need to look to the future.
http://grantlingel.blogspot.com

[Buffkat00]

Uhm, I care. A LOT. I care that our economy is crap and you can bet your britches I care who caused it! In order to take correct actions in the future, one must first understand the past.

[uclafan]

I didn't know that he was such a partisan figure. Oh well, one less person to listen to. And one man who has ONE vote against ours

[SpoxLogic]

If McCain follows Kristol's advice, you can expect another 2 - 3 points for Obama in the polls by the end of the week. McCain would lose the debate and of course have to go even more negative, which would alienate even more people.

So, I say, go ahead, McCain. Take Kristol's advice!

[ClevelandTom]

I agree.

My take is that most people, including some voting for McCain, have long ago discounted the Ayers, Rezco stuff about Obama. The only folks that McCain is reaching with these attacks are those on the far right. Such red meat might increase their turnout a tiny bit but it will cause him to lose many more undecideds in the middle.

[mnash]

Goodness, I can't but laugh at this guy. What world does he come from?