McCain vows to whip Obama's 'you know what'

ARLINGTON, Va. — Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama's "you-know-what" when the two presidential candidates meet Wednesday in their final televised debate.

McCain made that pledge as top advisers said he is weighing new economic proposals to help the nation weather the financial crisis. The Arizona senator refused to answer a reporter's question Sunday about what plans he might be considering.

Addressing several dozen volunteers at his campaign headquarters outside Washington, McCain promised some of his signature "straight talk" about the state of the race. National and many battleground state polls have shown him trailing Obama amid the deepening market crisis.

"We're a couple points down, OK, nationally, but we're right in this game," McCain said to cheers. "The economy has hurt us a little bit in the last week or two, but in the last few days we've seen it come back up because they want experience, they want knowledge and they want vision. We'll give that to America."

McCain said he and running mate Sarah Palin would continue campaigning hard in the three weeks left before Election Day, in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. The two planned a joint appearance Monday in Virginia, a Republican stronghold turned battleground this time.

"We're going to spend a lot of time and after I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," McCain said.

The two men will debate Wednesday at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y. CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer will moderate the 90-minute forum.

Still, McCain promised to run a "respectful" campaign in the weeks to come.

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"I respect Senator Obama, we will conduct a respectful race and be sure everyone else does too. But there are stark difference between us," McCain said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said McCain was considering policy proposals that would cut taxes on investments.

"I think it goes along the lines of now's the time to lower tax rates for investors, capital gains tax, dividend tax rates, to make sure that we can get the economy jump-started," Graham said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "It will be a very comprehensive approach to jump-start the economy by allowing capital to be formed easier in America by lowering taxes."

McCain already has laid out proposals to address the crisis, including a $300 billion plan for the federal government to buy distressed mortgages and renegotiate them at a reduced price.

The Arizona senator has said his plan is necessary to get thousands of bad mortgages off the books in order to stabilize home values and open up credit. But critics said the plan would do little more than reward financial institutions that made the bad loans to in the first place.

On Friday, McCain called for legislation that suspends for one year the requirement that investors age 70 1/2 begin to liquidate their retirement accounts. The Arizona senator said it would be unfair to force seniors to sell their stocks when stock prices have tumbled so severely. Obama aides said the Illinois senator favors a similar effort.

Obama also has offered plans to address the fiscal crisis but nothing as sweeping or controversial as McCain's mortgage proposal. On Friday, the Illinois senator announced a $900 million plan to temporarily extend an expiring tax break that lets small businesses write off investments up to $250,000 immediately, rather than over the course of several years.

Aides said Obama also wants to extend the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program to help small businesses that cannot access other sources of capital, as well as eliminate fees on SBA loan guarantees and increase the size of loans that could be covered. They put the cost at $5 billion.

Both candidates voted for the $700 billion bailout proposal Congress passed and President Bush signed into law earlier this month.

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On the Net:

McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com

Obama: http://www.barackobama.com

Comments

[necer65]

Sure, Good Luck with that!

[Fudgefase]

I'm just flabbergasted at the crass insensitivity of the words that continue to fall out of these withered lips. What will Sarah's bit of witty follow-up be tomorrow?

[thecanadian]

Truth to fight smears.
Ayers FACT Check. Obama was 8 years Old!!!
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/he_lied_about_bill_ayers.html
(Save to use from now until election to counter the smears)

Wow - This guy lays it on!
Republicans starting to slam McCain for his stealing the VET Votes.
http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2008/10/05/opinion/hjjbijjejjigfj.txt

"The Elitist"? The Automobiles/Houses/Airplanes Comparison Chart.
http://grantlingel.blogspot.com/2008/10/john-mccain-hypocritical-elitist.html

Arizona McCains Home state.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1989-11-29/news/mccain-the-most-reprehensible-of-the-keating-five/1

Defenders of Wildlife. Incredible!
http://www.defendersactionfund.org/

[thecanadian]

After reading various posts across the spectrum today I realize that people from other blogs do not have "Truth" . Best way to fight smears is with truth. Here is first installment.

John McCains Skeleton Closet
http://www.realchange.org:80/mccain.htm
Another McCain Lie?
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/08/mccain-lies-about-his-letters-to-the-fcc/
Excellent site for truth on many topics.
http://thinkprogress.org

[Micheli]

As if.

[gevan]

"Whip" is certainly an interesting term from the descendant of Mississippi Confederate slaveholders. The Naval term is "flogging"'

[naeldwyck]

I guess he thinks it's still more respectful than "off with his head" though.

[Gmoney1]

McCain is not an intelligent person - and as a result , if he allows himself to get angry enough to "whip" Obama, he'll probably lose it -

[4ethicalpolitics]

I scanned most of the comments and not as many people as I would have thought pointed out the seemingly racist overtone of the use of the word "whip his you know what" The lack of sensitivity that McCain demonstrates is astounding. Someone with common decency would likely avoid adding fuel to the fire, especially considering the events of the past week. Was this a carefully chosen phrase? I'm going to bet it was. More ways to rally his base. He talks out of both sides of his mouth. If someone said something like this to an African American in a corporate environment, they'd probably be fired or reprimanded. Am I right?

[YWCYWC]

This is what we've come to expect from McCain and that's why he is losing in the polls and losing his reputation. McCain would like nothing better than to make this a racial fight and get us all roiled up and distracted. The next 3 weeks are crucial and getting distracted is not worth the risk.

I would say that he will live to regret his words, especially the next day... The universe has a way of getting even. McCain fooled a lot of people for a long time. He will be left eating lunch at the Senate cafeteria with Lieberman, neither of which have much of a political future left.

[thecanadian]

Remember?
This was way back - or feels like it but remember this? Bush fixing FEC for McCain?
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_lawyer_Bush_fixing_FEC_for_McCain.html

[cobrown]

"Whip his you know what". What an interesting followup to McCain's outrage and subsequent call for Senator Obama to repudiate the "shocking" comparison to George Wallace. While the lights may be on, I'm not quite sure anyone is home.

[DASChicago]

E-R-R-A-T-I-C

[ImGoodNoSweat]

Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama's "you-know-what"

Wow. How sophisticated. Bring out the six packs.

[OBXartist]

"...now's the time to lower tax rates for investors, capital gains tax, dividend tax rates, to make sure that we can get the economy jump-started,"

Is it just me, or does this sound like more of the same ol' trickle down economics? How does this address the needs of working people making $50,000 a year? Or even $75,000 a year, if you're a family of four or five?

[MissCupcake]

Mac, take your head out of your "you know what"...

[Noogie]

Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama's "you-know-what" when the two presidential candidates meet Wednesday in their final televised debate.

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What happened that provoked McCain to say such an awful thing? Did Barack walk on his lawn?

[SaltySaltillo]

"I know how to fix this epoch-changing global financial crisis, my friends. What we need is lower taxes." John McCain at any random campaign stop.

[Noogie]

Whew!!! That's a relief!!!

I thought McCain was just planning to authorize a "blue-ribbon commission."

[SaltySaltillo]

No, the blue ribbon commission was last week. And maybe next week. You never know with "Never McSame"

[SaltySaltillo]

If Graham is right, this economic package of John McCain is nothing but your bread and butter Laffler-influenced Republican supply side legislation. Somewhere Jack Kemp is nodding his head in agreement. But that begs the question - if McCain's only economic ideas are by-the-book Laffler economics, why is it that our current GOP-controlled White House is not pushing this agenda? Maybe it is because Bush and his pals know such a plan wont work. Does this mean that the Bush administration is actually smarter than a McCain administration would be? .... Lord hear our prayers.