Final Debate: McCain Brings Up Ayers, ACORN

McCain goes where he hasn't before in a debate: Bill Ayers. "We need to know the full extent of that relationship," he declares. Then he accuses the community organizing group ACORN of committing, potentially, "one of the greatest frauds of voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy in this country."

It is a wild accusation, not grounded in any bit of reality. Just asked Florida Gov. and McCain surrogate Charlie Christ, who says the allegation is being overblown.

Obama responds by explaining his relationship with Ayers: "Bill Ayers is a professor of education in Chicago. 40 years ago when I was eight years old he engaged in despicable acts with a domestic group. I have roundly denounced those attacks. Ten years ago he and I served on a school board funded by one of Ronald Reagan's close friends ... The fact that this has become such an important part of your campaign," he concludes, "says more about your campaign than it does me."

McCain glared and smirked during the exchange.

Here's Maude Hurd, of ACORN, responding to McCain's accusations:

"We appreciate that Senator McCain's effort to stir up the Republican base by attacking a community group that is trying to increase public participation in our democratic processes. However, these attacks reflect an increasingly panicky candidate; unfortunately the Senator McCain we saw tonight is very different than the Senator McCain who stood shoulder to shoulder with ACORN at a February 20, 2006 immigration reform event.

It is clear for us to see that John McCain was for ACORN before he was against ACORN; he was for reform before he was against reform; and he was a maverick before he became erratic. What is really going here is that Senator McCain and his allies are part of a coordinated effort to engage in what appears to be an unprecedented effort to suppress voter turnout."

Comments

[BigMike75]

This was John McCain's weakest moment...well, matter of fact, John McCain's whole campaign has been a weak moment. But Senator Obama, intelligently smacked him in the mouth, and McCain responded with some convuluted preamble, that almost made sense. Republicans are a hoot when they resort to the Bush/Cheney scare tactics, McCain said Acorn was going to "destroy the fabric of democracy"...truly laughable. That classic zinger goes over well with knuckledragging crowd you see in videos on Huffpost. For informed voters they know better, look, Acorn is guilty of a clear lack of management when it comes to their voter registration officials, and an antiquated compensation plan that incentivizes the number of registrations turned in. All registrations get turned over to the state and go through checks and filters. People need to understand the difference between voter registration fraud, and voter fraud or polling descrepancies, and they'll understand how weak the Republicans Acorn argument is. They'll also remember that the Republicans have ironically mastered the art of voter supression, and voter fraud.

[HST]

I disagree -McCain's weakest moment was when he said with a straight face something to the effect of , I have repudiated every Obama smear that has ever been said -a transparent laughable lie. It made me chuckle.

[marthlois]

HEY FOLKS!!! If any of you out there are truly UNDECIDED's at this point in time - please note that as McCain was on the attack about Acorn and/or Ayers, etc. .......Do you have ANY idea of the discipline, the judgment, the WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE RIGHT NOW moments that Obama took into consideration within 90 minutes? He could have totally obliterated McCain with endless connections - but he held back. He trusts that you will make your own judgments if you read & listen. He doesn't feel he needs to smear like McCain does and that should tell you so much about this man. Please don't be undecided anymore - we need your weighed and balanced votes!

[NickTheGreekFromSF]

I totally agree. I was one who at particular points in this campaign thought Obama should have fought more aggressively, etc.

But damn, Obama has it together, does he not? He is winning WITH DIGNITY, just as he promised.

Pretty damn impressive.

[Diogenis]

Yassou Nicko.......yes, Obama is quite impressive.

[truthyguy]

My favorite was when asked about the VP running mates and McCain had so little to say about Palin. And how what he did say about her being so honorable was in conflict with what her own republican controlled legislature said about her last week in the Troopergate report. Obama didn't even need to bring it up; everyone watching was thinking about it.

As to Palin I think Christopher Hitchens said it best: "And the only public events that have so far featured his [McCain's] absurd choice of running mate have shown her to be a deceiving and unscrupulous woman utterly unversed in any of the needful political discourses but easily trained to utter preposterous lies and to appeal to the basest element of her audience."

[kjwhite]

If I could ask John McCain anything, I would ask him---- Why, if Sen. Obama serving on a board with this man makes him the 'pal of a terrorist', why then wouldn't that same rule apply to the other 70 or so people that ALSO served on that board?...Senator Obama was happy to name a few of the distinguished people he served with on the school board, is McCain accusing them of the same "guilt by association"?

Using McCain's standard, wouldn't they ALL be palling with "terrorists"?
Senator McCain never gets around to answering that.....

[StillIRise]

Same question I just asked!!! With McCain's logic, every one of the board members, including Laura Annenberg, the founder's wife, who sits on the national board, would also be guilty of whatever it is they're trying to say Obama is guilty of.

[LAThinker]

Nothing new - Anger and Hate, that is the only argument left

http://www.ucubd.com/Index.aspx?id=805&cid=3162

[iPolitics]

John McCain, Honorless Mudslinger

[socratiskiss]

GO OBAMA!

[DRaymond]

It was a classy response. Obama could have gotten dirty about Liddy or Keating but instead he calmly laid out the facts and then turned it toward a real answer of a meaningfull question...who ARE they people that he relies on in shaping his policy. And when McCain tried to bring back the exaggeration about 'launching his political career' he responded firmly but calmly.

And the real question is...which of them behaved the way you would like to have a president behave under stress?

[skyglider]

Once again... McCain lost the Debate ....THIRD time in a row !!!!!
( Not counting Biden WON......VP Debate !!! )

Answer to Obama/Biden ticket in Rep crowds: KILL HIM !!!
Answer to McCain/Palin in Democratic crowds : BRAINS !!!

THIRD Bush/Cheney/Rove..... Term ?!!!
NO MORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama/Biden'08

[demfriend]

Bob S the "moderator" I believe had his own agenda and his own ideas as he's a known backer of McCain and I didn't think he gave Obama near what he tried to give McCain. That he said he was going to "make" both candidates answer the questions he asked only applied to Obama as McCain kept doing the Palin and going to the questions he had which he wanted to talk about. Bad Moderator I believe as bias had no place there and it was too obvious for me. Didn't help McCain as he still dug th grave for himself and he was as mean and nasty as ever.

[Rapid Ray]

You have just gotta love how McCain tries to turn the page BACK to the economy at the end of the clip.

McMoron just slammed the door and locked himself in a room that is wallpapered with "It''s the economy, stupid".
Ayers and ACORN are now dead issues.

[EmotionDetector]

Obama was pitch perfect on the Ayers and ACORN issues. He explained himself succinctly and then turned it back on McCain by something to the effect of "The fact that McCain's campaign seems centered on ACORN is very telling".

I cheered when i heared him say this.

[CaliTLC]

The proverbial FAT LADY is in the building and is warming up her voice by singing, "fa la la la la la la la laaaa." By the end of the week, she will be in her dressing room trying on her dress in preparation for a dress rehearsal.
Obama-Biden 2008-2016.

[NTO08]

Once again, Obama lied...

[Rapid Ray]

You know, if you're going to post, you might want to include a reason for it.

[grandma58]

agree

[andhakari]

The reasons are all based in ignorance, hate, and hopelessness: just as is the McCain campaign.

[pinkyboo]

And I would believe you why?

[StillIRise]

YOU would have posted this even if Obama hadn't been there!

[Kuroneko]

Not much to lie about in the first place. Like who cares?

[1Smartchik]

I think he is talking about Bill Ayers jump starting Obams's political career, they will not believe him no matter what he says so who cares. Go watch Fixed News...

[jimmyjones22]

If by "lied" you really mean "won the dabate," then I agree!

3/3 aint half bad for the junior senator from Illinoise.

[PatrickforO]

Many people have served on boards for some task or cause. I don't know about you, but I don't usually make a habit of looking into the dim past of each member. I just like to work with the group to get the task done or the problem solved. As to ACORN, John McCain is just as involved with them as Obama - they are a group that encourages voter registration. They just happened to hire some lazy, unethical employees in this case. One thing very encouraging about this whole election cheating thing, though - I was watching CNN and they have a hotline now so people can report any irregularities in their community with the promise that CNN reporters will be "on it." Best thing the media's done in quite a while. Some corporate manager must be asleep to let them do it, but thank God they are.

[StillIRise]

When you're sitting on an education-focused board with presidents of esteemed universities, a tenured and highly respected professor of education at a notable university in Chicago, Democrats and Republicans among other people held in high regard, all with a common purpose and the expertise to advance the educational opportunities of our youth - why in the world would you research everyone's past?

I sit on a board in my community with many fine men and women. I don't know very much, if anything at all, about their past, but I'm confident that I know who they are today, and I know that today we share common values and a common goal to meaningfully address our community concerns. Today, they're good and decent people, and whatever their past was is irrelevant.

I think if we look at the relationships, past and present, of virtually all of our politicians, we would find questionable relationships with any one of them, some far more questionable than Bill Ayers, and many that have yet to be exposed with John McCain. But we judge a person by who they are, not by who they know or who they may have sat on a reputable board with ten years ago! If that's the case, then everyone else who sat on that board with Bill Ayers is somehow disqualified from the positions they presently hold or seek, including Laura Annenberg, the founder's wife, who sits on the national board and is aware of her local board members.

[damebee]

Actually PatrickforO These so called lazy people are homeless, possibly drug addicts, and possibly alcoholics, who else would do a tiresome job like this at minimum wage? Life is not perfect and they have a quota, maybe if we got rid of the quota and still paid them we would get better results!

[JamesInDenver]

It's truly pathetic how Bob Schieffer let's McCain have the final word on this one, especially since McCain hasn't substantiate a single word his is saying. Has there ever been a moderator as incompetent (or maybe as biased)?

[SurrealPumpkin]

Brian Williams?