Obama Should Do the Town Hall Debates with McCain

I am completely baffled as to why Obama would refuse to have a series of town hall debates with McCain. A lot of voters are not sure they are ready to elect a relatively inexperienced black man as president. The more time they can see Obama and McCain talk about issues, the more comfortable they will be with Obama, and the less the attack ads against Obama will work.

The financial crisis provides a good opportunity for Obama to reverse the bone headed decision to not have these debates. Obama can spend time explaining to the voters how we got to this amazing mess, something he is actually good at, and he can allow McCain to make a lot of blustering statements, something that McCain can't resist, but which are not helping McCain on this issue.

It would also provide an opportunity for Obama to insist on some more debates between Palin and Biden, something that McCain would have a hard time rejecting, if Obama was up to the McCain challenge.

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Comments

[MBryant]

The town hall format is a Sarah-Palin style distraction. It is a warm and fuzzy fiction that "regular" people will be more likely to ask significant relevant questions than reporters who follow this and study this every day. It's a warm and fuzzy fiction that they are randomly selected and therefore open the discussion to new subjects that the press wouldn't bring up - who picks the people who asks the questions after all. It's a fiction that it gives the politicians a chance to develop "real rapport" with ordinary people. The candidates know they are being watched by millions and they have plenty of opportunities to meet and greet regular people.

All the"town hall" format does is cost time. In a 90 minute debate - you can have a non-Town Hall format and get 20 minutes of moderator, 35 minutes of Obama and 35 minutes of McCain. -or- you can have 15 minutes of moderator - 15 or 20 minutes of introducing and listening to "regular" people ask the same or weaker versions of the same questions and get less than 30 minutes of the candidates.

It's just warm and fuzzy waste and you get less information from it.

[marthlois]

First of all, McCain's "request" was out of line. This was not a request that should have been made in public. Mature statesmen would have gathered, discussed and agreed upon the number and the design of the town halls. The way Johnny handled the matter was laughable. He was trying to bully, so why would Obama ever want to be bullied and appear weak. Additionally, JM wanted to take advantage of the Obama crowds. The O campaign probably understood that there was no reason to give McCain crowd sizes drawn from Obama as a stage for his right-wing, war mongering propaganda.

And if I'm not mistaken, the Obama campaign quietly said that they could only offer two town halls as it was of utmost importance that the lesser known candidate travel across our country to meet the voters directly. The McCain campaign would not even compromise on the number of town halls and immaturely held the request to ten. So Johnny was dismissed, as he should have been.

In the meantime 20,000 folks at the Obama rally yesterday? I don't think Obama made the wrong choice at all. Let McCain keep whining to his small gatherings.

[wordvarc]

I disagree.

McSame wants a chance to voice rovian extremist scenerios to promote a rovian hard line tough talking fear and greed campaign.

The balanced wisdom necessary to be president was abandoned when the RNC/GOP returned to racist and zealot politics over twenty years ago.

Obama recieves no benefit by getting near McSames intentionally disasterous campaign.

[cowboyjerkface]

Yeah...do town hall debates...­like they didnt set him up at Saddleback Church.

I would never agree to any town hall debates unless it was open to everyone. McCain had it planned so that each event was going to be attended by members hand picked by the party. There was never going to be an actual " town hall meeting" but in fact a series of mini ambushes and Barack was way too smart to fall for that bunk!

[HadEnoughCrap]

They were also all planned in places to benefit McCain and not Obama.

Get off this nonsense of the 'townhall debates" - you're sounding as silly as McCain.

[wordvarc]

It was amazing how Warren's foray into politics displayed the predjudice of his Southern Baptist roots.

[toochie50]

yes stop second guessing the best campaign in our political history- these guys know what they are doing as evidenced here:

Electoral count 9/20/08:
fivethirtyeight.com
Obama: 303
Mcsame: 235 (read all about why Obama's numbers are much higher than expected due to cell phone polling)

Electoral-vote.com
Obama: 273
Mcsame: 265

Realclearpolitics.com (they refuse to update their electoral vote map - repub site)
so without "toss-ups"
Obama: 273
Mcsame: 265

Electoral votes are all that matters !

[dadw5boys]

NEVER PLAY WITH PEOPLE WHO FIX THE GAME !!!!!!!!!!

[wordvarc]

Yep.

[PuppaX]

Obama can't "win" anything at the town halls; he'll only wind up looking like a bully.

[DaOne]

There are three debates coming up in the remaining six weeks. Why would O be doing town halls when he has to actively campaign in swing states?

If voters don't know the position platforms by now, they never will.

This is one of the sillier HuffPo pieces I've seen in awhile.

[Omidal]

That will amount to a summon. O' is not his child. Also by going it would have given McSame too much credibility. 3 formal debates are enough for the presidential candidates and 1 for VP.

As you can see after a bruising primary O' needed time to reconcile the party and refine his message. O'
also needed a brake and selected his VP and decide his general election strategy.

[Woodn88s]

to James Love,
You know damn well why Barrack won't do the town hall meetings. The hall meetings are completely on McCains terms filled with McCain supporters with the deck stacked in favor of McCain.

The town hall meetings are another Rove tactic.
Take your BS and go home......­..........­..........­..sir

[Sparty1]

My sentiments exactly!

[kskj]

You're right. He should agree to them immediately. Make McCain put his money where his big mouth is.

[Whinger]

No he shouldn't, you never fight a war on turf that suits the enemy!

A neutral venue and much larger stage, will Johnny boy agree to that?

[Kerris]

Brilliantly put.

[wordvarc]

Agreed.

[Nemesis6]

Can Barry O even speak without his teleprompter anymore?He was afraid to debate McCain before he became dependent on his teleprompt­er.What makes you think he wants to be eaten alive now?

And yeah,throw hiding Bidden to Palin now.That guys a walking gaffe machine so is should be funny to watch.

Let the debates begin.

[Geoffreys]

Hmmm ... funny you think that about Biden and Palin given that the Republics are the ones demanding a tight leash on the VP debates ...

[M1]

Your so way off the mark about the town halls...yo­u must be joking....­stategical­ly Obama would have forfeited his candidacy by agreeing to them. Obama is right on time to step into the White House!

[CarmanK]

I don't agree. The town hall meetings would have been a strategic nightmare for Obama. Just look at all the negotiation it has taken just to set up the TV debates. Also, Obama may well have been stuck with Palin and McCain at the town hall meetings. We know the Republicans are capable of anything, so therefore, I am glad the Obama camp refused to be caught in potentially embarrassing situations where they could be blamed for not cooperating etc.......­..