Thank you. Stephen Smoliar….....
I knew I left something out!!

I may be going against the grain on this one (and it would hardly be the first time);  but I continue to hold to the premise that a Senator is a SENATOR FIRST and a CANDIDATE SECOND.  Yes, what Lyndon Johnson famously called “pressing the flesh” is important;  but let’s not kid ourselves, the campaign is a media product.  As in a Hollywood film, the “star” does not have to be “on screen” all the time and may even be there “virtually.”  Hollywood knew about this with stunt men even in the days before CGI.

Back in the days when the business world was sane, a major commitment of funds would never be made without first performing “due diligence” over the nature of the commitment.  It is the role of Congress to perform such “due diligence” over the bailout proposal;  and, Congress being what it is, the machinery of due diligence consists primarily in hearings and debates.  This particularly commitment of funds is sufficiently serious that, by all rights, the two Senators who are also Presidential candidates should be involved in that Congressional machinery.  Furthermore, as I have previously noted, that involvement will be documented in the Congressional Record, providing one of the few sources pertaining to EITHER candidate that is not a skillfully crafted media product.  We the people (could not resist the cliche) have the perfect opportunity to observe both candidates in a major decision-making situation;  and we should celebrate that opportunity.

Whatever McCain’s motives may have been, I applaud the move he has taken.  I am disappointed that Obama’s response has run the gamut from lame reaction (“I thought of it first”) to rejection (“I still plan to be at the debate”).  I also agree with Congressional leaders who are concerned that either candidate could easily turn the Senate floor into the site of a stump speech, but the beauty of the Congressional Record is its objectivity.  It documents our representatives’ efforts to come up with solutions, and it documents when they make fools of themselves.  With a little bit of clever manipulation, McCain has managed to get Obama to look a bit like Achilles sulking in his tent, and Obama had better be quick about getting his focus back on that electorate he is supposed to be serving!

Finally (cynic that I am), I have one last part to add to GrammaConcept’s prayer:

May all the votes cast on November 4 be properly counted.

In this current complex mess and time, I have but one (2-part) prayer:

Please, may there BE an election on the preplanned date and,
May all of the current candidates LIIVE to be voted upon..

Amen.

Lincoln didn’t suspend the election of 1864. 
FDR didn’t suspend the election of 1944.
Even Dumya didn’t suspend the election of 2004 (tho he was tempted).

It’s not like McCain is the only knowledgeable Senator on finance.  It’s not like McCain even IS a knowledgeable Senator on finance.

It’s nothing but a campaign stunt that WAS SUGGESTED BY OBAMA FIRST.  And it gets McCain out of a debate in which he was going to sliced, diced and put on the shelf to marinate.  Obama holds all the cards.  All McCain has is dramatics and “I was a POW”.

Cran—I think that the final result wil be quite the opposite. The GOP can spin it all they want—and their base wil believe it. No one else will.

This “suspend the campaign” is SSOO much bs, even to someone who is not wholeheartedly supporting Obama. I wouldnt vote a “confidence vote ” for McCain in a dictatorhsip.

Sen Obama is speaking on CNN and teh Dem Party is sending out emails. I dont fully agree with what he is saying. But, I dont see how this could possibly benefit McCain—but, I could be judging the response incorrectly.

My first response was “what bullshit is this?!”

I’m sure that there is racism involved, for a smaller part of the Dem Party , then the GOP.(??) I just think that anyone who is “set not to vote for a black person” is probably unable to be convinced in the next 5 weeks, and I just dont think that its productive.

19% of people polled say that they are “undecided” or “could be convinced by either candidate”. Anyone that wants to win should look there.

cyrena, right now I am just watching Pelosi, feeling better about her than I have in the past.  She did not waste any time coming out with her no-blank-check position.  This morning’s news, which you may have seen on another comment thread but is also at

http://therehearsalstudio.blogspot.com/2008/09/will-sky-fall.html

is as good a sign as I could anticipate.  As I understand it, she has the power to schedule debates and votes;  and she is not going to let the White House tell her what to do.  She also seems to have found the way to exploit dissension in the Republican ranks.  I REALLY want her to display that ideal mix of clear thinking and strong backbone because I cannot see voting for Cindy on the basis of a single issue, no matter how passionate that issue is.

It would be nice if Obama had not said that he would consider keeping Paulson on.

I do not care if a candidate is a war hero, I do not care is a candidate is a republican or a democrat. I do not care is a candidate is black or white. All I care about is if the candidate is intelligent enough to get this nation out of the mess we are in now.

I am an Arizona Republican but I will not be voting for John McCain. Why? Because, with the problems in the US and the world is facing today the nation needs intelligence in the White House.

Lets see my choice is John McCain or that smart black man Barack Obama?

McCain who does not know how to use a computer but is willing to learn if we elect him – I’ll just vote for that smart black man.

John McCain who says the economic downturn is psychological? - Na! I’ll vote for the smart black man.

McCain who says you are better off under George Bush? - Nope I’ll vote for the smart black man.

Mc Cain who wants to continue killing more people looking for weapons of mass destruction that do not exist? - Gee! I’ll vote for the smart black man.

McCain who believes that we should stay the course but is not willing to support the people he puts in harms way. - I’ll take a chance on the smart black man.

Should I vote for a man that does not know that 9-11 was caused by Osama Bin Laden not Sedam Hussein? - Easy! I’ll vote for the smart black man.

Vote for the man who does not know if the Sunnis or Sheits are our enemies? - No way I’ll vote for the smart black man.

Vote for the man who helped put our government on the China, Saudi Arabia credit card? - Not a chance I’ll vote for the smart black man.

Vote for the man with the worst temper in the Senate to have his finger on the nuclear button? - No way - I’M VOTING FOR THE SMART BLACK MAN, Barack Obama.

More than anything - whether Obama is black, white or of asiatic origin, it matters not because he is, more importantly, an American - I want to know if I can trust him. Thus far I cannot. He is, in my judgment, prejudice against women or he would have asked Hillary to come aboard with him and they would have been a shoe in. He didn’t ant, in my judgment, to have to compete with her when push came to shove as she is a woman of real courage who woul make certain that he knew where she stood on important issues.

Obama had a black father and a white mother. The story has been told over and over again about his upbringing and how hard his mother worked to raise him. If the racists would simply take the time to compare the two candidates, it is so blatently obvious that Obama is more like the average Joe on the street while McSame is an elitist who can’t ralate to a middle-class existence any more than he can do without his 13 vehicles!  McSame is a root cause of the nation’s problems, beginning with his being in lockstep with Bush and Cheney and all the harm they have done to us as a nation and as a people.  Let’s make Obama president and give him a chance to begin cleaning up the Bush-Cheney mess. I expect that mess to be around for the next 100 presidents…and for us for the rest of our lives, the lives of our children, grandchildren, and right on down the line.  It’s amazing what has happened to us in less than eight years!

“Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help” (Psalm 146:3).

Barack Obama is trying (successfully) to present himself to the world (I am ashamed to say) as an African American when he is IN FACT a mix of black and white.  I have never yet read of the media hi-lighting that Obama is a white man.. Of course he should not be passed off as a white man because he is not.  He is neither black nor white - he is a mixture and he should introduce himself as such.  He is an American. He pretends to be an African American so he can lure as many real African Americans to the voting booth to vote for him. What else is he pretending?  Why not ask him just why is he pretending? I want to vote for a man or woman who is up front about what and who they are and what they believe in. Hillary should replace Obama on the ticket. She has the courage to tell it like it is.

damn, pelosi!

yes, i concur with the idea of obama getting into the thick of it on the senate floor. wouldn’t that just shut america up! it could be his ticket for the win… god, wouldn’t that be something to see!

I’m feeling a bit like Inherit the Wind here, and even given to prayer, which I’m generally not.

I’m also inclined to agree with Stephen Smoliar on the need for Obama to make a seriously important and effective dent in the congressional record on this issue. In fact, THIS is where he’s gonna have to work extra hard, like he says he’s willing to do, and take some more risk because it will involve leaving the Campaign trail, where he needs to connect with people who may need explanations (understandable ones) on how this happened to begin with. But, he has to be in the Senate as well, working that job. Can’t be both places at once.

Now this would be an excellent time for Hillary to redeem herself as well. If she really wanted to. We’ll see.

Stephen, what are you all gonna do about Pelosi?

I pray you’re right.  I’m terrified you’re wrong.  There is NO way to explain why Obama doesn’t have 60-65% and McCain only 35-40% other than half of all voting Americans are either knee-jerk racist morons, or unprincipled dog-eat-dog predators pretending to be capitalists, or elitists who LOVE how the GOP works for a class-based society.

For cryin’ out loud McCain was an ARCHITECT of the deregulation that’s led to the catastrophe in the banking and investment world.  IT’S HIS FAULT, yet Americans only see an “elitist lib’ral N****r”.

Here’s hoping for an Obama landslide….

may it be as you say.

This is all very well and good;  but, when the Senate Budget Committee prepares its recommendation and the debate moves to the Senate floor, I want to see Obama leave the campaign trail and show his worth through active participation in that debate.  (Can anyone imagine McCain actively participating?)  More specifically, I want to see the mark he leaves in the Congressional Record when such an important decision is being deliberated.  He can talk all he wants about what he might do if he makes it to the White House.  However, right now he is a Senator;  and he has an important job to do!

http://therehearsalstudio.blogspot.com/2008/09/sanders-way.html