McCain Suspends Campaign

By
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 3:34 pm

Sen. John McCain announced today that he will suspend his campaign effective tomorrow, so that he can return to Washington to participate in discussions on a Wall Street bailout bill. He also raised the possibility of postponing the first presidential debate, scheduled for Friday. From Politico:

John McCain is calling for the first presidential debate, scheduled for Friday in Mississippi, to be delayed and urging Barack Obama to join him in Washington for a high-level meeting of congressional leaders to address the financial crisis.

McCain said in New York today that he is suspending his campaign tomorrow and will return on Washington.

It’s an extraordinary move, plainly aimed at appearing presidential and above the partisan fray at a time of great challenge. It comes a week after McCain struggled to find his footing on the crisis and as national and state polls show him slipping in large part because of voter concerns over the economy.

“I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself,” McCain said this afternoon. “It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.”

McCain said his goal was to have a bailout package in place by the start of next week.

“I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people,” he predicted. “All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.”
d.

The Obama campaign subsequently released the following statement:

At 8:30 this morning, Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal. At 2:30 this afternoon, Senator McCain returned Senator Obama’s call and agreed to join him in issuing such a statement. The two campaigns are currently working together on the details.

CNN’s Gloria Borger is reporting that a source within the Obama campaign said Obama would not suspend his campaign, and Obama does not see a reason to postpone the debate. More on this as events develop.

Categories & Tags: Economy/Finance| McCain| Obama| Politics|

Comments

12 Comments

Jaycee
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 1:07 pm

The Obama campaign's claim is BS; nice try. I think McCain's bipartisan concern for the safety and well-being of our country is not shared by the Democrats. Obama is meeting right now with a team (hundreds) of advisors to determine whether or not he supports supporting a bail-out. Then he is scheduled to meet with another team of advisors to find out why they didn't think of this concerted effort first, and will put together yet another team of advisors to find a way to spin this to the American public to show that John McCain is lying, afraid of debating, unable to multi-task and out of touch. Wall Street numbers are moving in drastic yo-yo fashion, but to Obama the economy is not that important that a little debate will get in the way, is it?


Former Republican
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 1:12 pm

What a transparent political ploy by McCain. Just like the hurricane delay at the convention. He's trying to look “Presidential” by blackmailing Obama because Obama's in the lead and he knows the debates will put Obama even farther ahead.

This has nothing to do with being Presidential and everything to do with cheap politics. The financial disaster is McCain's fault and everyone knows it.


Democrats 08
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 1:44 pm

We don't need you to run to the rescue of your rich buddies who own and operate all these banks John, we don't need you to help dig the hole YOU and your Republican friends dug so deep with YOUR deregulation ideas even deeper! the deregulation YOU greedy Republican IDIOTS lobbied hard for. No McCain what the American people need, the people you so mistakenly refer to as “my friends” what WE need you to do is to STAY AWAY FROM OUR MONEY, stay OUT of Washington and to keep your hands OFF our money. Nice try running and hiding from Obama too, you can run McCain but you can't hide. Why don't you just suspend your campaign for good, we don't need you and your kind, you are the ones who got America INTO this mess, you are the last ones we need to get us out. This is what McCain REALLY means when he says “Country First” run to aid of his wealthy Republican buddies! they come first right John? No debate? where's John? oh he's putting his “Country (rich friends) First” NO BAIL OUT FOR MCCAIN'S AND BUSH'S RICH FRIENDS!


McCain's Shame
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 1:49 pm

Yeah, that's it Jaycee- the Democrats just really don't have the interest of the people in mind at all. Thank god John McCain is going to (finally) return to Washington and save the day. Maybe he should just have Phil Gramm put together a plan with some input from Rick Davis. That should be all the “saving” the country can take from these @ssholes.


Theresa
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 2:21 pm

Will McCain be taking a breaks from forgein policy if he is elected president? If there is a forgeien threat and economic turmoil at the same time, will McCain not be able to address both simultaneously?

Either McCain can't multi-task or this is yet another political ploy and dishonest tactic by McCain. I started the electron for McCain and watched him change by the day. Power is corrupting for McCain.

Thank you Obama for allowing the people of the great United States hear your profound views on foreign policy while at the same time you work with your collegues in the Senate on our economic issues.

VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN


Howard
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 4:45 pm

COUNTRY ABOVE POLITICS !!!
Both candidates are U.S. Senators.This financial crisis will be decided in the U.S. SENATE. The brilliant plan is that after this 7 hundred billion dollar bail out … Pelosi and Reed will be in charge of picking who will be in charge of ongoing oversight for continued spending. God help us!
This is another example of how Senator John McCain puts country first. All Obama cares about is winning the election at any cost. Obama neglected his duties as U.S. Senator before running for President, and especially after he began running for President. This 'bail out – quick fix” will negatively affect Americans for decades. Many of the bloggers who are criticizing McCain for this decision wouldn't recognize responsibility, or integrity if it bit them on the ass. Keep America strong and safe … Elect McCain/Palin in November.


Jaycee
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 8:07 pm

The Obama campaign's claim is BS; nice try. I think McCain's bipartisan concern for the safety and well-being of our country is not shared by the Democrats. Obama is meeting right now with a team (hundreds) of advisors to determine whether or not he supports supporting a bail-out. Then he is scheduled to meet with another team of advisors to find out why they didn't think of this concerted effort first, and will put together yet another team of advisors to find a way to spin this to the American public to show that John McCain is lying, afraid of debating, unable to multi-task and out of touch. Wall Street numbers are moving in drastic yo-yo fashion, but to Obama the economy is not that important that a little debate will get in the way, is it?


Former Republican
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 8:12 pm

What a transparent political ploy by McCain. Just like the hurricane delay at the convention. He's trying to look “Presidential” by blackmailing Obama because Obama's in the lead and he knows the debates will put Obama even farther ahead.

This has nothing to do with being Presidential and everything to do with cheap politics. The financial disaster is McCain's fault and everyone knows it.


Democrats 08
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 8:44 pm

We don't need you to run to the rescue of your rich buddies who own and operate all these banks John, we don't need you to help dig the hole YOU and your Republican friends dug so deep with YOUR deregulation ideas even deeper! the deregulation YOU greedy Republican IDIOTS lobbied hard for. No McCain what the American people need, the people you so mistakenly refer to as “my friends” what WE need you to do is to STAY AWAY FROM OUR MONEY, stay OUT of Washington and to keep your hands OFF our money. Nice try running and hiding from Obama too, you can run McCain but you can't hide. Why don't you just suspend your campaign for good, we don't need you and your kind, you are the ones who got America INTO this mess, you are the last ones we need to get us out. This is what McCain REALLY means when he says “Country First” run to aid of his wealthy Republican buddies! they come first right John? No debate? where's John? oh he's putting his “Country (rich friends) First” NO BAIL OUT FOR MCCAIN'S AND BUSH'S RICH FRIENDS!


McCain's Shame
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 8:49 pm

Yeah, that's it Jaycee- the Democrats just really don't have the interest of the people in mind at all. Thank god John McCain is going to (finally) return to Washington and save the day. Maybe he should just have Phil Gramm put together a plan with some input from Rick Davis. That should be all the “saving” the country can take from these @ssholes.


Theresa
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 9:21 pm

Will McCain be taking a breaks from forgein policy if he is elected president? If there is a forgeien threat and economic turmoil at the same time, will McCain not be able to address both simultaneously?

Either McCain can't multi-task or this is yet another political ploy and dishonest tactic by McCain. I started the electron for McCain and watched him change by the day. Power is corrupting for McCain.

Thank you Obama for allowing the people of the great United States hear your profound views on foreign policy while at the same time you work with your collegues in the Senate on our economic issues.

VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN


Howard
Comment posted September 24, 2008 @ 11:45 pm

COUNTRY ABOVE POLITICS !!!
Both candidates are U.S. Senators.This financial crisis will be decided in the U.S. SENATE. The brilliant plan is that after this 7 hundred billion dollar bail out … Pelosi and Reed will be in charge of picking who will be in charge of ongoing oversight for continued spending. God help us!
This is another example of how Senator John McCain puts country first. All Obama cares about is winning the election at any cost. Obama neglected his duties as U.S. Senator before running for President, and especially after he began running for President. This 'bail out – quick fix” will negatively affect Americans for decades. Many of the bloggers who are criticizing McCain for this decision wouldn't recognize responsibility, or integrity if it bit them on the ass. Keep America strong and safe … Elect McCain/Palin in November.


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