Re: should they suspend the campaigning?
[quote=toasty;653966]Heard a thought on the radio this morning, not sure I agree, but wanted to throw it out there. What if McCain is suggesting postponing the debate because he simply doesn't want the debate to go forward right now?
It's not that he's afraid of debating Obama in the abstract -- it's that he's afraid no one will listen. This debate is supposed to be focused upon foreign policy, which is supposed to be McCain's strong suit, and where he's really going to shine. The problem is, people don't really care about foreign policy right now, they care about the economy, and McCain is concerned that his shining moment is going to come at a time that no one gives a rip what he has to say about foreign policy. Hence, his offer to postpone the debates until the economic situation has been addressed allows him to have the FP debate when people might actually listen.
Not sure I buy this, but I thought it was an interesting theory that makes some sense.
Thoughts?[/quote]
Perhaps true, but I think it was more of a side-benefit of his strategy to come out as willing to put aside politics in order to help with the crisis.
But yes, delaying the debates will help both Palin and McCain. If the debate goes forward as planned, McCain will be debating when he expressed unwillingness to do so, he will be more apt to be shorter-tempered and distracted, because it's something he thought might not happen. On top of this, the point above: the debate will inevitably be muddied by the crisis, and national security and foreign policy discussion will revolve around our position in global financial markets and extra-national resources like oil. Not that it shouldn't, but of course McCain won't like it going there.
He wants to come down hard on terrorism (as if Obama doesn't) but no one's worried about terrorism when there is a depression looming. Kind of tough to scare people with the boogeyman when their money's on fire.