"God save us from such help"; "McCain only hurt this process"

By: Lowell
Published On: 9/26/2008 6:07:12 AM

So, John McCain gets involved in an area about which he knows nothing - economics, the "mental recession," all that - and immediately messes things up. In sum, McCain "suspends" his campaign (not really, as his offices are all open, he's appearing on news shows, Palin's busy making a fool of herself...in other words, life goes on at Camp McCrazy), pulls out of the first presidential debate (well, maybe, we're not sure about that), goes to a crucial White House meeting and basically has nothing to say, etc.  

As if all that's not bad enough, we then get McCain joining with right-wing House Republicans, some of whom "are saying privately that they'd rather 'let the markets crash' than sign on to a massive bailout." One House Republican even mused, "For the sake of the altar of the free market system, do you accept a Great Depression?" Yeah, just what we need, bread lines and soup kitchens, sounds great!

So what's John McCain doing that's SO constructive he can't make the debate tonight? Nothing, according to this:  

Reid said McCain was "not helpful" by suspending his campaign and heading to Washington, claiming it was difficult to "understand what John McCain said at the [White House] meeting." He said McCain spoke last and only for several moments, and did not contribute anything.

"McCain only hurt this process," Reid said.

Asked if McCain expressed interest in taking part in negotiations on Capitol Hill, Reid said, "No."

And then there's this classic quote about John McCain:

Following the meeting, Frank and Dodd implored President Bush to persuade House Republicans that the situation is urgent. "The president has got to go to work here," said Frank. As for McCain's offer of assistance, Frank said, "God save us from such help."

Frank gave reporters copies of the House Republicans' set of principles, and he said that their primary goal - insuring bad bank loans, rather than buying them - had already been rejected by Paulson as unworkable. He noted that no House Republicans raised the insurance idea at a House hearing yesterday; if anyone had, he said, Paulson would have rejected the idea out of hand.

So, there you have it: John McCain comes to Washington after barely being seen there the past 1 1/2 years, huddles with the most right-wing Republicans in Congress, has nothing constructive to add at the emergency White House summit, apparently signs on to an "unworkable" idea that House Republicans (or the McCain campaign?) hatched at the last minute, and hangs out with people who are trying to figure out whether preserving the "altar of the free market" is worth  a new Great Depression.

Yeah, that's our pal John McCain: leadership, integrity, "country first" and all that (***snark*** ***eye rolls***). "God save us" is right!


Comments



"More of a political stunt for McCain" (Lowell - 9/26/2008 6:11:43 AM)


House Republicans threw the deal for McCain (Hugo Estrada - 9/26/2008 7:13:38 AM)
This morning I learned that House Republicans threw the deal. One of two: either they are actually that reckless and ideologically stupid that they don't want a package to save the economy or they are doing it to save face for McCain, so that he will have an excuse not to debate tonight.

This is very, very disgraceful of them.



Well... (Tiderion - 9/26/2008 11:16:44 AM)
There are competing interests here long before McCain arrived in DC. I am wary of calling this completely against McCain even though I personally believe it. Democrats are lining up against him and Republicans, well many anyways, are lining up with him. If more Republicans said that the bill they had yesterday was good until McCain got here, I would believe the story more. Right now it looks like the more conservative free marketeers in the Republican wing of the House decided before that White House meeting to draft their own bill. I understand McCain offered his own bill at that meeting. I strongly doubt so many Republicans are putting their asses on the line for McCain though. They just can't be that dumb.


On the other hand (Hugo Estrada - 9/26/2008 11:50:16 AM)
They seem dumb enough to derail the plan to put up an ideologically purer solution, in the name of the Free Market gods.

So dumb seems pretty plausible ;)



Wall Street: look at McCain (Hugo Estrada - 9/26/2008 7:21:57 AM)
This stunt angers me so much that I am double posting.

I hope that Wall Street and its financial elites will see how reckless McCain is with this stunt. Just when Democrats, the White House and Paulson had agreed on a bill to rescue mainly rich people, McCain had to derail the process so that he will have an excuse not to debate.

Cowardly of McCain to dodge, but very, very reckless and irresponsible to play with the world economy for personal gain.



Listen to Plotkin (Teddy - 9/26/2008 10:55:02 AM)
on WTOP, taking questions from the public while he has one Barack Obama supporter (Meagan Beyer) and three more or less Republicans, including a rep from The Examiner which endorsed McCain. The questions coming in are on the order of: McCain is the only one who is really trying to do something for the economy, Obama is just going along with Wall Street; if the problem is as bad as they say, why waste time on a debate, sholudn't both candidates be in Washington working to resolve the crisis? McCain's grandstanding is going over well with John Q. Public, it seems.

On the other hand, according to a pro-McCain free marketer on the show with Plotkin, this whole thing happened because of excessive regulation (i.e., telling Fannie and Freddie to make more loans for homeownership) and what we need is less regulation not more. The Free Marketers are out in force. NO ONE is challenging them and their basic philosophy. It is precisely what I was afraid of, and the reason I urged the Democrats to tackle free market Friedmanism and come up with an alternative economic philosophy pronto. McCain is coming off smelling like a rose; even though his erratic performance has been remarked upon, he sounds more in tune with what the general voter is thinking than Obama, who is tarred with supporting Bush. Beyer is doing a good, reasoned and polite job, but she is not going for the gut.  



Mighty McMouse to the rescue (GOPGAS - 9/26/2008 11:13:33 AM)
!!!!Here I come to save the day
Mighty McMouse is on the way!
He's faster than a GOP spinmeister
stronger than a Federal regulator
able to leap tall piles of worthless stocks
while disguised as a maverick in the senate


More like Mighty Mouse is IN the way. (Tiderion - 9/26/2008 11:17:31 AM)
amirite?


Drink the cool aid (GOPGAS - 9/26/2008 11:20:23 AM)
Wall Street created this brew with the help of the Rating companies. Now, let them drink the hemlock.

NO: oversite, no limit, no regulations, and a blank check. Bush is not out to save the Seventh Cavalry, he's trying to save Custer's scalp and to hell with the troopers.

I don't see investors bailing out of the market. What's the rush? Me thinks something is rotten in the District of Columbia.



Webb GI Education Bill (GOPGAS - 9/26/2008 11:57:20 AM)
Why hasn't Obama made more of an issue with McCain over his stone walling this legislation? McCain, the war hero, said the bill was too expensive! He had the balls to say that to the thousands of wounded service people who have to make an entirely new life for themselves!

I'm a registered Republican, a Vietnam Vet, and a retired vet. I was trying hard to vote for McCain until he selected Mrs. Airhead for his wing man.

Our country cannot have Flailin Palin guarding our 6. According to the insurance actuary tables McCain has 2 to 4 years before his skin cancer kills him. I think the pressures of the office will kill him sooner. No president since the FDR-Truman era has had so many problems occurring all at once.