NOTE: I feel that this is such an important issue, it is cross-posted on Wordy Laundry.
.authored by something.of.substance.
.McCain seems overwhelmed by multi-tasking.
I didn’t realize Republican Presidential candidate John McCain and current Vice President Dick Cheney had so much in common: when there is a crisis in this country, such as the economic meltdown that is currently ravaging the lives of most Americans, they go into hiding. Unlike Cheney, McCain isn’t in some un-disclosed bunker, holed up with all the comforts of the plush life and none of the reporters. Instead, he has decided to suspend his Presidential campaign (with only 41 days until the election) and hunker down in Washington. And, even though the taxpayers of America are looking for reassurance, answers and a detailed outline of where $700 billion is going (three pages just doesn’t cut it), Senator McCain doesn’t want to talk to you right now.
At first, this might appear to be something of a noble effort: McCain is putting partisan issues to the side in favor of national resurgence. However, I suspect this is more of a political gimmick on his part; if he is part of a bail-out that is approved by Congress and the public he can take credit for his participation (however minimal it may be) and hope to recover some of the twelve point loss on economic issues he’s showing in the polls. What he fails to understand is how effectively shutting down his campaign will probably hurt him in the eyes of America.
Part of being President of the United States is being able to address multiple issues simultaneously. Indeed, most of what got our economy into this mess was the current administration’s inability to look ahead and address the future, let alone addresses issues as they arose. By not continuing to campaign for an election that will happen on November 4th regardless of how the economy looks, McCain is proving that he is only choosing to resume the Bush White House’s mechanism of ignoring the future. By not debating in a timely fashion with Senator Obama, McCain is announcing that he is unable to handle crises as they come. The last time an administration failed to manage a crises as it happened, we were left with the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. Before that, Bush’s famed seven minute non-response on 9/11 showed us the danger of electing politicians who were only “prepared” under calm, intensive coaching.
Later in the day, after his announcement to suspend the debate, McCain upped the ante issuing another statement saying that he will not debate unless an economic plan is reached. This is unfair to the American people. We need to hear this debate. And, even though this particular debate is over foreign policy, we need to know these candidates and we need to get a sense of how they will respond to situations as they unfold daily. At no time is our economy (or any other sector) going to suspend itself so that politicians can meet, be debriefed, meet again, and generate lengthy and comprehensive solutions to outstanding issues. The debates will, if nothing else, allow us to make a partisan determination about who is best able to deal with the country, both in its current state and as we hope it is in the future, so that the public can make the most informed decision about who displays the best ability to lead.
Another factor not in John McCain’s favor leading into the (potentially cancelled) debates on Friday is the virtual disappearance of his campaign since the announcement of Sarah Palin as his running mate. McCain has been so eclipsed by the Sarah Palin smoke screen that he has done virtually no policy setting- and we haven’t really noticed. By heading to Washington and pushing Congress to settle this bailout plan hastily, he is doing the American people a disservice by not listening to pubic reaction on the issue. If he’s not listening, he is not giving us the ability to select who may or may not lead us out of this economic nightmare. McCain is proving that he is not, at least financially, the best selection for America.
On second thought, maybe we don’t need Presidential debates. John McCain seems to have forgotten that it is often what you don’t say that speaks loudest and by refusing to participate in a pro-active future of this country he is letting us know that he either is not ready to handle or does not care about what’s to come beyond today’s immediate need. Sure, he has some decent ideas for the bailout plan such as not allowing golden parachutes for the CEOs of doomed corporations. But, these are not ideas that are singular only to him.
Go to the scheduled debate, Senator McCain. If your country can’t trust you to be there when you say you will, we won’t believe that you’ll be there when we need you most.
