John McCain: Dishonest and Dishonorable

Hoisted from Comments: The best comment on John McCain's campaign suspension that I have seen:

Neal: It's a tough job being a windsock in a tornado.

Secretary Paulson, the leaders of both houses, the chairs and ranking members of the relevant committess--all were on the same page and working toward a financial deal that Paulson and Bernanke, solid Republicans, say is needed now.

John McCain announces he is suspending his campaign, cancels on David Letterman, gets made-up for and does an interview with Katie Couric, goes and talks to the Clinton Global Initiatiive the following day, persuades Bush to call a meeting at the White House, gets to Washington DC in the afternoon, goes and talks to the House Republicans, goes to the meeting, sits in the back of the meeting and is evasive, and when the meeting breaks up, three things are clear:

• John McCain won't say what financial rescue packages he supports or opposes.
• George W. Bush won't say that support for Paulson is a test of Republican loyalty.
• The House Republican caucus doesn't support their leaders.
• The House Republican caucus doesn't have an alternative plan.

That's quite an accomplishment. It is hard to read it any other way than as John McCain rallying the House Republicans to blow up the bipartisan agreement that was being negotiated. The House Republicans don't want to do anything to hold CEOs accountable, to protect taxpayers, protect homeowners, or provide oversight. The Treasury rejected the not-quite-ideas they put forward at the White House meeting last week.

John McCain and the House Republicans blew up the deal because he doesn't want to debate Barack Obama tonight, and thinks that this is a way he can get out of having to do so.

We'll see if it can be put back together.

Comments

[capatalistpig]

Are house Republicans so delusional that they can not see that the new Congress will have an almost certain veto proof majority, in the disastrous event that McFool gets elected!

[asphaltdaisies]

I don't know that one can put the entire blame on McCain. I am one of the nut jobs that distrusts so much about this bailout that no bill **right now** is the best answer.

1. There's no transparency as to how the 700B loosens credit markets.
2. The last thing nut jobs like me want to do is reward bad behavior. Every draft I've seen rewards the bad behavior that got them in this mess.
3. Leadership at both parties is ramming this through for the most part with Frank and Dodd just giving the Treasury and Fed a free pass. I think the rank and file are right to break ranks and I hope they fight on for more transparency and a better handle on the issues before spending any money.

It's very easy to point fingers but it really doesn't contribute to understanding the issues at hand.

[bigTom]

Isn't the real issue/problem, the fact that we have a population which mistrusts experts -especially economic ones. This leads a Democracy towards government by the least common mental denominator.

The Republicans are desperate, with nothing politically to lose by trying this bizarre strategy. They are acting like a wounded animal trapped in a corner, maybe one crazy unexpected roll of the dice can change everything. And, as Joe average, doesn't understand all the sophisticated talk about finance, and instability, unless he actually sees a collapse happen, he thinks its all just a clever scam to steel his money and give it to fat cats. (Indeed the original plan without accountability, and other provisions to give taxpayers a chance to recoup their loses -was.) A good bus driver analogy is you are the driver, and you know there is severe danger up ahead, and are driving very slow, but your passengers are rioting, they want you to drive 90mph, and are threatening to throw you overboard and take over. The only way to demonstrate the danger of an accident is to actually have one.

[Neil B]

What kind of deal we have matters, but so does the blame game (like it or not) because of what it says about our institutions, and what kind of pressures are on which in the future. One good talking point about the whole "fault" issue: many conservatives criticize liberals/institutions for pressuring banks into lending to credit-risky poor folks, minorities, etc. (But Bush supported such lending, etc.) Well, even if so: all the more reason for the bankers and investment firms to have been careful and honest packaging the loans into investment devices, etc. - instead of less responsibility on them because of the hand they were dealt to begin with.

[MobiusKlein]

It's a hostage negotiation. Pay GWB and crew 1B$, and have them on a plane to Aruba by the morning.

Take McCain with them, have Hillary run as the Republican nominee. But get the criminals away from the hostages ASAP.

[tegwar]

I don't think the conclusions are quite fair to the Republican / McCain relationship. House Republicans seem to be revolting as a start toward remaking the party (in a sane direction, well it's possible, right?) - to not follow Bush and, well, there's no point in trying to follow McCain. McCain is faced with utter irrelevance if he doesn't at least appear to be on the same wave as Congressional Republicans - he can't get them to follow him (let's talk about Leadership) so he walks amidst them and creates the appearance of relevance. But, like much of his campaign, it's just a show.

He needed Bush to call a meeting to make him seem relevant, reportedly does little in the meeting (no cameras, no need to manage appearances) but does help poison the plan by refusing to Lead - in that way hitching his quasi-relevance to non-ideas from ideologues and the 'Tax Cuts = Robitussin (it cures anything)' crowd.

If Congressional Republicans want to start rebuilding the party, maybe they should disown McCain. Afterall - if Obama were to win and win big against a legit opponent, that's a mandate. If Obama beats a clown, well how does that amount to a mandate?

[Adam]

I'm a conservative (though no longer Republican) reader of this blog and want to say that John McCain and House Republicans are embarrassing themselves and endangering the country. A bipartisan group of financially literate adults (Frank, Dodd, Paulson, Bernanke, Bennett, etc.) appared to have a deal. The congressional leadership (Pelosi, Boehner, Reid, McConnell) appeared to be letting the financially literate adults work. Then, the jackasses in the Republican Study Committee bolt and Boehner and McCain run to get in front of the mob so they can pretend they're leading it. Disgraceful.

Mobius Klein: I supported Hillary in the primary based on my perception that she was the best "Republican" candidate, but we may be alone in that belief.

[alkali]

McCain didn't *do* anything. It's about two things he couldn't do at the same time: be in Washington *and* tell the House GOP to act like grownups. Once he showed up, he had to be nice to them, because they represent his base; once he was nice to them, they blew up the process.

[SR]

Come on, Brad. It's not unreasonable to suspect that there are nefarious election-related motives behind yesterday's moves by McCain and those House Republicans, but if so, the main goal would certainly not have been avoiding the debate. It would be something considerably bigger than that, most likely related to campaign positioning in the wake of whatever happens with the bailout.

[greensmile]

suspending his campaign indeed! His Obama bashing ads ran unabated in Massachusetts last night.

Not to protest, great minds think alike and all that but....I labeled the posturing old fart "Captain Windsock" back in May.

Being down 14% vs Obama in polls about who has the economic smarts, old Captain Windsock just had to do something...but now that the debate is back on, McCain hardly looks any more "executive" for this little stunt.

[M. Carey]

However:
For all its merits (whatever they may be), it is clear that, among the population at large, the bailout is a political looser. The radio (KGO, S.F.) just said that letters to Barbara Boxer were overwhelmingly against the bailout. Mind you, this is NOT Oklahoma.

Obviously, Bush is a proven liar- why believe anything he says ??
Also the Dems have proven to be without backbone; Why believe their concerns ??

Enquiring minds want to know.

[Neil B]

Well, if the bailout is a political loser, then all McCain has to do is: Be against the bailout and pick up the needed edge, even with blathering Palin (reminiscent of that poor Miss America contestent, rambling about Iraq and South Africa...) Anyone who wants to stop McBushlin has to think of how to deal with that.

[MM]

Slightly off topic, but not too much...

So, McCain tried to get a mutually agreed upon campaign suspension... Why couldn't the McCain-Palin campaign go on, with Palin at the helm? Is it just me, or does anyone else get the sense that Palin's handlers have told her to stop speaking in public?

[MM]

Slightly off topic, but not too much...

So, McCain tried to get a mutually agreed upon campaign suspension... Why couldn't the McCain-Palin campaign go on, with Palin at the helm? Is it just me, or does anyone else get the sense that Palin's handlers have told her to stop speaking in public?