If I were John McCain, here’s what I would do at tonight’s debate with Barack Obama
October 7th, 2008 at 11:09am Pat Cunningham
The conventional political wisdom is that John McCain, trailing in the polls with just four weeks left in the presidential campaign, has to make a BREAKTHROUGH in tonight’s debate if he’s going to turn the race around.
My advice to him if I were on his payroll would be to violate one or two of the RULES contained in the 31-page agreement between the two camps on how the debate is to be conducted.
For example, the candidates are forbidden to wander outside their respective “designated areas” on the stage or to ask each other direct questions.
McCain could score points, methinks, if he walked over to Obama and asked him to sign a written pledge of some kind calculated to embarrass the Democratic nominee.
The gesture might throw Obama off balance and doubtless would invite a rebuke from moderator Tom Brokaw.
With this single stroke, McCain could burnish his maverick credentials by defying a media titan, flouting the excessively restrictive rules (no matter that his campaign helped draft them) and challenging Obama to do something he wasn’t prepared to do.
The Republican base would love it, and Sarah Palin would have something other than Bill Ayers to talk about for the next few days.
Don’t be surprised if this sort of thing actually happens. McCain and his people read this blog religiously.
Entry Filed under: John McCain, Barack Obama
16 Comments Add your own
1. LD | October 7th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Maybe he’ll walk over to shake his hand and ask, “Is it okay if I call you Hussein?”
His shrinking base would love that.
2. echo4charlie | October 7th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Senator McCain has to stay on the high road, and carry himself with class, no matter what.
3. Will Pfeifer | October 7th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Why start now?
4. Pat Cunningham | October 7th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Right you are, Will. “McCain has to STAY on the high road”? When was he on it?
5. hokumboy | October 7th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I’m betting against that, e4c. He’s become too desperate as of late.
That John McCain of 2000 is long dead. What we have now is a Rovian Zombie that will say or do anything to get elected.
6. DingDong | October 7th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I don’t want to see any compliments for Obama. Come out and slam him for his record. I don’t want to see him call Obama friend. Let Obama start quoting McCain’s record then McCain should let him have it. Will:Stick to your fantasy world of movies and comic books.
7. bannernews | October 7th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I think he should bring Sarah Palin’s witch doctor to the debate.
8. snuss | October 7th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I’d like him to ask Obama to explain the millions he distributed to radical groups, when he worked for ACORN, and why there were no accomplishments from all of those grants. Then I would ask what he did to earn the second-highest level of donations from Freddie Mac.
That might be interesting.
9. snuss | October 7th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I’d also ask him if he is nervous about the fact that Resko is turning stool pigeon, to reduce his sentence.
10. equalityrkfd= | October 7th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
To be truly maverick, he should just stay home! Then he wouldn’t have to go thru the pretense of avoiding answering any questions like square glasses did the other night.
11. Optimistic1 | October 7th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I would bring up the “Amazing Ground Game” the Left Proudly talks about that Obama and the DNC have run “Chicago Style” via Acorn. Dead People, Illegals, Dallas Cowboy Imitators, I guess that is the high road to the Presidency the left keeps talking about McCain avoiding?
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/07/acorn_nevada_offices_raided.html
12. DingDong | October 7th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Pat, will act like this is no big deal. It would big deal if it was on the other side. I think attempting to fix an election is what they do in places like….oh let say…Venezuela. Looks like they might take a little peak at Obama’s campaign contributions also. Obama started this with his don’t air the Ayers commercial and we are going to sue for any lies.
13. Craig Knauss | October 7th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Well the debate is over. McCain accomplished little, although he did manage to avoid looking like a jerk, for a change. It’s a shame he can’t act like the old John McCain. That one that had some respect and deserved it. The new John McCain is just a cranky old man who seems to think he has a devine right to the presidency. Well he doesn’t.
14. Craig Knauss | October 7th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Snuss stupidly says, “Then I would ask what he did to earn the second-highest level of donations from Freddie Mac.” McCain probably didn’t ask that because he’s been getting more money from there than Obama has. Not a great strategy, huh?
15. Get Real | October 8th, 2008 at 12:01 am
I think that “That One” won this debate (again). If Obama continues on this streak with his cool, calm, intellect persona, he will win this election.
It’s too bad that McCain has nowhere else to go with his campaign but other than a smear rampage against Obama. Maybe he can’t have a challenging, progressive debate.
http://PoliticEye.com
16. DingDong | October 8th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Craig: The proof is everywhere that Obama was the second largest recipient of Freddie and Fanny.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/politics/2008/10/obamas_fannie_and_freddie_dona.html
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