McCain, Obama: Is next debate crucial?

What always stuns me about Democrats in States like Michigan, they seem to be able to stay in power even though they are destroying the state economy. How do they do it? They increase budgets and raise taxes on everything they can. The current Governor, Granholm, has further tanked the economy in Michigan with the 2007 budget shortfall brought on by those sure fired revenue losses created by creative taxation. http://www.bop-o-rama.comn Oh, but now she is backing alternative fuel technology because she knows with the dems in Cogress, there will be a lot of money to be had from the Feds.
McCain/Palin

If McCain decides to get negative and personal again, it will be the final nail in his coffin. They saw an angy and arrogant McCain in the last debate, and this will only reinforce that. Besides, McCain has enough skeletons in his own closet- think Keating 5- to sink him, and although Obama won't go there, there are plenty of people who would.

While I think Obama has more integrity than that, I would hope, on Tuesday, when McCain starts his normal mudslinging, that Obama fires back in kind. Take the gloves off, and expose McCain for what he is - an old man reliving his 'glory days' who wants to go to his grave with the title "president" beside his name, no matter what the cost.

Unless your daily pablum is reading or watching news gathering organizations that are agendized in their presentations, it's clear that the Pied Piper of Hyde Park is full of baggage just waiting to be reported.

Barack Obama's background, legislative record and ties with a lot of questionable characters is like a pinata at a kid's birthday party just waiting to be pulled.

John McCain will have a chance to test his mettle next Tuesday during the debate by starting to expose, among other things, Obama's shameful senate record. McCain needs to drop the bi-partisan "bravo sierra" and resume his challenge at the close of the GOP Convention.

This all begs the question:

Does a heretofore reputable and responsible Pulitzer Prize-winning news organization like the Chicago Tribune risk readership to go after a local politician and well-oiled and well-financed Democrat Machine? Up to now, the Trib has done little if anything to indicate it's any more than just another "yes" button for the junior senator from Illinois. If it doesn't, you can best believe the loyal opposition on North Orleans Street along the Chicago River will.

"Still, the presidential race remains relatively close, the election is more than a month away..."

Today is October 4th, and the election is November 4th. That isn't more than a month. Time's running out for McCain.

Oh, please... I'm so sick of hearing about what states have to be won. It's time to get rid of this whole stupid electoral college, once and for all. Every election, we're watching them count the votes in Ohio or Florida, to determine the winner. It makes me want to puke.

John McCain needs to tell the truth about Franklin Delano Raines who took $90 million dollars from fannie Mae while giving a $126,000 polictical donation with Fannie funds to Barack Obama. Jim Johnson who picked Biden as VP took $6 million before he left Fannie. Both are in the tank for Obama.
Then, McCain needs to dump on Barney Frank and Chris Dowd who literally let Fannie and Freddie do a meltdown without proper regulation advocated by McCain.
Bill OReilly turned rightfully on Frank on Fox News show.
The DEMS are clearly to blame for the mortgage mess.
Obama got a sweetheart loan for 5.65 % from Northern Trust in Chicago. Obama is indebted to Tony Rezko for the mansion in Kenwood. Dowd and many other DEMS got sweet heart loans from Countrywide.
Wakeup America there are only DEMS in the morgage scandal of a lifetime.
McCain/Palin tie it to the man/child and his jackass friends. Jerry White, Springfield, IL

If you haven't made up your mind yet (either way), you're living in a cave and don't deserve the right to vote! These debates are crappola and just free advertising for the candidates.

Even though by now McCAIN has to be aware of how damaging his attitude was during the last debate, I really doubt if he can control himself enough to even ACT cordial at the next one...we'll SEE!!!

McCain HAS to tell the public the real Obama story since the media will not dwelve into the Rezko connection, the radical Annenberg grant administered by Obama and terrorist self-described communist Ayers, Obama's work with ACORN which has often been indicted and convicted of election fraud, and Obama's extended Muslim family. Obama is scary even to Democrats and would be moreso if the media gave Obama the same scrutiny they do Gov. Palin.

In the 1930s, the Democrats put safeguards in place to prevent another Great Depression. Since then the Republicans have systematically and thoroughly removed those safeguards, so the big wealthy Wall Street guys could cheat and steal with no restraints from the govrnment. THey called it "deregulation." Now that deregulation has opened the door for Great Depression Number Two, and the big Wall Street guys are cheating and stealing with both hands, thanks to the republicans.
Obama understands this: John McCain is still calling for more deregulation.
The choices are simple -- McCain means more depressions, more people lose their homes, more people suffer. Obama means we rein in the greed on Wall Street and allow the average American to live a decent life without having to lose his job or home.

*

Recently an insurance company nearly wind up....

A bank is nearly bankrupt......

How it affect you? Did you buy insurance? Did you buy mini note or bonds?

Who fault?

They bailout trouble finance company, but they will not bail out your credit card bills……You got no choice, and no point pointing finger but you can prevent similar things from happen again……

The top management of the Public listed company ( belong to "public" ) salary should be tied a portion of it to the shares price ( IPO or ave 5 years ).... so when the shares price drop, it don't just penalise the investors, but those who don't take care of the company.....If this rule is pass on, without any need of further regulation, all industries ( as long as it is public listed ) will be self regulated......because the top management will be concern about their own pay check……

Are you a partisan?

Sign a petition to your favourite president candidate, congress member, House of representative again and ask for their views to comment on this, and what regulations they are going to raise for implementation.....If you agree on my point, please share with many people as possible....

http://remindmyselfinstock.blogspot.com/

Question for McCain for Tuesday's debate . . . it's common knowledge the Republicans know how to turn on the nasty campaign machine and dirty tricks when down in the polls. Everyone knows these players well . . . Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, and now Steve Schmidt.

America right now is depressed, demoralized, and hurting big time. The last thing we want to see for the next four weeks are tens of millions of dollars spent on nasty commercials, polling site tricks, Swift Boat antics, etc.

Would you, Mr. McCain, refrain from this type of campaigning from this point forward? You are the one that decides to go or not go down this path. And, please, don't justify doing it by claiming you would only be telling the truth or dirty little facts. America has heard enough bad news to last our lifetimes.

Just tell us what YOU stand for and leave the negative statements behind. We're smart enough to sort through the facts and our own opinions.

I hope both parties read this. Let's get the message to both candidates. Maybe someone will ask this question on Tuesday?

McCain needs to expose the Democrats involvement in this mortgage mess. They created it the the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) in which 'community activists' like Obama strong armed the banks to give out subprime loans to people that could not afford them. This mortgage mess was created by the Barney Franks and others. And now they have the nerve to say they are solving the problem which they created.

The Democrats are a disgrace to this nation and they need to be exposed!

Just remember the more things 'Change' the more they stay the same!

When McCain orders his campaign flunkeys to start flinging the dirt --which they have to do at this point since they've nothing else left-- it'll be their biggest gamble yet. Obama will likely keep his distance from the crapstorm, but just wait until the 527s start mining McCain's colorful past. It's going to be unspeakably sordid... and great drama!

~A~

While the debate may be crucial as to whom will be the next president, it is irrelevant as to the direction of the country.

Both candidates support increased military intervention, bailouts of special interests, and subsidies for big oil and coal corporations.

Neither candidates are truly in favor of alternative sources of energy, ending war or empowering and favoring shareholders of corporations.

As such we will get more of the same in the second debate with both candidates trying to sound as much like each other as possible. ( I have a bracelet, I have a bracelet too!", How many times will Barack state "Senator McCain is right" in the next debate)
Only Ralph Nader presents an alternative choice and yet he is excluded from the debate.

A few Reverennd Wright ads and McCain wins it.

Lets McCain no new taxes but seems Palin likes to tax the heck out of the oil companies.
If McCain was a man of his word he would have voted Nay on the Senate package. It had earmarks like wooden arrows.
McCain will do say anything to get into power.
He nominated Palin now 2 C- minus students trying to run the greatest democracy in the world.
Another 4 years of Bush or worse.
But neocons will go negative their only tactic lie ,chea,t steal a election.
If they win Canada looks very tempting to me.

Despite the perhaps permanent damage that the rethugs have done to our country, there are still plenty of dead-enders out there - just read some of the posts here. How incredibly ignorant, selfish and stupid republicans are.

live in Ohio, a swing state and a crucial one at that. Around this time in 2000 and 2004, the suburbs were buzzing with Republican activity. This time it seems like a funeral for conservatism.

I see some Repugs are still here playing the violin on the deck of the McPalin Titanic but it's too late, guys! Time to jump the ship and look for new roles and jobs (if the economy permits it).

Any more negative campaigning will turn Ohioans permanently off McCain. We Midwesterners do not like the bickering Schmidt-like weasels and their constant lies and smears.

The way things are going (unless a miracle happens for McCain), it'll be either a loss by a big margin or by a small margin. Either way, the McPain campaign is done. Stick a fork and see for yourself.

What tells me that McCain is done is this statement: "Republican strategists say McCain's most urgent task is to change the focus of the election and frame it in a way that would minimize the impact of the economy on the Nov. 4 vote."

There is no way he can do that - the bar is too high - only if there was a domestic terrorist attack (God forbid) could Obama lose this thing. Game Over - check mate.

I just watched Palin's latest comments on Obama and Ayers. We are witnessing the death screams of a soon to be extinct dinosaur--the "you're on your own" Republican Party.

I don't get the news and ad blackout on McCain's disgraceful treatment of his first wife. Shortly after she was disfigured and partially crippled in a car accident, he left her behind and ran off to Washington where he conducted a series of extramarital affairs. This culminarted with his divorce of his no longer pretty first wife and marriage to a blond former cheerleader millionairess half his age (i.e. Cindy).

The only reason McCain is making Jeremiah Wright off limits is because he knows that opens the door to Palin witch hunting minister. Obama left his church, Palin is still a member of hers.

McCain has said that Rev. Wright should be off limits, but who can blame him- if they use Wright then that will open the door to Palin's witch hunting minister. Obama has already left his church and denounced his minister and no one ever found video or proof that he was in attendance when Wright gave his anti-American speeches- I'm sure they desperately tried. There is however video of Palin being blesses against witchcraft.

I quote Capt. obivous:
"only if there was a domestic terrorist attack (God forbid) could Obama lose this thing. "

They may well engineer something like that.

Democrats, be prudent, send money to the Campaign for the last month fireworks and battles.
The world, not only America, count on you.
Thanks to all. Frenchy from Taiwan.

American Voters need to become aware of a man named Franklin Raines.

This man, is the former C.E.O. of Fannie Mae. It is important for McCain to expose this individual's record so America's voters, can learn critical information to assist them in their decison on who they will decide to cast their vote for.

The reason this is important, is because Franlin Raines, is one of Barrack Obama's Economic Advisors.

Franklin Raines, was the C.E.O. of Fannie Mae and forced into early retirement for severere accounting Irregularities on Fannie Mae's balance sheet.

On December 21, 2004 Franklin Raines, accepted what he called "early retirement" from his position as C.E.O. of Fannie Mae, while U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigators, continued to investigate accounting irregularities.

As we are in poor economic times, it is going to be important for America to be in the hands of compendent people in the next Presidential Administration.

This is not the first time we find John McCain in the midst of a countrywide financial scandal. He always seems to have his hand in the honeypot when a major finacial scandal looms.
So let's get personal indeed. Let the American people know that Mr. McCain was the only legislator of either House or Party to financially benifit in the S&L scandal that cost this country $500 million dollars in bailouts to his friends and campaign donors. That was the Keating 5 scandal.
Now, his friend and economic mastermind, Phil Gramm changed the rules for for energy futures trading that allowed ENRON to suck millions of dollars from the pockets of American utility companies and American consumers while Gramm's wife made $2 million in fees as a member of the ENRON board of directors. These laws, as well as those that led to our current finacial debacle were passed by the chairman of the Commerce Committee in the Senate - McCain!
Our current debacle was not driven by bad mortgages. Banks can handle bad mortgages! Rather this crisis, was caused by the baling of these bad and good mortgages into amrphous bundles and selling them as derivatives to investors.
Trust me, the people who sold these derivatives were not regulated, nor were the investment banks, like Lehman and UBS (where Phil Gramm acted as a consultant) because McCain pushed through legislation that DE-regulatedthese banks and dispensed with the rules to prevent such activity that existed since the last Great Depression..
And, these institutions and Phil Gramm made a S---TLOAD of MONEY!
Gramm calls us" a nation of whiners" while he lights McCain's cigars with $100 bills.
The FHA guarantees these bad loans and thus keep or mortgage banking system solvent.
But no one, until now with $700 billion taxpayers dollars, covered those financial instuments that McCain and his friends unleashed on the market and got rich off of.

Wake UP!!
Fool us once, shame on McCain; fool us twice - shame on America!

This is not the first time we find John McCain in the midst of a countrywide financial scandal. He always seems to have his hand in the honeypot when a major finacial scandal looms.
So let's get personal indeed. Let the American people know that Mr. McCain was the only legislator of either House or Party to financially benifit in the S&L scandal that cost this country $500 million dollars in bailouts to his friends and campaign donors. That was the Keating 5 scandal.
Now, his friend and economic mastermind, Phil Gramm changed the rules for for energy futures trading that allowed ENRON to suck millions of dollars from the pockets of American utility companies and American consumers while Gramm's wife made $2 million in fees as a member of the ENRON board of directors. These laws, as well as those that led to our current finacial debacle were passed by the chairman of the Commerce Committee in the Senate - McCain!
Our current debacle was not driven by bad mortgages. Banks can handle bad mortgages! Rather this crisis, was caused by the baling of these bad and good mortgages into amrphous bundles and selling them as derivatives to investors.
Trust me, the people who sold these derivatives were not regulated, nor were the investment banks, like Lehman and UBS (where Phil Gramm acted as a consultant) because McCain pushed through legislation that DE-regulatedthese banks and dispensed with the rules to prevent such activity that existed since the last Great Depression..
And, these institutions and Phil Gramm made a S---TLOAD of MONEY!
Gramm calls us" a nation of whiners" while he lights McCain's cigars with $100 bills.
The FHA guarantees these bad loans and thus keep or mortgage banking system solvent.
But no one, until now with $700 billion taxpayers dollars, covered those financial instuments that McCain and his friends unleashed on the market and got rich off of.

Wake UP!!
Fool us once, shame on McCain; fool us twice - shame on America!

I'll see your Bill Ayers.

And raise you a Charles Keating, a Phil Gramm, and a Rick Davis.

GAME ON ...!!!

It is a sign of the utmost cynicism that McCain wants to *not* talk about the most important issue facing America today -- the economy. If he has nothing to say on the economy now, what happens if, heaven forfend, he actually gets elected.

When you are a D- student, a C student will look pretty smart. That's what we got with John McCain and Sarah Palin.

You know the sad thing is that Obama should be 15 or 20% points ahead nationally because the dems have everything going for them. Now hes only 7. That just proves that the bradley effect does exist. which whenever a black candidate runs for an office his poll numbers are always higher than they actually turn out to be usually 3 0r 4% points so this election is going to be very very close and i predict mccain will win because the states that are tied now will probly go for mccain because of the bradley effect.

John Engler and the Republican legislature messed up Michigan and its going to take a long time to fix it.

"Republican strategists say McCain's most urgent task is to change the focus of the election and frame it in a way that would minimize the impact of the economy on the Nov. 4 vote."

Well, that's exactly right, and so we have Sarah Palin out on the stump stopping just short of calling Obama the "N-word".

~A~

Palin is saying that O,Bama is a terrorist. CNN did a fact check and she is LYING.
Cant wait till this is over and O,Bama is President

It really is amazing to listen to the Right WIng on this page decry the Democrats and try and pin corruption on Obama. Theya re so scared.

Hello?

Barney Frank passed regulatory legislation on Freddie and Fannie within months of getting into office. McCain supported a bill in the Senate sponsored by Hagel that didn;t get passed, in spite of Both the Senate and the Congress being GOP controlled. So, I guess McCain's great reaching across the isle didn;t even work on his own party.

Secondly, Obama did not cost the taxpayers 500 million in a bailout due to his part in the Keating Scandal. McCain was part of that little disaster.

McCain also did little to actually regulate anything in his position.

I don't thin McCain is a bad guy, but he is always on the wrong side of the issue, and it has cost the US terribly.

The McCain campaign just walked into a trap. I can't believe they've fallen for it again.

They are acting like they're on a sugar high, when we need sober leadership.

The real issue is not how well Obama or McCain might do state-by-state, but that we shouldn't have battleground states and spectator states in the first place. Every vote in every state should be politically relevant in a presidential election. And, every vote should be equal. We should have a national popular vote for President in which the White House goes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes in all 50 states.

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral vote -- that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).

Because of state-by-state enacted rules for winner-take-all awarding of their electoral votes, recent candidates with limited funds have concentrated their attention on a handful of closely divided "battleground" states. In 2004 two-thirds of the visits and money were focused in just six states; 88% on 9 states, and 99% of the money went to just 16 states. Two-thirds of the states and people have been merely spectators to the presidential election.

Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide.

The National Popular Vote bill has passed 21 state legislative chambers, including one house in Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, and Washington, and both houses in California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The bill has been enacted by Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. These four states possess 50 electoral votes-- 19% of the 270 necessary to bring the law into effect.

See http://www.NationalPopularVote.com

Let's see who is the agressor today. Obama surely can keep his passive-agressive stance on McCain, he surely doesn't need to bully McCain very agressively because of the great leading advantage he still has to this day.

Will the elections be close? I don't think so, Obama surely has to much support already, historically, McCain needs a miracle in my strong opinion. End of story.

Boricua