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Obama-McCain Could Create Some Fun Moments

Because they're both open to traveling the campaign trail together.

Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that if he were to become the Democratic nominee, holding joint town hall-style campaign events with Republican Sen. John McCain would be a "great idea."
"Obviously, we would have to think through the logistics on that," Obama continued. "But … if I have the opportunity to debate substantive issues before the voters with John McCain, that's something that I am going to welcome."
Recently, advisors to the all-but-certain GOP nominee have said the Arizona senator is open to the idea, and his campaign has touted the fact that he and Democrat Bill Bradley held joint campaign events when the two ran for the presidential nomination in 1999.

Obama is better when he commands a room by himself — he is, as everyone knows by now, an impressive speaker. McCain is not, and these joint town halls would definitely play to his strengths. One gets the feeling that David Alexrod might pull Obama aside sometime soon and put the kibosh on this idea.

Update: Noam Scheiber agrees, and adds that joint town halls would give the cash-strapped McCain lots of free media.






Comments

Obama made a beautiful, energizing, refreshing, and uniting speech on race relations in response to some remarks made by reverend Wright. The media have responded shamefully. They have held Obama to a double standard and generally given McCain a free pass. While Obama denounced statements by Wright, McCain has accepted endorsements from reverends making much more radical statements against America.
At least Wright has a legitimate gripe. While it may seem outrageous to claim that the government used AIDS to bring down the black man, there is a rational foundation for the claim. Was it not a generation ago that the government conducted the Tuskegee experiment on blacks with syphilis and let them die? Oh, right, it was in order to "study the disease." The journalists seem to forget or pretend this never happened, in order to brush aside Wright's rants as crazy talk.
" NOT THIS TIME!! "
Journalists, columnists, and editorialists must do their job. This is how we doom ourselves into repeating mistakes. It is tempting to pretend they never happened, brush it under the rug, or say it could never happen again. But oppression against black Americans has been a shameful chapter in our history that keeps popping up generation after generation. Considering white and black men use illegal drugs at a comparable rate, why are black men ten times more likely to go to jail for it? Is oppression really a thing of the past that Wright has no reason for bringing up today?! That is how it is being covered in the news. And many Americans are disgusted by it. Rather than forcing Obama to disown his reverend, those in the media should give Wright's anger some deep thought.
Obama has given me hope. I was ready to give up on America. Were I a black man, I would have given up long ago.

Posted by: SHANE ALGARIN on 05/12/08 at 4:56 PM  Respond

McCain will be like Bush and be wired for receiving his answers from an outside source. We know McCain can't hold his own with Obama, but in debates he will have something behind his ear or in his ear receiving his answers. If he practices well enough, it may be difficult to tell. It was easy to see on George W. Bush, but he was selected anyway. Bush wasn't elected either time, cheated and was selected the 1st time and just cheated the 2nd.

Posted by: MarthaA on 05/12/08 at 10:12 PM  Respond

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