The Candidates
McCain once again calls for joint town hall meetings:
Dear Senator Obama:
In 1963, Senator Barry Goldwater and President John F. Kennedy agreed to make presidential campaign history by flying together from town to town and debating each other face-to-face on the same stage. In Goldwater’s words, those debates “would have done the country a lot of good.” Unfortunately, with President Kennedy’s untimely death, Americans lost the rare opportunity of witnessing candidates for the highest office in the land discuss civilly and extensively the great issues at stake in the election. What a welcome change it would be were presidential candidates in our time to treat each other and the people they seek to lead with respect and courtesy as they discussed the great issues of the day, without the empty sound bites and media-filtered exchanges that dominate our elections. It is in the spirit of President Kennedy’s and Senator Goldwater’s agreement, in the spirit of the politics of change, and to do our country good, that I invite you to join me in participating in town hall meetings across the country to discuss the most important issues facing Americans. I also suggest we fly together to the first town hall meeting as a symbolically important act embracing the politics of civility.
I propose these town hall meetings be as free from the regimented trappings, rules and spectacle of formal debates as possible, and that we pledge to the American people we will not allow the idea to die on the negotiation table as our campaigns work out the details. I suggest we agree to participate in at least ten town halls once a week with the first on June 11 or 12 in New York City at Federal Hall until the week before the Democratic Convention begins at locations to be determined by our campaigns. Federal Hall is particularly fitting as it was the place where George Washington took the oath of office as our first President and the birthplace of American government hosting the first Congress, Supreme Court and Executive Branch offices. These town halls should be attended by an audience of between two to four hundred selected by an independent polling agency, could be sixty to ninety minutes in length, have very limited moderation by an independ ent local moderator, take blind questions from the audience selected by the moderator and allow for equally proportional time for answers by each of us. All of these are suggestions that can be finalized by our campaigns. What is important is that we commit to participate in these history making meetings to join in the higher level of discourse that Americans clearly would prefer.
To show our good faith, we should both commit to the first town hall I have suggested. In the mean time, we can work out dates for future town hall meetings.
I look forward to your favorable reply and to the opportunity to work with you to give Americans a better opportunity to understand our differences, our agreements and the leadership we offer them.
Sincerely,
John McCain
June 4th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I suppose this is good from a “national conversation” standpoint, but as for the politics? I dunno…
June 4th, 2008 at 11:17 am
As good of an idea as it is; Barry will never go for it. *sigh*
June 4th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I’m not so sure as McCain expects Obama to go for it…it would put Obama in situations where he would negate his advantages.
I almost think that the McCain camp WANTS Obama to turn it down. Then, it becomes another talking point for how Obama is all rhetoric with no real desire for positive change.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:21 am
It looks like a win-win to me. McCain does well in town-halls and it would be in poor form for Obama to turn this down since he’s all about “elevating politics” and all.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I am in favor of the idea in principle, but the letter reads more like a stunt, especially following the whole “go to Iraq” gimmick. If you are making a serious proposal you don’t set out all the terms in advance and make it public.
Also, McCain has had his party’s nomination for three months; Obama has had his for less than 24 hours. The man deserves a little time.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:34 am
nice idea, challenging Obama to step away from the teleprompter
June 4th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I like it. Assuming Obama turns it down (as I suspect he will), it helps advance McCain’s narrative, which is that Obama’s talk of “change” is empty. It also, by reference to Kennedy being willing to do it, helps deflate the “new JFK” image for Obama.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Maybe Obama should challenge McCain to a series of baseball stadium speeches about nothing.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Mixed bag.
If Obama accepts, then McCain will benefit greatly. But this is hardly a revolutionary idea. Half the candidates during the primary used the same tactic. In this instance, they would be playing to McCain’s strength.
If I were Obama, I would accept on principle, but request that they change the venue to weekly debates on PBS with Jim Lehrer moderating. No audiences, and in a fully conversational setting, complete with coffee cups and easy chairs.
Nothing bothered me more during the primary than watching them throw cute one liners to play to the crowd, that had nothing of substance, except to show that they were happenin’ and could get a reaction from a partisan audience.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Mixed bag. If Obama accepts, then McCain will benefit greatly. But this is hardly a revolutionary idea. Half the candidates during the primary used the same tactic. In this instance, they would be playing to McCain’s strength.
If I were Obama, I would accept on principle, but request that they change the venue to weekly debates on PBS with Jim Lehrer moderating. No audiences, and in a fully conversational setting, complete with coffee cups and easy chairs. Nothing bothered me more during the primary than watching them throw cute one liners to play to the crowd, that had nothing of substance, except to show that they were happenin’ and could get a reaction from a partisan audience.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I’ll say one thing…McCain’s got balls. I do love the idea, and I think it puts Obama in the perfect place. This is why I will vote for McCain even with my personal distaste for him- he’s gutsy.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Obama’s camp has responded, saying it wants Lincoln-Douglass format. McCain was asked about it in a press conference and said, “I want the town halls. That is why I am the GOP nominee.”
June 4th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Now Obama wants Lincoln-Douglas style debates? He couldn’t run and hide fast enough when Clnton challenged him. The nerve of this guy.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
please excuse my language, and mods, feel free to delete this if you need to. I have never talked this way on this blog, and won’t again. But I know of no other way to say this:
no chance in hell Obama accepts this
June 4th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Obama wants a more informal, longer style of debating. This is a definite advantage for McCain. I don’t know why Obama would agree to this. Obama needs short, scripted speeches with little substance to do well. Long, drawn-out debates will inevitably lead to Obama’s views being exposed for the leftist that he is along with many gaffes. Obama’s inexperience is going to show. Not smart of him at all.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
McCain is doing the right thing, but sadly, this idiot is not making enough noise. I mean, I have heard about his Iraq trip challenge but only on the conservative sites. There is barely a word about it elsewhere. Why is McCain not making enough noise about how Obama has, by his silence, rejected the offer to fly to Iraq? He is having a serious PR issues, only because he has depended on MSM too much, and only until Mitt got booted out.