June 12, 2008
First McCain Townhall To Be Broadcast Live on Fox News Tonight
I really hope that they go with an unattended stool/microphone on stage with Sen. McCain to illustrate just which candidate is too afraid to speak openly with American voters:
Please tune into The Fox News Channel tonight at 7PM EDT to watch the first 2008 Presidential Town Hall, broadcast from Federal Hall in New York City. This historic location is where President George Washington first took the oath of office. Tonight it will play host to John McCain while he answers questions from real voters about important issues including the economy, energy prices and the war.
Last week, John McCain invited Senator Obama to participate tonight, hoping to start what would be a series of ten town hall meetings where both candidates would travel the country to answer questions from real voters. Senator Obama has yet to agree to meet us in these town halls. These town halls would revolutionize our political process and start a real change in the tone of politics. John McCain believes in this effort and is putting it into action.
Please tune into the Fox News Channel, tonight at 7PM EDT to witness first-hand John McCain’s brand of straight talk with voters.
I will create an Open Thread for us to discuss the Townhall as it happens. The thread will go live at approx 6:45pm EST.
http://race42008.com/2008/06/12/first-mccain-townhall-to-be-broadcast-live-on-fox-news-tonight/trackback/
June 12th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Kavon,
Wouldn’t that be gross if they had an unattended stool at this? I think that will only repel voters.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Its too early to go with the unattended stool thing, for now, this is strictly a pro-McCain campaign event.
That said, McCain should set up seven townhall meetings in major swing states:
Miami, Florida
Columbus, Ohio
Detroit, Michigan
Maddison, Wisconsin
Denver, Colorado
Las Vegas, Nevada
Souix City, Iowa
..McCain finalizes the dates for these, picks large venues, and invites Obama - making it clear that two chairs will be set up.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I’m excited to see what kind of coverage this garners. The more McCain seizes headlines, the more his numbers will go up, I predict. People like him.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I like this move by McCain a lot. I hope as well that they do the empty stool to show how cowardly Obama is.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Don’t do the empty stool thing yet.
Wait a couple weeks, announce a series of townhall meeting in various states and regions, give exact dates and times, and invite Obama to attend.
If he doesn’t show up, THEN you set up the empty stool.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Act,
Obama was invited to this one. He declined to show up.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
This couldn’t hurt. The more coverage, the better. McCain better stay away from green backgrounds, he better cake on the makeup and he better be on his game for it to help.
Either way this is just “spring training”. McCain’s major task is to keep it a mid-single digit race, then REALLY be on his game in the fall debates.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
The single best move McCain could make tonight would be to open himself to the idea of domestic oil drilling - he could say something like “While I have personal reservations, I will not block legislation approved by congress from opening up more areas to drilling”
June 12th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
McCain can’t make this an oratorical battle - ’cause he’ll lose.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
It’s my understanding that McCain already IS open to domestic drilling (except in ANWR) as long as any individual state wants to do it.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
#8, town hall =/= oratory. Not like Obama orates, anyway. Town hall is more akin to a debate, where Obama is famously off his game, sputtering, too deep in his voice, and gets flustered when challenged. McCain would ream him in that sort of forum.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
AP is reporting that the idea of a second (empty) chair has been scrapped.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Rather than McCain resorting to an empty chair as a silly prop to embarrass his competition, perhaps those in attendance could pose questions directly to Obama that will go unanswered…putting pressure on the craven Illinois senator to participate in future events.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
#12 is an awesome suggestion.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I think the empty stool thing reminds me of the values voters debate where they set up an empty podium, asked it questions, and played crickets chirping while the cameras zoomed in on the empty podium. Only crazy people do this kind of thing. Just let McCain own the stage, and the lack of Obama will speak for itself.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I’m with Robbie on this one. I instinctively like the idea because it sticks it to Obama’s cowardice, but it’s just too risky. It comes across as snide and a little nutty. And the press would interpret it as a manifestation of McCain’s temper, when he needs to come across as the gentlemanly adult. Scrap the stool and just host a great town hall. That’ll be sufficient.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
McCain needs to make two firm pledges to the American people (one domestic policy and one foreign policy).
By the end of my first term:
1. Roe v. Wade will no longer be law.
2. The government of Iran will be overthrown and replaced with a Constitutional Democracy.
These two simple pledges would consolidate the base and likely allow him to win in a landslide.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Somebody get a reality check for JA Pruce.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
While I like both of those things, McCain isn’t in a position to deliver on either of them.
#1 could happen, but it depends on which justices die/retire - and who they are replaced by.
#2, well, people would take it as a threat of military force, and McCain isn’t in a position to make that kind of statement.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
16, you’re either a brilliant satirist, or a mental patient.
By the way, how would the president overturn Roe v. Wade in 4 years?
June 12th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
McCain is in favor of drilling, just not in National Parks on Federal land.
#12 is brilliant.
June 12th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
“McCain is in favor of drilling, just not in National Parks on Federal land.”
…well when that is where the oil is…
June 12th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Being for drilling off the coasts only if the governors agree is not exactly being for drilling when we know the governors of FL and CA and elsewhere disapprove.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
JA Pruce,
What on earth are you talking about. If he made those two pledges he would be voted out at the GOPconvention.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Here’s the latest Essential Read from Jennifer Rubin:
Obamanomics
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?print=yes&id=26935
June 12th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
http://www.act-blog.co.nr,
Actually your statement incorrect. #22 has it correct.
In fact they estimate the Shale reserves have the larrgest amount in the United States, but the cost of a barrel must increase before it is profitable to explore, develop and extract.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
McCain can’t make this an oratorical battle - ’cause he’ll lose.
McCain can win an oratorical battle if he can show that Obama’s words don’t really have anything to back them up. For instance, when Obama says things like (paraphrasing) ‘this is the moment when we begin to care for the sick’, McCain can call him on his foolishly messianic rhetoric, and note his own surprise that we had not thought to do so until Obama was nominated. If he can make Obama look foolish, he can win the battle.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
“there is one thing Governor Romney and I agree on, he is the candidate of change”. John McCain.
Thus the flip-flop label stuck.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
#26:
Wouldn’t that be poetic irony, Obama’s own rhetoric could be his downfall.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
anyone taking bets on how many times the anti war protesters interrupt? i predict at least 3.
June 12th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I am guessing this audience will have been pre-screened. We are talking Fox.
June 12th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I wasn’t talking about the oil shale - which I actually believe is efficient near $70.
I was talking about ANWR.
June 13th, 2008 at 8:58 am
We can bicker about this all day, but a lot of people believe that ANWR would be VERY temporary solution to the problem.