Town Hall Meetings
Barack Obama continues to renege on his pledge to meet John McCain "anytime, anywhere" for Joint Town-Hall Meetings. He agreed today to only participate in the three regular style debates this Fall:
Democratic candidate Barack Obama on Saturday backed away from rival John McCain's challenge for a series of joint appearances before the political conventions, agreeing only to the standard three debates in the fall.
In May, when a McCain adviser proposed a series of pre-convention appearances at town hall meetings, Obama said, "I think that's a great idea." In summer stumping on the campaign trail, McCain has often noted that Obama had not followed through and joined him in any events.
On Saturday, in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the short period between the last political convention and the first proposed debate made it likely that the commission-sponsored debates would be the only ones in the fall.
"We've committed to the three debates on the table," campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday in an interview. "It's likely they will be the three appearances by the candidates this fall." . . .
The first debate planned by the commission is set for Sept. 26 in Oxford, Miss., three weeks after the Republican National Convention concludes Sept. 4. The Democratic convention is scheduled for Aug. 25-28.
The other presidential debates are set for Oct. 7 and Oct. 15 and the vice presidential debate for Oct. 2.
Obama continues to show that his word means nothing. He knows he is a different candidate when he has no teleprompter, and when the questions are not controlled by his buddies in the Liberal Media. McCain must make an issue of this all the way to Election Day. How can he stand up to our enemies when he's afraid to stand up with John McCain and go toe-to-toe?
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Sen. John McCain told reporters today that joint Town Hall Meetings with Sen. Barack Obama are now "very, very unlikely." McCain refused to describe Obama as arrogant or elitist, repeating his standard statement that he will treat Obama with the respect he deserves as the nominee of his party.
John McCain said he believes joint town-hall meetings with Barack Obama are now "very, very unlikely."
Speaking to reporters on his "Straight Talk Express" bus Friday, McCain said he'll keep asking.
"I think there are some events where we are, organizations that we're supposed to both be speaking to and I would hope that maybe he would join me at those," McCain said. "But it doesn't seem that-we haven't gotten any more responses from his campaign, so I'm told."
McCain said he would not portray Obama as arrogant or an elitist in the general election campaign.
"As the campaigning goes forward I will treat him with respect that the nominee of the party has earned," he said. "And it's not respectful for me to say that he is an elitist or, I am not saying that."
McCain said he references Obama's "bitter" comments because "that is not my view of the small towns in Pennsylvania that he was talking about."
"So we just have a very different opinion," he said. "That does mean to me that he is an elitist. It just means that he has a very different view of what his fundamentals of the heartland of America.''
McCain, who has been reaching out to conservative voters in recent days, said a meeting Sunday with Franklin Graham is not part of that effort.
"No, he is a man whose family is respected, incredibly respected, and I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to meet with him," he said. "I think the Graham family really transcends politics in America. Billy Graham was an adviser to every president, and so I'm not sure that there is any---there certainly is no political aspect to of the meeting that I will have.''
OK Sen. McCain. I'll say it for you -- Barack Obama is an arrogant elitist! He thrives on creating an illusion of one thing when the reality is another. He talks about loving the town-hall format, but refuses to face you in that format. Sen. McCain cannot continue to be low-key about Obama's dishonest nature. He needs to give Americans some "straight talk" about Barack Obama.
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Jim Geraghty, of The Campaign Spot, is one of the best political writers around. He has discovered a gem in Barack Obama's book The Audacity of Hope (title taken from a now under-the-bus Jeremiah Wright), where Obama waxed eloquent about how much he loves "Town Hall Meetings." This is the same Obama who is now avoiding standing side-by-side with John McCain at Town Hall Meetings across America! Here's Geraghty's taken on this:
Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, p. 101-102:
"One of my favorite tasks of being a senator is hosting town hall meetings. I held thirty-nine of them my first year in the Senate, all across Illinois, in tiny rural towns like Anna and prosperous suburbs like Naperville, in back churches in the South Side and a college in Rock Island... For the next hour or so, I answer to the people who sent me to Washington... My time with them is like a dip in a cool stream. I feel cleansed afterward, glad for the work I have chosen."
Hmm. Somehow, Senator Obama no longer wants to feel cleansed by those dips in cool streams.
Obama on Friday rejected McCain's proposal for 10 joint town-hall appearances, question-and-answer gatherings before small audiences that the Republican senator tends to favor. The Democrat has performed best at massive, emotional rallies drawing tens of thousands of people.
Obama has offered to meet McCain in five joint appearances between now and the Nov. 4 election, but only one of those would be town hall-style and it would be on the July 4th Independence Day holiday, when few Americans would be watching. McCain called the offer "a very disappointing response."
If Obama can do thirty-nine town hall meetings in a year, why can't he do more than one between now and Election Day?
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Barack Obama is definitely afraid of the Town Hall Meeting format. His campaign has rejected John McCain's challenge to meet in 10 Town Hall Meetings between now and the National Conventions at the end of August. Obama's counter-proposal was for five "joint appearances," which would include only one Town Hall Meeting, the three already-scheduled Presidential Debates, and one in-depth Debate on Foreign Policy - all between now and November.
In other words - Obama is a coward. He knows he is not the same person when he cannot hide behind his teleprompter and a speech someone wrote for him (or lines he lifted from someone else's speech). Obama smugly feels he has the upper-hand right now, so why give McCain a chance to take him to the woodshed in the Town-Hall Format. McCain should continue to challenge Obama to meet him at Town-Hall Meetings all the way to Election Day. Obama thinks he has the election in the bag - but his cowardice just may come back to haunt him. McCain needs to make sure it does.
Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain have failed to agree on joint town hall appearances.
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said in a statement Friday that he offered to meet McCain in five joint appearances between now and the Nov. 4 election. But only one of those was a town hall meeting.
McCain wanted them to appear together in 10 town hall meetings that would be unscripted with questions from voters in the audience.
Obama preferred one town hall, plus three traditional debates and an in-depth debate on foreign policy.
Pressure is building on Barack Obama to accept John McCain's challenge to appear with him at Town-Hall Meetings this summer prior to the two National Conventions. This time the pressure is coming from the families of former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson:
It looks like everyone is getting into the joint-town hall mood. Nancy Reagan and two of Lyndon Johnson’s daughters have invited Sens. McCain and Obama to town hall meetings at the two presidential libraries.
The press release from the two presidential libraries:
Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Lynda Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson have extended invitations to Senators John McCain and Barack Obama to speak at Town Hall meetings in July. These non-partisan meetings, to be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California and at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, will provide voters with an opportunity to hear the presumptive nominees discuss the issues together prior to the two National Conventions later this summer and the start of the traditional series of Presidential Debates in September and October of this year.
“The Reagan Library is honored to participate in this historic bi-partisan dialogue,” said former first lady Nancy Reagan. “Ronnie always believed in the importance of face-to-face discussion on key issues that affect the American people.”
“My father wanted the LBJ Library & Museum to always be a place where leaders of the day would come and deliberate the great issues of our time in order that we might better serve future generations,” said Luci Baines
Johnson.Lynda Johnson Robb stated, “In the bipartisan spirit of the presidential library system, my father would be proud of this opportunity for Americans to embrace a Scripture verse he quoted often, ‘Come, now, let
us reason together.’”These forums will be open to all media outlets. A respected, independent polling organization will be brought on to ensure that the audiences will represent a cross-section of the American people. Candidates
will be given equal access to address key issues through audience questions.
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Here is video of Sen. John McCain today challenging Barack Obama to a series of ten Town Hall Meetings between now and the Democratic Convention in late August, the first of which he proposes to be held at Federal Hall in New York on June 11 or 12. McCain has sent Obama a letter making the proposal and says he hopes Obama will show up in New York next week.
This is a bold and brilliant move by McCain. Obama excels in the grandiose, dramatic arena speech, but he is far different in a debate setting. McCain excels in the Town Hall format and voters get a chance to ask questions directly. I doubt Obama will accept, but we'll see what happens.
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