Town-Hall Meetings
Here is video of a town-hall meeting in Racine, Wisconsin today, July 31, 2008, where an 18-year old woman told Sen. John McCain that Obama "terrifies me." She urged McCain to "call him on every shot," and not let Obama get away with "anything." The clip goes on to show an older woman in the audience thanking John McCain for being "such a Great American."
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Here is Sen. John McCain today, June 10, 2008, addressing a group of Small Business Owners, when he was interrupted by protesters. He handled it with humor, and used it to push Barack Obama for Town Hall Meetings that will provide an opportunity for civil discourse with Americans.
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A new Rasmussen Poll finds a huge majority of Americans believe John McCain's idea of Town-Hall Meetings between himself and Barack Obama is a good one:
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of voters nationwide say John McCain’s call for a series of ten Town Hall debates is a good idea. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 11% disagree and 12% are not sure.
McCain has proposed that the candidates meet once a week in ten different cities around the country. The two men would answer questions from private citizens instead of reporters. Obama’s home town newspaper has endorsed the concept as well. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote “forget about holding 10. Do 20 -- or more -- and get going.” Ninety percent (90%) of Republicans support McCain’s debate proposal along with 66% of Democrats and 80% of unaffiliated voters.
The poll also found that 60% believe the “town hall” format is the best approach. Twenty-two percent (22%) said they would prefer direct debates between McCain and Obama with nobody else asking questions. Just 11% believe the traditional format—with reporters asking questions—is the best. That may be due to the fact that voters do not see reporters as neutral observers and moderators. A recent survey found that 68% of voters believe most reporters try to help the candidate they want to win. Just 17% see most reporters as objective.
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Campaign Managers for John McCain and Barack Obama have reportedly agreed "in spirit" to schedule some kind of joint appearances in the weeks ahead, but both campaigns rejected a proposal from ABC News to hold a joint town-hall meeting in New York. Neither campaign wants coverage to be limited to one network.
John McCain and Barack Obama rejected an offer Sunday from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and ABC News to host the first proposed presidential town hall because they do not want it limited to one television network.
McCain, the likely Republican nominee, last week asked his Democratic counterpart to join him for 10 meetings in the coming months, and campaign managers for both sides said they had agreed in spirit to schedule some type of joint appearances.
But the campaigns rejected a formal offer outlined in a letter from Bloomberg and ABC News on Sunday that envisioned kicking off the town hall series with a 90-minute, prime-time broadcast from New York. The campaigns said the candidates want the meetings open for broadcast on all television networks or on the Internet, rather than be sponsored by a single network or news organization.
Bloomberg, the billionaire mayor who toyed with running for president as an independent, has sought to hold onto the spotlight that began to fade after he ultimately decided against a White House run.
A spokesman indicated Bloomberg would not give up on trying to influence the town hall meeting process.
"We're committed to finding a similar format that works for a joint town hall meeting between the two candidates in the nation's largest city," Stu Loeser said.
ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said the network is open to discussing a wider distribution for the town hall.
"We think the important thing is bringing the candidates together," he said.
Bloomberg and ABC News President David Westin had proposed that the first meeting take place at Federal Hall in Manhattan. McCain already had suggested the venue, and wanted the first meeting to take place on Thursday.
In their letter to the candidates Sunday, Bloomberg and Westin said the date and other details — like how much interaction the candidates would have with voters or a moderator — would be worked out between the two campaigns.
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The Obama Campaign's initial response appears to be positive to a challenge from John McCain to participate in ten "Town-Hall Meetings" during the summer months. According to Politico.com:
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe:
As Barack Obama has said before, the idea of joint town halls is appealing and one that would allow a great conversation to take place about the need to change the direction of this country. We would recommend a format that is less structured and lengthier than the McCain campaign suggests, one that more closely resembles the historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. But, having just secured our party’s nomination, this is one of the many items we will be addressing in the coming days and look forward to discussing it with the McCain campaign.
That is, of course, the form of debate in which he refused to engage Clinton.
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