Big Sky Cairn

Yesterday, when Barack Obama started touting his plan for the bailout of America’s investment banks, I asked one question: If you’re plan is so great, and you really are the leader that your supporters claim, then why aren’t you back in Washington making sure that the final legislation mirrors your plan?

I intended to post about it, but I had reservations.  Why?  Because my candidate, a Senator with a long record of being in the room when compromises are forged on major issues, wasn’t exactly rushing back either.  And I couldn’t chew out Obama for being in Wisconsin if McCain was in New York.

Then today, McCain stunned most of America (and me) by announcing that he would suspend all campaigning, all fundraising, remove his ads from the air and ask Obama to postpone Friday’s debate.  McCain did so so that he could return to Washington, D.C. and focus on making sure that if this bailout package happens, it is done right.

Personally, I thought Obama would leap at the chance to go back to D.C. and show the country that he has the economic chops to craft to a piece of bipartisan legislation that the country desperately needs.  I also thought he’d kill for the opportunity to dutifully fight for “Main Street over Wall Street” with his fellow Democrats standing behind him.

But far from leaping, Obama is spurning McCain’s request and intends to proceed with campaigning.

Obama stopped short of following [McCain’s] model, saying he had told congressional leaders that he was willing to help out, but only if they thought it would be useful. (MSNBC)

Useful?  You’re the Democratic nominee for President.  Shouldn’t Congressional leaders be begging you for your input?  And shouldn’t you want to do everything in your power to make sure that this is done the way that you believe is best for our nation? After all, you will inherit this economy if you win.

Perhaps he is reticent to head back to D.C. because without his roomful of advisors to help him craft a plan, his lack of experience would leave him without a real role to play?

Obama also argues that a president needs to be able to handle more than one thing at a time.  And that by stopping his campaign to return to Washington, McCain is proving that he can’t multitask the nation through difficult times.

As for the debate, he said, “It’s going to be part of the president’s job to be able to deal with more than one thing at once.”(MSNBC)

I’m confused by this.

First off, Friday’s debate is not on the economy.  The chosen topic for the first debate is foreign policy.  So, if the American people want to hear Obama’s economic plan then they’ll have to wait for some future debate.

Secondly, I don’t buy the argument that McCain’s desire to postpone a debate is proof that he can’t multitask.  If anything, I think it proves that he understands what is really important.  This situation is evolving and changing so rapidly that I think the only way to make sure that it is done properly and as quickly as is prudent is to be in D.C.

Hell, isn’t that why Congress is talking about staying through the weekend?

And lastly, if Barack Obama had stood on that stage in Green Bay, Wisc. yesterday and said that he was going back to Washington to help craft the plan, I would have stood with him as much as I am standing with McCain now.  In fact, it might have been enough to sway my vote.

As a man who could be America’s next President, Barack Obama shouldn’t be afraid to step into the fray on this bailout.  But instead, he’s sticking to the campaign trail.  Because pointing fingers and suggesting solutions crafted by a team of advisors from a dais 2,000 miles away is easy.  Going back to D.C. to go about the difficult work of fixing this problem is hard.  And by saying he’ll only go if other Democrats think it will be useful, he’s basically admitting that his presence isn’t required because he doesn’t have enough experience to be of much help.

When the nation is in crisis and the entire Congress is grappling with how to fix the economy, Barack Obama is campaigning for President.  And why should I be surprised?  This is what he has been doing since the day he was sworn in.

Nice site. There?s some good information on here. I?ll be checking back regularly.

I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!

Nice. Kate follows McCain as surely as the little lamb followed Mary.

As Barney Frank said, McCain’s move is “the longest Hail Mary in the history of either footballs or Marys.”

That guy just won the Drive-By Dummy Award.

Can you tell me who did your layout? I’ve been looking for one kind of like yours. Thank you.

[…] reservations.  Why?  Because my candidate, a Senator with a long record of being in the room when Go to source Blogs about […]

If music be the food of love, play on.WilliamShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare

Again, you dont seem to have any idea how government works. The bill is being crafted in committee, the banking committee to be exact. Neither Obama nor McCain sit on the committee. This was a political stunt, that is all it was and nothing more.

Remember that old school house rock cartoon about how a bill becomes a law?

Technically, one of the major reasons this bailout is going down is because of the serious threat to our economic hegemony in the world and the withdrawal of foreign investors from the U.S. markets. So yes, Friday’s foreign policy debate likely will include discussion of the bailout. But i don’t expect you to realize this nuance, since it didn’t come straight from McCain’s press release.

Personally, I think both McCain and Obama should be working on this package, but their influence is greater if they were to promote their ideas on the road, not in DC. On the road, they are one of two. In DC, they are two of 100 Senators.