McCain: Obama Forced Me to Go Negative
At this point, John McCain’s ability to hold multiple views on the same subject is quickly becoming the stuff of legend.
Exhibit A in this regard is his shifting rationales for running negative campaign ads that attack everything from Barack Obama’s self image to his eating habits to his religious scruples.
But this explanation offered in a David Broder column takes the cake:
The first question I asked John McCain and then Barack Obama was: How do you feel about the tone and direction of the campaign so far?
No surprise. Both men pronounced themselves thoroughly frustrated by the personal bitterness and negativism they have seen in the two months since they learned they would be running against each other.
“I’m very sorry about it,” McCain said in a Saturday interview at his Arlington headquarters. “I think we could have avoided at least some of this if we had agreed to do the town hall meetings” together, as he had suggested, during the summer months.
Booman sorts out McCain’s tortured logic: Even though McCain reacted negatively to Obama’s counteroffer of two town hall debates and decided there would be none, it is solely Obama’s fault because he did not accept all five. And, as a result of there being no town hall debates, the candidates couldn’t stand on the same stage and become fine friends.
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16 Responses to “McCain: Obama Forced Me to Go Negative”
Sounds like deflection to me.
No “town hall ” style meetings = “I must go negative”?
some sort of “presidential” payback?
Obama's response cited in the Broder column was excellent:
[...] Shaun Mullen: “Even though McCain reacted negatively to Obama’s counteroffer of two town hall debates and decided there would be none, it is solely Obama’s fault because he did not accept all five. And, as a result of there being no town hall debates, the candidates couldn’t stand on the same stage and become fine friends.” [...]
Sure seems like McCain is stumbling..
Lucky for him he's got an ace up his sleeve…
Come to think of it, he does have the devil-may-care affect of a man who is sitting on a golden egg of confidence in a win, no matter what..
What a whiner…..
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Your opponent not agreeing to do the debates you wanted seems to me like a weak excuse to go negative.
Looks like the AstroTurf will begin soon
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Obama is ahead and is afraid he will screw up.
McCain is behind and has nothing to loose.
Whats the big deal. They go thru this same argument every 4 years.
I see this in terms of how I see both candidates. I see that Obama does want to compromise, whether on offshore drilling (not his preference, but if he has to give a little to get a little he will). Whereas with McCain this is an example of what I see as his “It's my way or the highway” attitude. McCain isn't interested in compromise. And if he's not interested in compromise as a presidential candidate, do you really think he'll be interested in compromise once he is the president and obstensibly the most powerful man on the planet?
Stockboy
Im curious as to what McCain should compromise on. He has pretty much indicated he favors and wants to fund every available means of energy.
The problem we have here is that energy is an issue that is really not political. We all need gasoline to get to work. We need diesel fuel. We need electricity.
How we get from point a to point b seems to be what is being politicized. If everyone could step back for a minute take a deep breath and think rationally I think we would all be willing to come to the middle.
With the exception of course of the militant greenies.
Neocon: Im curious as to what McCain should compromise on. He has pretty much indicated he favors and wants to fund every available means of energy.
That is so not true. Apart from stating beliefs and hopes, what is he offering on wind, solar or any other renewable? What's his position on biofuels, and does it make any sense vis-a-vis his position on flex fuel vehicles? Why doesn't he talk about the costs of nuclear? Why can't he get consistent as to whether domestic drilling will or will not reduce the price of oil? Why can't he offer anything but talking points? Why has he not mentioned energy efficiency hardly at all? Why is his battery prize a good idea? And if it's such a good idea, why doesn't he offer any other kind of prize? What's special about batteries? How will he replace the revenues dedicated to maintaining the transportation infrastructure if his gas tax holiday becomes a reality? Why does he disparage economists in one context and applaud them in another?
Face it, McCain's energy policy is a hodgepodge. It's not even internally consistent. He has no vision. The only thing you like about it is the drilling. You don't like the nuclear part, and you're fine with the fact that he offers essentially nothing particularly concrete or near term about anything else. If you're serious about coming to the middle I think you have to address those things.
Neocon, What does McCain plan to do with nuclear waste? Those plants create waste that no one wants and he voted against shipping nuclear waste through AZ. He didn't compromise then to help other states with their nuclear issues. He just took his position and voted against the bill.
But my comment about McCain not compromising was geared to his general attitude, not specifically to energy, though that's part of it…
Ricorun, yeah I agree- thanks. I believe McCain is not consistent because he's a big fat opportunist, willing to do and say whatever it takes to become president. Even if it means lying out of both sides of his mouth.
What still astonishes me (I know this goes back a couple of weeks) is that he had no opinion on whether contraception should be federally funded, when he voted against it twice. My read is that he didn't know how his handlers wanted him to answer…. I mean abortion/contraception is a big issue which every person I know has an opinion on. How can McCain not have given it much thought? Anyway, that single statement shows that McCain can't answer on his own.