Obama Suggest He'll Townhall with McCain

In a breakthrough that can only be good for Democracy Barack Obama had favorable words for town halls with McCain over the summer.  The downside, of course, is that Obama has a hufe media advantage over McCain.  McCain's advisers had suggested the forums, previously.

Obama respondedto the question today:

"That is a great idea," Obama told reporters in Bend, Ore. "We would have to think through the logistics on this."  Obama said if her were the nominee he would look for chances to debate "substantive issues" with McCain.

GOP strategist Mark McKinnon: "The town hall meeting is John's best format. He's a natural campaigner up close with the public. That would test Obama's claims that he wants a clean fight on the issues."

Perhaps this Campaign will really be Change We Can Believe In.  Obama also suggested yesterday he would lower the cap he can receive from donors for the General Election... in order that everyone can participate, but he would be receiving large amounts from no single group.Linky

Obama does very well in town-halls.  And, I think, anytime he is on stage with McCain it likely favors Obama.  Anyway - Thoughts?

•  My thoughts.

  I think it would be a great idea.

  by jbalazs on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:01:25 PM PDT

  •  I Say Bring It On. Everytime America Gets To See

    McCentury, yesterdays news, compare to Obama, the future it makes it easier to beat him.

    by DFutureIsNow on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:02:45 PM PDT

    •  The Best Part of McCain is adding 'Mc' to any

      phrase as an attack

      by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:04:08 PM PDT

  •  UNMODERATED townhalls

    I don't want the media talking heads interjecting their own agenda on this presidential contest the way they did in the primary/caucus season.  That would be totally unwarranted. This isn't about cablenet talking heads or huge ratings for cablenets. This is about the leadership of the United States of America. I could care less about woof blitzer's ratings or tim russert's popularity.

    by dougymi on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:06:39 PM PDT

    •  Well,

      a fair moderator at the very least.

      The League of Women Voters were like that.

      by Crisis Corps Volunteer on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:34:02 PM PDT

      •  I'd take Moyers

        by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:36:28 PM PDT

      •  At the very least

        but I see no real reason for a moderator. I mean, Sen. Obama and Sen. mccain can point at people and ask for their questions, can't they?  People in the audience certainly know when they're being buffaloed and can ask follow-ups, can't they? I can think of at least 100,000 of them in here who certainly know to ask follow-ups.

        I see no reason for a moderator at all.

        by dougymi on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:39:41 PM PDT

        •  Charles Gibson must plead to keep his cap gains

          taxes low.  He has to plead the case of all of the college profs making >$100k.  How can he do that if he's not moderating?

          by RFK Lives on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:54:40 PM PDT

  •  No kidding!

    Any chance to get Obama and McCain in the same room, talking to people, is something he should jump at.

    by Jonathan on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:08:57 PM PDT

    •  Completely agree. n/t

      by Dragon5616 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:36:19 PM PDT

•  Tipsy?

  by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:01:41 PM PDT

•  Sounds good to me

  No stupid moderator questions.

  by turneresq on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:02:25 PM PDT

  •  And McCain is terrible on the issues

    this would only highlight that

    by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:03:23 PM PDT

    •  Hey, that's not fair

      If McCain could bring Brian on stage with him, so he could get Brian to 'find out his position' on the issues as they arise, I think he could do o.k.

      by Electric Blue on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:26:15 PM PDT

      •  One condition.

        He has to leave his lapdog Leiberman at home. No cheating.

        by Dragon5616 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:37:28 PM PDT

        •  If not Lieberman ....

          But then who is going to be his ventriloquist???

          by sara seattle on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:41:24 PM PDT

•  I'd pay money to see that n/t

  by juslikagrzly on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:02:25 PM PDT

•  I'm all for it

  Town halls are far more likely to involve some real issues than the cable news coverage and commercials.

  by John DE on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:02:45 PM PDT

•  Check Grampy for wires first.

  That has to be strictly enforced.
  No wires or teleprompters for either candidate.
  Thank bushco for that!

  by manwithnoname on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:03:34 PM PDT

  •  I think McCain requires some wires to keep

    the heart in tact

    by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:04:49 PM PDT

    •  As he is a GOP

      He'll have to be checked -
               if he indeed has a heart =)

      by sara seattle on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:39:15 PM PDT

      •  Part of the collective.

        Trying to appear intelligent is futile.

        by manwithnoname on Sat May 10, 2008 at 01:19:04 PM PDT

•  And it makes it harder

  for McCain to go dirty. He can't have a campaign on Hamas and Wright all summer if he is scheduled to appear on the same stage with Obama every two weeks.
  It is psychological

  by doriangz on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:03:36 PM PDT

•  Great idea

  Obama can beat McCain on the issues, and this would be the best way to highlight this. No more George Stephanopoulos,  Charlie Gibson, Wolf Blitzer, etc. Let Americans pick the candidates based on substance rather than than the BS that Hillary and her cronies peddle.

  by drmavis on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:06:45 PM PDT

•  Sounds interesting

  once or twice a month sounds cool..

  by erick770 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:08:03 PM PDT

•  I swear to God the people in McCain

  campaign and McCain himself just make stuff up as they go along.

  That would test Obama's claims that he wants a clean fight on the issues

  What on earth does this mean? Haha. I'm lost. John McCain will be blown out of the water in that format.

  by Highwind on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:09:39 PM PDT

  •  This is them laying the groundwork for the

    argument they're going to make that Obama is all talk when it comes to his claims of a "different kind of politics." They think they're going to be able to discredit him on that.

    by pepper mint on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:18:39 PM PDT

•  lower the cap he can receive from donors...

  What does that mean? Will he no longer have as much small donors? Why would he do that?

  by sillycilla on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:09:49 PM PDT

  •  No - go from a $2400 max to a $1000 dollar max

    or something like that

    by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:11:39 PM PDT

    •  oh ok thanks for clarifying...

      I was confused there lol..

      by sillycilla on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:16:58 PM PDT

•  Sounds like a good idea

  The more Obama can debate McCain the better.  A lot of McCain's current support is among low info voters who are unaware of McCain's views on the important issues of the day.  Not only would these high profile events help shine a light on McCain's unpopular agenda, they would also allow soft McCain supporters a chance to see the real BHO, as opposed to the caricature they will see in GOP ads.

  by tosser on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:11:31 PM PDT

•  Artist's rendition of the predicted results:

  

  by brianinca on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:12:27 PM PDT

  •  Matthews: HA!

    by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:16:43 PM PDT

•  It is a good idea

  I think a lot of people dont anything about McCain's stances on the issues. And any event where you have Obama standing next to McCain is good for Obama.

  by jj32 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:16:58 PM PDT

  •  Fortunately for Obama

    McCain is one of the people who doesn't know his own stance on the issues, but 'ahh, he thinks he supports the President's policy'..

    by Electric Blue on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:29:24 PM PDT

•  Great idea

  Think Hillary will crash the party?

  by Into The Stars on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:18:25 PM PDT

  •  every party has a pooper

    by on2them on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:20:30 PM PDT

  •  Haha - she'll probably show up to ask a question

    by GB1437a on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:23:41 PM PDT

•  Anything that keeps the MSM at bay is good n/t

  by on2them on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:19:38 PM PDT

•  We win on substantive issues!

  Which is why Republicans never talk about them. If questions come from real voters, we win.

  by Semblance on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:19:59 PM PDT

•  The more people meet Obama

  the more they love him.

  It cannot do anything but help Obama to be seen up close in the Town Hall format.

  by Loquatrix on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:22:46 PM PDT

•  Obama would easily remember the majority if not

  all of McCain's votes and can use these to knock out McCain's arguments for his platform, aka the third Bush term. Further, McCain's campaign promises are the "switch and bait" Bush tactics, not even addressing the real changes that Obama proposes. Social security, health care reform, tax policies and so on . . . McCain's positions are poorly thought out, already tried and failed. . . .

  The two answering questions from ordinary folks, not vetted folks in a townhall setting would be a dream. "Bring it on."

  by paige on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:26:51 PM PDT

•  Maybe the League of Women

  Voters can moderate...LOL

  by snowbird42 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:26:56 PM PDT

•  mccain would be

  nuts to do this!  I hope it happens.

  by ratador on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:26:58 PM PDT

•  Just an introduction...that's it

  Such meetings need no moderator.

  Each campaign picks one person from the audience to read a few ground rules about how things will work; then each supporter gets to introduce their candidate.

  To go from questioner to questioner, the audience would probably have to split so you don't get a dozen McCain people asking Obama stupid questions- or vice versa.  Each candidate would take a turn choosing another audience member to ask a question- from his opponents group.

  So no paid media person AT ALL.  Just "us."

  by oxfdblue on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:33:19 PM PDT

•  I love the fact that we are turning to the

  fight with McCain

  For Obama it is a win-win.

  Like the Rasmussen Poll has stopped polling about Clinton .....

  It is time for Obama to move on to McCain -
  Hillary has become but a footnote to history.

  by sara seattle on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:37:09 PM PDT

•  Great idea

  Great idea, maybe do one or two a month, but no more than that. And lowering the cap also a good idea. Maybe from the $2300 to $1500.  Also, if there is a so called "moderator" use league of women voters or PBS, not NBC, ABC, CBS or Fox. Too much grandstanding when you use these guys.  

  by CGrace on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:41:49 PM PDT

•  You think McCain hurting for media...

  ...coverage is a good thing? I think the more we let the American people see what he's really about, the better.

  by zbbrox on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:45:12 PM PDT

•  Kennedy and Goldwater

  were rumored to be planning something like this for the next election cycle. A weekly or biweekly series of debates - just one on one. As I recall.

  by Msanger on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:48:25 PM PDT

•  It's about time!

  They both can stand out there and field questions and answer honestly and not have to resort to dirty tricks because they're so far apart on the issues.  I'm SURE McCain will throw around plenty of innuendo about Obama being "naive" (inexperience), but I think Obama will show VERY well on most issues.  And I think he'll be able to demonstrate some lack of knowledge on McCain's part, as well.

  I hope they can set something up THIS WEEK!

  by IndieinVa on Sat May 10, 2008 at 01:41:33 PM PDT

•  brilliant

  better than stupid corporate sponsored debates on tv where the moderator asks non issued questions.  We as Americans don't need to be dumbed down by anymore ABC debates.

  by desertlover on Sat May 10, 2008 at 01:50:13 PM PDT