John "Now is Not the Time to Blame" McCain Points Finger at Obama
Video: Jed Report
From Politico:
“Now is not the time to fix the blame. It’s time to fix the problem,” McCain says, not long after his campaign blamed Obama and Pelosi for killing the bill.Then he blames Obama and the Democrats: “Sen. Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process.”
“I would hope that all our leaders — all of them — can put aside short-term political goals and focus on what’s best for the American people,” he says.
Candidates’ State Delegations and How They Voted
John McCain, for all his bluster of leadership and delivering the votes, not a single person in the Arizona congressional delegation voted for the bailout plan. From Politico:
ARIZONA
Democrats — Giffords, N; Grijalva, N; Mitchell, N; Pastor, N.
Republicans — Flake, N; Franks, N; Renzi, N; Shadegg, N.UPDATE: In Illinois — though Obama had staked less on his personal ability to win over doubters — the bill split the delegation 9-9, with one abstention. Democrats favored it narrowly, though former Obama antagonist Bobby Rush and his supporter Jesse Jackson Jr., like may in the Congressional Black Caucus, voted no.
UPDATE: Ryan Grim notes that Rush “went to the desk after the vote was over and changed from yes to no. So he was with Obama and the leadership if they needed him.
Obama Says "Stay Calm", McCain Blames Obama
Two very different initial reactions to the failure of the bailout plan in the Congress. Obama had this to say:
There are going to be some bumps and trials and tribulations and ups and down before we get this rescue package done. It is important for the American public and for the markets to say calm because things are never smooth in congress and to understand that it will get done. That we are going to make sure an emergency package is put together because it is required for us to stabilize the markets and to make sure that when a small business-person wakes up tomorrow morning, he will be able to make payroll.
McCain’s campaign had this to say:
From the minute John McCain suspended his campaign and arrived in Washington to address this crisis, he was attacked by the Democratic leadership: Senators Obama and Reid, Speaker Pelosi and others. Their partisan attacks were an effort to gain political advantage during a national economic crisis. By doing so, they put at risk the homes, livelihoods and savings of millions of American families.Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain, and refused to even say if he supported the final bill.
Palin’s Real Foreign Policy Experience: Asking Prince Charles to Dinner
Politico digs up a fun fact about Palin. Back in 2006, while running for Governor, she decided to ask Prince Charles to dinner. From a 2006 Palin campaign press release:After reading that Prince Charles was being panned in Scotland for snubbing Scottish salmon in favor of Alaskan salmon, Palin invited the Prince of Wales to dinner in Alaska as a way of thanking him for his excellent taste in fish. “The Prince clearly has a taste for the real-deal,” said Palin. “He can catch the salmon if he wants to, but we’ll take care of the rest. He may have a cadre of chefs on stand by, but nobody prepares salmon like Alaskans.”
Palin was not specific in the invite as to where she might host Prince Charles – largely because that decision is up to Alaska voters. “If we do it at the Governor’s mansion, that means the people of Alaska have honored me to host our guests in Juneau,” said Palin. “If not, we make a pretty mean grilled salmon in Wasilla too.”
If we’re lucky, Palin will fulfill that dinner invite in Juneau, not the White House. I wonder what Camilla thinks.
House Rejects Bailout Plan – Dow Drops More Than 600 Points
The House defeated today the President’s $700 billion bailout plan. From CNN:
The measure needs 218 votes for passage. Democrats voted 141 to 94 in favor of the plan, while Republicans voted 65 to 133 against. That left the measure with 206 votes for and 227 against.The next steps were not immediately clear but supporters were scrambling to put it up for another vote.
Wonder where John McCain is…
Update:
Update 5:
You can see the Pelosi speech at, of all places, PerezHilton.com
Gallup: Obama Stays at 50%
McCain Suspends Senate Voting
Because suspending his presidential campaign worked so well, John McCain has now decided to suspend voting in the Senate. Now that the bailout deal is ready for a vote (despite McCain’s best efforts) he’s not sure he can arrange his schedule to be there:As an aside, Barack Obama is planning to fly back and vote.
We Haven’t Seen the Worst from Palin-Couric Interview
According to Politico:
A source familiar with CBS News’ plans clarified that this is part of the “Vice Presidential Questions” series with Biden and Palin. The recorded segments are scheduled to air Wednesday and Thursday before the vice presidential debate. (The series is based on the Presidential Questions series, in which Couric asks the candidates the same set of questions on wide range of topics from policy to character to leadership.)
Video: Obama and McCain’s First Presidential Debate
Behind the Scenes of the Palin Debate Prep
From Politico:
McCain campaign manager Rick Davis and senior adviser Steve Schmidt are planning to coach the candidate ahead of the debate, according to senior advisers.
