Plouffe Responds On Town Hall Meetings Proposals

[Ichingcarpenter]

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe:

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“Barack Obama offered to meet John McCain at five joint appearances between now and Election Day—the three traditional debates plus a joint town hall on the economy in July and an in-depth debate on foreign policy in August. That package of five engagements would have been the most of any Presidential campaign in the modern era—offering a broad range of formats—and representing a historic commitment to openness and transparency.

“It’s disappointing that Senator McCain and his campaign decided to decline this proposal. Apparently they would rather contrive a political issue than foster a genuine discussion about the future of our country.

“Senator Obama believes that the American people deserve an open and accessible debate as they choose between real change and four more years of failed Bush policies, and he welcomed McCain’s invitation to offer voters ‘the rare opportunity of witnessing candidates for the highest office in the land discuss civilly and extensively the great issues at stake in the election."
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5 events would be, I believe, the most since 1960.

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/06/plouffe_responds_on_town_hall.php

[lyonn]

1. Cool, sounds like a good response to McCain's Town Halls

Mix it up. Mc... needs to explain why this is not a good plan.

[LisaM]

2. Well

in that case, I wish he'd agreed to debate HRC in North Carolina. I think the more debates the better, but Obama should have done one more with Hillary (don't tell me that they debated 20 times - they only debated one-on-one three times and two of them couldn't really be considered debates).

[wndycty]

4. Can't let go can you?

:kick:

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[futureliveshere]

6. Sure... and the 4th one-on-one would be different how?

Lets focus on Mcfuck shall we?

[SoonerPride]

7. Hillary is free to travel the country with McSame. She can debate him.

She doesn't have anything else going on.

[PoliticalAmazon]

10. Neither Hillary or McCain has the right to demand that Obama do anything...

and the sooner they understand that, the sooner they will stop making themselves look like petulent fools.

[madaboutharry]

11. LisaM, I do think as democrats we need

to get past the primaries and do all we can to support the democratic nominee in the GE. The future of our nation depends on it. Bringing up what happened in the primaries isn't going to do anyone any good.

[LisaM]

14. I actually like debates and think the more the better

no matter who the participants are. It's the best chance to compare them (versus marketing the brand, which is not my idea of politics). So to whomever "alerted" me (who has been here since 2001, BTW) you can hold your fire. I think the if Gore and Kerry had had more chances with Bush, it would have helped (even one more Bush/Kerry debate would have made a difference).

[City Lights]

21. A debate is only as good as its moderators and their questions.

If the questions suck, the debate is a waste of time.

[aaaaaa5a]

13. Please!!!

Don't we need to move on now! The general election has begun!

[cali]

15. he debated her 22 times. yes, the debates with more than the two of them counted.

YOU aren't the arbiter of what constitutes a debate.

[dionysus]

18. weak sauce...

[blondeatlast]

20. Let it go. nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. RawStory has the story too

Obama's campaign offered a counter-proposal to McCain request for 10 weekly town-hall meetings between now and the Democratic convention in August on Friday.

The Illinois senator's campaign said the two candidates should meet five times before Election Day, beginning with a joint town hall on the economy next month and another on foreign policy in August, plus three fall debates; McCain's campaign rejected the proposal, which Obama's team said would have been the most joint appearances of any modern campaign.

Next week, McCain is planning another town hall in Minnesota. This event coincides with a fundraiser McCain has planned earlier that same day.

While McCain has couched his town-hall proposals in lofty rhetoric about serving voters, there is an ulterior motive to his request. The weekly events will give McCain much-needed free media exposure at a time when he is struggling to raise money and is far from able to put together the kind of vast, nationwide organization Obama is building.

However, there also are risks for the 72-year-old Republican. Some fear that extended appearances next to the 46-year-old, fit, charismatic Obama would turn off voters, and in an age of high-definition television, joint appearances between the two could be this era's answer to the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_camp_McCain_making_townhall_talks_0613.html

[PoliticalAmazon]

8. It's a GREAT response. Obama shows HE is setting the agenda...

not McCain.

McCain attempted to bully Obama into a weak position, letting McCain unilaterally set the specifics of an important campaign process: the debates.

Really, the arrogance of McCain in demanding Obama do it his way or no way is very reminscent of Bush Jr. I'm glad Obama called him on it.

[SoonerPride]

9. Did they send this proposal to McCain via pony express?

Like he did when he sent his proposal to them?

:rofl:

[Ichingcarpenter]

12. The McCain Campaign sent it on that new fangled Morse Code machine.

I think they call it telegraphy today

[rox63]

19. The probably rolled it down one of the intertubes to McCain HQ n/t

[my3boyz]

16. Obama is better than I am because I would not have agreed to any

after what the MCCain camp pulled yesterday. They stacked the audience full of their supporters. I'm sure they were going to try to pull something like that too.

[Thrill]

17. Plouffe is a rising star

People will be fighting for this guy to run their campaign