Obama Won’t Commit to Event at Military Base

[jefferson_dem]

In my opinion, Barack should make arrangements to attend this event. It's too important not to.

July 12, 2008
Obama Won’t Commit to Event at Military Base
By KATE ZERNIKE

A coalition of military groups is planning a nationally televised town-hall-style meeting with the presidential candidates near Fort Hood, Tex., the largest active-duty military installation in the country. But so far, only Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, has agreed to attend.

CBS has agreed to broadcast the meeting live from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Aug. 11. The candidates would face questions directly from an audience of 6,000 people, made up of veterans, service members and military families from the base.

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not agreed to participate.

“Senator Obama strongly supports America’s veterans and military families and has worked hard on their behalf in the Senate,” said Phillip Carter, director of Mr. Obama’s veterans effort and an Iraq war veteran. “While we unfortunately had a previously scheduled commitment on the date proposed, Senator Obama looks forward to continuing the dialogue he’s been having throughout the country with veterans on how we can better serve our men and women in uniform as they serve us.”

Carissa Picard, managing director of the Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium, said she had suggested Aug. 11 and asked the campaign to suggest other dates if that was not convenient, but after several conversations she had not been able to work anything out.

“I’m having extreme difficulty getting the Obama campaign to commit to this event, and we do not understand why,” said Ms. Picard, whose husband is deployed in Iraq. “We made it very clear to them that if they would commit to the event, we would work with them on dates.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/us/politics/12obama.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

[shadowknows69]

1. I agree, I think he and Hillary should do a unity event at Fort Drum too

It's the most deployed division in the war on terra, many of these troops are on tour four or five.

[TwilightGardener]

2. I agree, Obama needs to do it.

[awoke_in_2003]

23. Yep, it would be foolish not to. nt

[babylonsister]

3. I'm torn. Is this an end-run by McSame to get Obama into a forum

he's already said he's not interested in? Also, might he be elsewhere on 11 August, like Iraq or Germany?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

7. It's a set up

What's a Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium and when did it start?

[peacebaby3]

11. I'm not sure. I went to a campaign event with John Edwards on a Navy base in 2004 and one

of the sponsors for this event is the Disabled American Veterans which gives McCain a 20% rating and Obama 80%.

One of the toughest and most played clips for McCain is where the veteran took him to task at a recent town hall meeting.

Here are all the sponsors:

Organizers include American Veterans, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Veterans for Common Sense and Military Spouse Corporate Career Network.

I wonder if a quick internet search would show if any are very biased in their support?

I don't think Obama should concede the military vote to McCain. My husband just recently retired and we know quite a few military personnel and vets supporting Obama and I'm in a very red state.

[TexasObserver]

4. Obama cannot allow McCain to set the agenda.

Obama needs to do what is best for Obama. Fuck McCain and fuck the administration's machinations to contrive events they can control. The military is controlled by Bush.

Let Obama set his own events, and let McCain go wherever he wants and draw those crowds of dozens of people.

[Top Cat]

39. Obama cannot allow McCain to set the agenda

I agree with your statement 102%... This could very well be a setup for Obama

[mrreowwr_kittty]

5. Oh great, an audience full of McCain plants

I did 3 tours in the Navy and I can guarantee they will find the most RW, Limbaugh-listening, knuckle draggers they can find to pack the auditorium.

The thing hasn't even happened and the promoters are already shilling for McCain! What the hell is a Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium and when did it start?

[peacebaby3]

6. Yep, unless the campaign knows something we don't, it's a mistake for them not to participate. n/t

[high density]

8. Come on in, the water's fine

OK, this is about public financing but the same idea applies to this event.

[NC_Nurse]

9. Is McCain going to do an African-American event? A NARAL event?

That's how uneven the playing field seems to me. The guy's a vet for Pete's sake, he has the
home field advantage. If he will do a NOW event, then maybe.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

12. Thank you. nt

[styersc]

30. What makes you think there are no African Americans or

pro-choice members of the military?

Obama would be a fool not to attend this forum. Only a coward would refuse for fear there might be hard questions.

[peacebaby3]

31. Mmmm...very good point about members of the military and after doing my research, I think

Obama will be making a big mistake not to attend.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call anyone a coward though without having a full explanation of why he or she didn't attend.

[NC_Nurse]

37. I'm not concerned about hard questions.

I just wonder if a military audience might tend to favor someone who is a veteran, or any Repub for that matter.

[wmbrew0206]

36. Being Commander and Chief of NARAL is not part of the POTUS job discription

Being Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces is in the POTUS job discription.

Obama does not have any military experience, so he is already at a disadvantage when it comes to have credibility with the military. Obama has even said he'll have to earn the respect of the military and skipping on an event like this won't help him do that.

[Political Tiger]

10. "A coalition of military groups"

I would like to know just who is part of this "coalition?" A bunch of pro-war right-wing "military groups" would be my guest!

[Nite Owl]

14. Yeah, it sounds like a

setup to me.

[peacebaby3]

17. I looked on the web site's of the groups listed as sponsors and didn't see

anything that led me to believe they are very partisan. In fact, the Disabled American Veterans have given McCain a very low rating on veteran's issues. Veterans for Common Sense's first story on their press page is about McCain selling out veterans and their blog is pretty far to the left. The other groups - Military Spouse Corporate Career Network seems very single issue oriented i.e. finding jobs for a spouse with big companies so they can transfer when their military spouse gets sent to another station. The other two, Order of the Purple Heart (didn't look partisan on site. Only saw some letters to the editor that were political. Both sides - probably a little more pro-republic) and American Veterans would be the groups that would be considered more traditional "pro-military" groups. On the AV site, there were several stories about support for Webb's GI Bill. It didn't seem overly partisan from what I could tell.

There may be other groups, but those were the groups listed in the story.

[windbreeze]

25. I donated to the MOPH

this year again....and ended up insisting they take me off their donor list...why??? Because I resent being sent information from anyone wanting my money, that says on their donor sheet that our troops were injured defending..."THE HOMELAND".....this is NOT "the Homeland"...it is the United States of America...wb

[peacebaby3]

27. Yea, they seem to have a little bit more of a conservative leaning edge, but

I didn't see anything overt on their site.

Do these people that use "the homeland" reference not realize that was what Hitler used? It's so stupid.

Do you think they are partisan because I can only go by the info I saw on their site? I didn't spend a ton of time on there either.

Edit:
Stupid typo

[windbreeze]

33. That phrase...being used in their paperwork

absolutely stunned me..to the point that I went online to see if they had a site...I don't know about you...but the only people I have heard use that phrase, are those in power right now...I wasn't comfortable with the implications..."The Homeland"...indeed!!wb

[Nite Owl]

13. How 'bout an event on the economy

and Senator Graham can even be there to help McSame out?

[Phx_Dem]

15. I agree.

I wonder why he hasn't agreed. I trust Obama's judgement so maybe his campaign knows something we don't. He has a lot of support from the military so I wonder if there's more here than we know about. :shrug:

[peacebaby3]

18. I wondered about that also.

I also worry that he may not even know about it. The campaign already had something planned and haven't been able to work out a date so it may have not really reached Obama yet. I could see that happening too.

I trust his judgment also, but hope he knows this is going on. I guess we'll see what happens now.

[Overseas]

16. Golly Gee, we've got John Sidney McCain III all lined up

so how come Obama can't commit? Let's discuss.

[Mz Pip]

19. Obama should set up his own

event and not get sucked into a staged McCain supporters rally.

[peacebaby3]

20. A lot more info from a blogger that is a member of Vietnam Vets for Peace:

<http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/>

Look on down the page for a full review of event. Several posts down - past the post that says Obama won't confirm.

[Labors of Hercules]

21. What do we know about Carissa Picard?

This Consortium represents organizations that provide services and support to our service members, veterans, wounded warriors, and their families. "We believe if there is one more debate or town hall before the general election, it should be before an audience comprised of the men and women whose service and sacrifice ensure that these events continue through their defense of our country and of our Constitution," said Carissa Picard, lead organizer and military spouse.

[blondeatlast]

24. Google results; she's pretty active.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Carissa+Picard&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGLH

I'll go through them a bit later, but I need to leave shortly.

[peacebaby3]

26. I did a quick search and found links on a Dem board and she is the president of Military Spouses for

Change:

<http://www.militaryspousesforchange.com/msc-in-the-news.php>

There is a picture of her group with Obama on the site.


On edit:

In one of the stories I just read online, it says that while the group (Military Spouses For Change) is considered non partisan, that Carissa Picard has been linked to Democratic causes.

[depakid]

32. How about this comment: AFGE Says McCain Wrong on Veterans Health Care

Looks like a good opportunity to me....

[blondeatlast]

22. If the will allow the Iraq Veterans Against the War there as well, I say he should do it, otherwise

it's a set-up, pure and simple.

[AllentownJake]

28. Audience Selection

would have to be 50/50 by the campaign otherwise I can see this turning into an ABC debate fiasco all over again.

[rhombus]

29. He should attend. Obama does well in townhall formats

Even if the crowd is stacked with McCain people, Obama stands to benefit enormously if he does well. The upside of attending is greater than the downside of not doing so.

The key is preparation.

[DeepModem Mom]

34. Kicking for anyone who might have more info. nt

[Straight Shooter]

35. If Obama "looks forward to continuing the dialogue," he should go to Fort Hood.

He's passing up a great opportunity to inform a very involved base of his plans for the military, the war(s), veteran care, and support for military families.

[jenmito]

38. I think he should go! I don't understand why he wouldn't-he has so much ammo. against McCain and

his votes AGAINST veterans. Not to mention how he can talk about going after bin Laden, reminding people of how HE was ridiculed for saying he'd strike within Pakistan to get bin Laden if their govt. wouldn't cooperate, etc. I think this would actually make people see him as stronger on foreign affairs than they see him now.

[Catchawave]

40. He certainly should attend, these are nonpartisan groups

that are a support network for our military, the veterans and their families. This will definitely be a good chance to reassure them Obama is ready to be their Commander in Chief.

It would be a mistake to ignore this :(

[lynne]

41. If Obama wants to be CIC, he needs to meet and speak -

- with the very people he will be commanding. Both candidates need to appeal to voters of all stripes - not just the arena's where they feel the most comfortable.