Obama should accept the "town hall" challenge on these terms:

[rateyes]

All four people on the tickets have to show up and answer questions about the issues at every town hall. Obama, McCain, Biden and Palin.

The campaigns would be forced to talk about the issues---and, that's a win for us. And, the American people will get to see in stark contrast for the next seven weeks who is ready as VP to be one heartbeat away from the presidency.

Biden would destroy Palin, and the tickets side by side is a definite winner for the Dems. Oh, and Obama would force McCain, if he lies again, to lie to Obama's face, and then get his smacked down.

What do you think?

[flpoljunkie]

1. McCain's 'townhall' offer is a smokescreen.They failed to respond to Obama's counter offer long ago.

They are just using this as the most pitiful and lame excuse for their increasing vile lies in their ads. It is beyond rational comprehension, yet the media lets him repeat this excuse ad nauseam without question.

[rateyes]

2. All the more reason to call their bluff with this proposal.

[rateyes]

3. dupe

[scheming daemons]

4. NO! Don't elevate Palin any more to confuse the issue.... JUST McCain and Obama.....

By putting Palin on the same stage, it makes her look like an "equivalent" to Obama.


She's not.



We win the head-to-head matchup....

[catbyte]

5. This looks like

political blackmail to me. McCain sounding all regretful, saying that it's all Obama's fault for the negative tone of the campaign. What a load. It's extortion, pure and simple. "Either you do it my way or I slime you whenever I want." What a creep.

Diane

[nsd]

6. No. The town halls are just a ploy.

We have only seven weeks -- and four debates -- until the election. Obama should spend that time talking directly to people. And fixating on Palin like this is counterproductive; McCain is at the top of the ticket.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

7. NO! Republicans pack 'town hall' audiences with 'ringers', just like the phony 'Brooks Brothers riot...

that stopped vote-counting in Miami-Dade eight years ago. (See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31074-2005Jan23.html ).

From uch a pre-screened ringer crowd--even if Republicans get only half the tickets to distribute--come "softball" questions for republicans, and carefully-chosen "hardball" and big-lie based questions for Democrats.

Obama's camapign is way too smart to walk into that kind of trap. Remember, in Y2K Dubya loved town hall venues too.

[AtomicKitten]

8. After Snuffalopous' question: "Does Rev. Wright love America as much as you do?"

Obama will pick and choose the venues he appears at very carefully. McBushCo handpicks his audience and Obama is too smart to fall into the trap.

[MaineDem]

9. No! He should not accept

Let's not legitimize Palin.

She isn't the one who will appoint SCOTUS justices or decide policy. McCain is the opponent and Obama needs to face him in debates like they agreed to. We know the McCain history and don't need to be distracted by Palin.