Going Back To Work
John McCain has suspended his campaign so that he can go back to Washington and work with the rest of our leaders on resolving the greatest economic threat our Nation has faced in history. He feels it's his duty as a US Senator and, in fact, it is. The problem is that people don't believe him when he says it's his job. Barak Obama is upset, the media is suspicious and the democrats don't like it one bit. David Letterman is absolutely livid.
According to the initial reports, Obama called McCain to suggest that they issue a joint statement addressing the economic crisis and the 700 billion dollar bailout. Obama believed they should appear together in a common effort to show agreement on central issues. He wanted to make a statement to let the people of America know what they agree on as far as the crisis. Obama felt they should issue a statement to tell us that they know about the problems and they both agree that there are problems and they are discussing it.
McCain didn't take Obama's first call. His staff filled him in on the details. McCain called Obama back and left the impression that he could go along with a joint statement. But McCain suggested that they do more because they are accountable to the people. It is part of their job, their responsibility even. He asked Obama to suspend his campaign and join him in Washington to start working on a bi partisan solution. He suggested they put the debate on hold and join their colleges in Washington.
Barak was adamant that they should start with the joint statement. The statement described in media reports seemed to suggest that Obama had some great ideas and that McCain had "adopted" the same view. They should have a press conference; issue a statement and have some pictures taken. Barak must have assumed that what he suggested was what would be done. Maybe he thought McCain was asking him for advice about how to handle a campaign issue.
McCain suggested they both postpone the debates and concentrate on working with leaders in Washington. He was of the opinion that it was important to be in Washington to be most effective which by the way is where their Senate Offices are located. It's where everyone in congress works when they are actually working as opposed to running around looking for another job when every else is pulling overtime.
Basically he was telling Obama that he was going back to work for awhile. His duties as a senator take precedence over the demands of a campaign in a time of crisis. The screams of the cynical have been ringing out ever since.
But McCain wasn't just asking Obama to join him; he was challenging him to follow him back to the office. He has cancelled Friday's debate with Barak Obama. He feels it is his obligation as a US Representative to devote as much time and effort that he possibly can while performing his duties of his office as a current working member of the US Congress. The way every employees of our government is expected to do when there is a national emergency.
He has moved in a direction that suggests that it is more important that he fulfill the obligations of John McCain, the US Senator, rather than serve the interests of John McCain, the candidate. He's been campaigning for almost 3 years, as has Obama. He's gambling that no one is going to forget about the election if he takes a couple of weeks to do some work. That is after all what we are paying him for.
The response from the democrats and a lot of initial media reports seem to see it as a dubious political move. He has already been accused of trying to use the crisis as an opportunity to cynically stage a photo op so the media can get some pictures of him in action. He is being accused of grandstanding in the cheesiest way. His place is on the campaign trail... not his desk in Washington.
They seem to disregard the fact that he's one of two men who are asking the American people to elect him President. In the event that he should actually win this election he wants to be on be on top of things. He believes he should be taking a good look into what's happening. So do I.
Hell, given the gravity of the situation, both McCain and Obama are obligated to know as much as they can, about everything they can, in order to do everything they can to help. One of these guys will end up running the country in a few months. In this situation I would think that they are two people who absolutely should be there.
The guy who inherits these problems will most likely spend his entire term dealing the mess that will be the result of these events. Whoever wins will be judged by his handling of the crisis in an immediate and substantial way. He will have to know what he is doing when he starts. He won't have time to learn on the job. Results are not just expected... they are absolutely essential. Failure is not an option.
Based on President Bush's comments the national economy is in big trouble. We need to act soon. The fate of our nation will lie in the hands of the coming administration. As citizens we really need to see something resembling leadership from each of them at this moment. We need them to get back to work and do their jobs now. Not after the election.
John McCain just might be the guy overseeing that solution. He has decided that we need him at his post in the Senate during this time of national distress. He and Obama are the two guys who have the most at stake in the efforts to resolve the problems we face as a nation.
McCain has come back to work. He has challenged Obama to come in to the office and roll up his sleeves and help him solve this problem. Once that's done then they can get back to the campaign action. The debates and other media fashion displays can wait a few weeks. They have some immediate work to do as senators, not candidates.
This is the chance for Americans to see their favorite candidates in action. Obama and McCain have a unique opportunity to show us what they can do. They may be political candidates, but they are also duly elected, active members of the House of Congress. They are asking us to elect them leader of the greatest Nation on Earth. America should challenge both men loudly and forcefully.
In one united voice we should offer this challenge. "If you want to lead us then start now". The American people need everyone on both sides of the aisle working doggedly to suspend the political posturing and get a solution in place. The situation is urgent and we don't have a lot of time to waste. We need the kind of experienced, expert, deliberate and focused effort from both the Republicans and Democrats that will get the problem solved from everyone involved.
We don't need any more press releases or joint statements from either of the candidates. What McCain or Obama says anymore isn't important. Their promises don't mean squat any longer. We are counting on them as leaders to help pull us through this crisis. We have a serious need for them to show us what they can do. Not with promises but with performance.
The media's All-Seeing-Eye follows these guys every minute of the day. Suspending the campaign won't do any harm to anyone other than John McCain and he's willing to suffer the consequences of his decision. A break in the campaign rhetoric would be refreshing. We've heard just about everything they have to say for awhile. It's not like we are going to get to miss these guys.
The media will continue to inundate people with the usual information overload regardless of whether McCain is at a campaign stop or at his office. Senators Obama and McCain are directly responsible for the welfare of their constituents and the American citizens in general.
How they work with the rest of congress to, shape and implement an effective solution will be crucial to the success of the next administration. Their efforts and actions will offer immediate insight to their administrative style in the near future. Republican or Democrat, the people are about to see just how the US Congress as a whole and the two Senators in particular perform when it comes time for creating a solution for the American people and not debating one with the American people. The victims of the crisis are not republicans and democrats, they are American.
We don't want McCain and Obama to keep telling us what they are going to do... We want them to stand up and show us what they are going to do.
And we need them to do it right.