To Debate or Not Debate

Senator McCain has announced that he is suspending his campaign temporarily to return to Washington to work on this $700+billion bailout issue. He has asked Senator Obama to do the same, and to delay the scheduled Friday night debate in Oxford, Mississippi.

Obama believes that a president should be able to do more than one thing at a time, and wants to deal with the problem, continue campaigning, and debate as scheduled. After all, they’ve spent time preparing for the debate, it’s five weeks until election, and it’s only a 2.5 hour plane trip from Washington to Mississippi.

The debate commission (I’m not sure if that is a real title and should be capitalized, or just a group of people who have organized the debates) wants the debate to go forward as scheduled. (Suggestion: if the debate is held Friday night, change the topic to the economy.)

Who is right? Well, actually both are. As Obama says, a president must be able to multi-task. As McCain believes, it’s important to deal with this escalating economic problem. I personally commend McCain for feeling that this is important enough to risk the election.

I think McCain has heard enough from the American citizens to understand that this is a lot of money we’re talking about. Even if it turns out it doesn’t cost that much, we’re still talking about our tax dollars. It’s our money. Ben Bernacke and Hank Paulsen don’t want anyone looking over their shoulders while they are dealing with saving the banks, AIG, and ultimately, the American economy. I hear they are honorable men and can be trusted to do the right thing. This might be true, they might be fine, honorable men with only the best of intentions, but when we’re talking the numbers we’re talking, and when it’s the economy that they are trying to save, I want to know they are not only going to do the right thing, but also that this is the right thing to do.

I’m sorry, this is just too much money and just too important for Congress to blindly pass this bill as it stands. I am concerned that unless this bill is very carefully vetted our Congresscritters will at least try to add pork to this bill. It’s already been called a “Christmas Tree”. You know, adding this piece of glitter or that shiny object and hanging it on to the bill. Obama has already said that he would prefer to see the bill have an addition to the bill that ensures another round of incentive checks to the American taxpayer. He also backpedaled and later said it wouldn’t keep him from voting on it if it wasn’t attached.

Let’s remember one thing: neither candidate can really do a whole lot of anything except talk about the economy. Whoever is elected won’t have any power until January to put their plans in effect. Between now and then, any input will be just because they are a candidate. However. They both have power as Senators who can go to Capitol Hill and make an effort to work this problem out.

Campaigning is all talk about what they think and what they would do. Talk is cheap. It’s time to step up and show what they can do now. Sure, they can both multi-task. This is a litmus test. I want them to show that they can deal with this problem by proving their leadership abilities, not that they can walk and chew gum at the same time. McCain has shown leadership by suspending his campaign to deal with this. I would expect him, as president, to suspend making a speech to deal with a national disaster. President Bush cut short his visit to a Florida school, not to mention everything else, to deal with that little dustup in New York in 2001. In the meantime, they are both sitting Senators representing the people of their respective states. This is the time to represent those citizens.

McCain is ready to take action and is on the way to Washington. Obama thinks they can fix the economy and still have the debates on Friday night. That’s a little more than 48 hours away. Can this be worked out in 48 hours? Let’s get real. Congress is involved.

I fully expect Congress to be open until this is dealt with. Is Congress up to working non-stop until this is ironed out? Are they willing to work those hours? Personally, I see this as a time when Congress needs to be in the Capitol until it’s a done deal. If that means sleeping a couple of hours at a time on sofas in their offices, that’s what they should do.

In my personal opinion, if I wanted to see where my Congressional representatives were from now until the bill was signed, I should not have to look anywhere but in their Congressional seat or their office. Meals should be taken at their desk. I will allow restroom time.

This is way too important for them to be anywhere else.