McCain Goes Solo at Town Hall in Federal Hall

He's pissed off at oil companies cause they make obscene amounts of money and that they don't want to invest in alternate forms of energy to stop making obscene amounts of money? what the fuck is McCain Smoking? He should be pissed off at the government for not regulating the oil industry.

"He should be pissed off at the government for not regulating the oil industry."

Friday the 13th. The day I agreed with babyhitler.

People on both sides with attitudes like cucarachita are exactly what is wrong with politics in this country.

This is the same FOX News that referred to Obama's wife as his "baby mama." I kid you not:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5irE1uIeQpuJ-eWer1kwCH6jbfFjAD9195NDG0

So why should Obama ever appear on anything televised exclusively by FOX News?

ITA with VanessaNYC.

Obama's a smart guy. He was wise to decline to attend an obviously partisan event, that had been carefully scripted to attempt to make McCain look good. They attempted to bill this as a "bipartisan event" but finally admitted tickets were distributed only to McCain supporters, who asked him ridiculous softball questions, like how McCain felt about being a "hero." If Obama had attended, you can bet that they would have only used it as an opportunity to attack him.

I am extremely disappointed Obama did not show up. He is supposed to be able to bridge divides. If he cannot talk to the other side in an open forum we are just as doomed as we are now. He really is not showing me anything that tells me he is a uniter other than rhetoric. I would also like to see him answer questions off the cuff without a teleprompter and canned speech because as of right now I am not hopeful and would really like more real details from him directly and not some campaign staffer.

SimonLok,

Are you a liar or illiterate? Michelle Obama quite clearly did not use that line (from your CNN link):

"MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF BARACK OBAMA: My baby's daddy Barack Obama. Yeah!"

The following link is directed at you, and those that happen (intentionally or not) to mirror idiots like Michelle Malkin, and should clear up any "confusion" you might have regarding the racism of Fox News: http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=870

"First, Michelle Obama once called Barack Obama her “baby’s daddy,” and as we all know, a married woman factually and correctly calling her husband her child’s father is exactly the same as a major news organization calling a potential First Lady some chick what got knocked up on a fling. ...
So by Malkin’s reasoning it’s perfectly fine for Fox News to call Michelle Obama the unmarried mother of Barack Obama’s children because an entirely different phrase has to her mind entered the common culture, and there was this one time that Michelle Obama once uttered something that sounded like that entirely different phrase, which is not the phrase that Fox News used."

Yes, the "misinformation in this election is staggering" and it's people like you spreading it.

kissel,

I'm sure you're absolutely so devastated by Obama's choice to go into a townhall meeting packed with McCain's supporters. Particularly since, on June 5, you said, "I will definitely vote for mcain over obama. we don't need higher taxes and more gov't handouts which he's already stated he would do." (emphasis added)
http://gothamist.com/2008/06/04/clinton_will_dr.php#comment-1378160

Look, you're a liar. You aren't upset at all. You don't give a shit about what he would have said. You already admitted you definitely wouldn't be voting for him.

In fact, I'm quite sure you are pleased Obama didn't show up so you could come to Gothamist and be a jackass. You're just a bullshit sympathy troll looking for ways to criticize Obama. Have some fucking balls.

likesrudylikesbooty,

Obama said he'd debate McCain anytime and anywhere on foreign policy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMGgyPm9kh4

A townhall forum packed with McCain supporters is neither a "debate" on foreign policy, nor something any sane human being would agree to. You know it, everybody else know it as well. But hey, points for making an unreasonable and overbroad interpretation of Obama's statement.

LOL, it's amusing to see the right wingers sobbing because Obama was too smart to fall for their lame attempt to ambush him. Poor babies.

SimonLok:

Here's the only line I can find that you might possibly be talking about from that transcript:

MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF BARACK OBAMA: My baby's daddy Barack Obama. Yeah!

She said that while introducing him at a public event. She didn't refer to herself as his "baby mama." She didn't even refer to him as her "baby daddy." "Baby's daddy" is much different. So please tell us, how is what you said in any way relevent???????

Murray Hillster :

".......making an unreasonable and overbroad interpretation of Obama's statement. "

So is it okay for Senator Obama and his supporters to make unreasonable interpretations of what others say and do? 100 hundred years in Iraq? A third term for Bush? The same old style politics?

Look, Obama called out McCain for debates. It was a pretty stupid thing to do. Which part of "anytime, anywhere" is confusing? And if it were the other way around, with McCain turning down an invitation to what he considers a "Democrat event", would his excuse be accepted?

"It was too close to his nomination" is bullshit. You know it, and everyone knows it.

jenchungsbra, i think babys daddy and babys mama are pretty equivalent statements. you are really splitting hairs here. and I agree its not a big deal, just that i see this plastered all over the internet.

by the way, the townhall meeting was setup by bloomberg... far from a right winger, though maybe compared to some here he is.. but he is our local mayor and wants NYC issues discussed - not a bad idea since we are basically just used as an ATM. also it would have been televised by abc not fox news and since its townhall styled each candidate had an opportunity for a pretty open floor to speak... i dont see what the problem is. obama should be able to hold his own, shouldnt he? otherwise why are we supposed to be voting for him again?

You're being disingenuous, Simon. Nobody said "babys daddy" or "babys mama." Michelle Obama said "my baby's daddy" and FOX said "baby mama." And it is a big deal as it shows that the biggest news network in the country is pretty much racist and biased.

No, no, no -- "baby daddy" (or "baby mama") is a VERY different phrase than "baby's daddy," implying something very different as well. "Baby daddy" is a well-known urban slang term referring to a man (typically black) who fathered a child out of wedlock. FOX knew the difference and used that term intentionally, rather than using what she really said.

great, so again we will potentially have a president only interested in talking to 1/2 of the country... the only change is a movement from stark right ideology to stark left... not exactly what we need (on either direction)

Dr Zippy said: "This is the sort of tactic groups resort to when they know they can't win on the merits of their ideas."

Yep. The only reason for the desperate McCain supporters to try to stage a fake "debate" is because they're afraid their candidate would make a fool of himself in a real, legitimate debate.

Kessel,

Kessel said: "LOL, i love people with obama blinders on like yourself. they simply cannot see over their own biases and look at facts. In my pasts posts, I also said I was independent and based my analysis simply on his economic stances, so please save your venom for someone else."

WTF are you talking about blinders? I'm talking about you being a lying McCain supporter spewing bullshit here.

You admitted you would "definitely" vote for McCain and then you come here at comment [11] with your sympathy troll hat on acting as if you're an undecided voter who actually gives a shit about whether or not Obama attends McCain's little party. You made your decision and have revealed that you're a McCain supporter. Nobody gives a shit if a McCain supporter is disappointed that Obama didn't play McCain's stupid game.

You're a liar and coward for attempting to hide your support for McCain. Spewing "venom" at lying cowards seems like the best place of all.

SimonLok:

"[13] represents the type of obama supporters that turn off everyone who is on the fence. he gives nothing more than pure animosity while others are trying to have a reasonable discussion."

You've revealed yourself to be another disingenuous ass spreading misinformation. "JenChungsBra" tried to be nice and explain to you the error of your ways, but your apparent inability to differentiate "baby's daddy" versus "baby momma" indicates that either you're a fool, or a another bullshit artist like kissel. Frankly, I don't think you're that big of a fool.

So if my tone is unkind, it's because liars don't deserve politeness. They aren't part of a reasonable discussion of the issues or to engage in a weighing of ideas. They're here to sow misinformation and muddy the water.

Indeed, you came here complaining about misinformation and then continued to spread it while feigning confusion about the substantial differences, and the incredibly racist aspects of "baby momma." It's despicable to try and minimize the racism of Fox News' use of "baby momma" when referring to the potential First Lady of the United States.

But I reserve the right to be wrong about you. Maybe you are that big of a moron. In which case, I ask you to be more careful about what you post and to refrain from commenting on issues that you clearly have no ability to address or understand.

likesrudylikesbooty

"So is it okay for Senator Obama and his supporters to make unreasonable interpretations of what others say and do?"

No, it isn't. Since you haven't said why the topics that you raised are unreasonable, I'll just note that, for example, McCain voted 95% with Bush in 2007 and 100% in 2008 (the number may be transposed). And, IIRC, this lockstep voting pattern has continued since 2002 or 2001. Prior to that McCain voted at about 56%. Now, given a voting pattern that closely mirrors Bush's positions on the issues, why is it unreasonable to say the McCain would continue Bush's policies into a "Third Bush term"?

"Look, Obama called out McCain for debates. It was a pretty stupid thing to do. Which part of "anytime, anywhere" is confusing?"

The stupid part is to take the statement literally and beyond the scope of Obama's challenge. A townhall on a variety of topics is quite obviously not a debate on foreign policy. That's why these events are clearly called "debates" and "townhalls." They are two different things. So, Obama did not say he would engage in townhalls with McCain anywhere and anytime.

But I appreciate the position that Obama's statement was politically stupid because it opened him up to criticism when he turned down any form of debate/townhall at anytime and anywhere. I think that criticism is silly, but a savvy political operator should know not to make those kinds of statements.

"And if it were the other way around, with McCain turning down an invitation to what he considers a "Democrat event", would his excuse be accepted?"

I don't speak for the party, but I would. I don't expect any candidate to walk into an even organized and stocked full of one's supporters and then attempt to engage in a discussion.

""It was too close to his nomination" is bullshit. You know it, and everyone knows it."

Yeah, it's pretty weak.