England for Obama

The President-elect gave his first press conference this afternoon. He talked mostly about his economic plans, but also about the choice of dog for the White House.

I can’t quite believe some journalists. You get to ask any question you like to the new president, at his very first press conference, and you ask either a) What kind of dog are you getting? or b) Have you seen anything in your national security briefings which gives you cause for concern?

His first post-victory press conference, of course.

After meeting with his economic advisors in Chicago this morning, President-Elect Barack Obama (let’s say that one more time, shall we?) will be talking to the press at 7.30pm UK time today.

J.O.B.S. Yesterday in Ohio:

Soooomeone’s getting ready to be preeeeesident..!

I do believe this is what’s called ‘bringing it home’.

The Obama camp is releasing a 13-minute video today about John McCain’s role in the Keating Five scandal (new/British readers start here).

Here’s the official email that was in my inbox from the Obama campaiagn this morning, entitled What they don’t want to talk about:

“Over the weekend, John McCain’s top adviser announced their plan to stop engaging in a debate over the economy and “turn the page” to more direct, personal attacks on Barack Obama.

In the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, they want to change the subject from the central question of this election. Perhaps because the policies McCain supported these past eight years and wants to continue are pretty hard to defend.

But it’s not just McCain’s role in the current crisis that they’re avoiding. The backward economic philosophy and culture of corruption that helped create the current crisis are looking more and more like the other major financial crisis of our time.

During the savings and loan crisis of the late ’80s and early ’90s, McCain’s political favors and aggressive support for deregulation put him at the center of the fall of Lincoln Savings and Loan, one of the largest in the country. More than 23,000 investors lost their savings. Overall, the savings and loan crisis required the federal government to bail out the savings of hundreds of thousands of families and ultimately cost American taxpayers $124 billion.

Sound familiar?

In that crisis, John McCain and his political patron, Charles Keating, played central roles that ultimately landed Keating in jail for fraud and McCain in front of the Senate Ethics Committee. The McCain campaign has tried to avoid talking about the scandal, but with so many parallels to the current crisis, McCain’s Keating history is relevant and voters deserve to know the facts — and see for themselves the pattern of poor judgment by John McCain.

So at noon Eastern on Monday, October 6th, we’re releasing a 13-minute documentary about the scandal called “Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis” — it will be available at KeatingEconomics.com, along with background information that every voter should know.

Watch a preview right now and share it with your friends.

The point of the film and the web site is that John McCain still hasn’t learned his lesson.

And this time, McCain’s bankrupt economic philosophy has put our economy at the brink of collapse and put millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes.

Watch the video to see why John McCain’s failed philosophy and poor judgment is a recipe for deepening the crisis:

http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo

It’s no wonder John McCain would rather spend the last month of this election smearing Barack’s character instead of talking about the top priority issue for voters.

But if we work together, we can make sure the focus stays on the economy — and how to fix it.

Please forward this email to everyone you know.

Thanks,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

P.S. — The documentary will be live at noon Eastern at www.KeatingEconomics.com.”

Here’s what Obama said yesterday.

Keith Olbermann looks at what happened yesterday with the scuppered bailout bill - including McCain and Obama’s responses, and what exactly Nancy Pelosi said to offend all those right-wing Republicans:

John McCain last night:

“Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process. Now is not the time to affix the blame. It’s time to fix the problem.”

Love it.

*Sighs*.

OK, in a nutshell, the GOP have scuppered the bailout plan. It failed to get enough votes, and apparently it’s because a dozen Republicans were upset by Nancy Pelosi’s ‘partisan’ speech. Watch them explain:

- and then watch the brilliant House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank lay into them (from around 4:25 onwards):

Barack Obama said of the latest development:

“It’s important for the American public and the markets to stay calm, because things are never smooth in Congress, and to understand that it will get better…We are going to make sure that an emergency package is put together, because it is required for us to stabilize the markets…

“So I’m confident that we are going to get there, but it’s going to be a little rocky. It’s sort of like flying into Denver — you know you’re going to land, it’s not always fun going over those mountains.”

The MCain campaign, meanwhile - which rode into town claiming it would bring everyone together and of course failed miserably - said:

“From the minute John McCain suspended his campaign and arrived in Washington to address this crisis, he was attacked by the Democratic leadership: Senators Obama and Reid, Speaker Pelosi and others. Their partisan attacks were an effort to gain political advantage during a national economic crisis. By doing so, they put at risk the homes, livelihoods and savings of millions of American families.

Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain, and refused to even say if he supported the final bill.

Just before the vote, when the outcome was still in doubt, Speaker Pelosi gave a strongly worded partisan speech and poisoned the outcome.

This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country.”

Erm, yes. And I think you just “put politics ahead of country” by talking about yourself a lot, and blaming Obama and the Democrats, didn’t you?

Wait a minute - now that it’s failed, doesn’t this mean that John McCain has to suspend his campaign again?

Andrea Mitchell at MSNBC reports on the will-they-won’t-they debate:

According to Today on Radio 4, the discussions in Washington about the economic bailout turned into “a shouting match” yesterday. And according to HuffPo, John McCain “sat quiet through most of the meeting, [and] never offered specifics”. Probably because he doesn’t know much about the economy, eh? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t know much about the economy, either. But then, I didn’t just fly to Washington saying that I was going to help. Although I’m perfectly happy to make tea for everyone if they need me.

Meanwhile, back in Oxford, Mississippi, preparations are taking place for tonight’s televised debate. Or rather: would-be televised debate, as according to news sources, it is still ‘in limbo’*.  John McCain has said all along that he won’t take part until and unless a deal has been reached in Washington - and, well, it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen today, Johnny boy.

So will he really balk? Will Barack Obama be standing there tonight opposite an empty lectern? I somehow doubt it. If McCain doesn’t show up tonight, he will have thrown away the election. Instantly. Of course, if he still turns up before any deal has been agreed, he will look like he’s going back on his word - but in the big scheme of things, that would be far less damaging and I’m sure the GOP could spin it, as they spin everything else.

More on the goings-on in Washington yesterday here and here - and here’s our man Obama giving his sensible take on the whole affair:

I have to say, I find it both remarkable and quite, quite hand-rubbingly brilliant that it’s the right wing of the Republican party that’s scuppering Bush’s bailout plan - because, to their minds, this is “socialism” and the free market should be left to, well, run free (oh, and by the way: John McCain is in their ranks). The Republicans didn’t squirm when Hurricane Katrina happened and millions of people needed aid. They don’t squirm when they need health care, because they can afford it. But they’re squirming now.

I keep thinking of a great quote I heard from a commentator the other day: “Profits are privatised, but debt is socialised”.

And so it seems. In the Republicans’ America, at least.
*I love that headline: Debate Remains In Limbo. Is that ‘Limbo, Ohio’? I wouldn’t put it past my American friends and their crazy place names…