McCain suspends campaign

Reading an article on CNN.com today I was shocked that McCain has chosen to suspend his campaign in an effort to focus his energy on particpating in negotations in Washingston concerning the current economic crisis. The first question that came to mind, considering our discussions in class about political strategy, was whether or not this was truly an action to assist the country or if it was a campaign tactic. While it may seem as though a suspension of the campaign is antithetical to the latter idea, I think it is clear that during a presidential election year, nothing a candidate does is without thought to his potential candidacy. McCain is calling for a bipartisan effort at a financial solution as well as a postponment of the presidential debate this Friday as a show of political unity. Obama on the other hand is cautious about any postponment or suspension because he believes that this is the most important time for the country to hear from their prospective executive. And while I agree with Obama, I think McCain is presenting a very appealing message for national unity in order to secure the welfare of the country.
Obama notes that a presidential candidate needs to be able to handle more than one thing at once in order to prove his reliability to the American people and is tentative about infusing negotiations with presidential politics. I think that this is a clear strategy on his part to portray himself as willing to aid in economic recovery but unwilling to taint the important process in any way. This is a very middle of the road stance which I think is appealing because it shows confidence in himself coupled with a legitimate concern for the stability of the country. At the same time, I think his statement concerning his own personal aid to the negotiations were tainted with doubt at his ability to do so. One quotation began with "If I can be helpful" which does not serve to further an idea that he is capable of participating in a proposal. This is clearly not what the American people want to hear. "If" is not a word that we associate with a capability to lead and may cast doubt in some minds as to whether or not this is an indication of Obama's inadequacy.
McCain, however, has officially suspended his campaign and is seeking to postpone the debate in order to devote full attention to the matter facing the country at this very moment. And while this is an incredibly noble action to take, I wonder whether or not this will have an effect on voters. It is admirable that he is allegedly willing to put politics behind him considering the state of the economy but I think his proposal to push back the debate could be seen as fear. In addition to this, if Obama chooses to continue campaigning (which seems likely) then McCain may be losing precious time in the month before the election. He does, however, seem very confident in his ability to aid in the negotations which is symbolic of exactly what we want in a president; a man willing to put personal issues aside for the betterment of the country. Choosing which candidate is handling the crisis better is something I'm incapable of doing at this time despite my incredibly liberal politics. Both candidates, in my opinion, are staying true to their beliefs and I cannot fault either one of them for that.
Clearly, this particular issue is close to the hearts of all American citizens. When our money is in danger we do not respond well. And the fact that the goverment is proposing the "most sweeping economic intervention since the Great Depression" is an indicator of how serious the crisis has become. When it seems as though independents are going to play an enormous part in this coming election, what the candidates do right now is incredibly important to their campaigns. Both have pledged support to one another and with one another and plan to issue a joint statement about how to go about resolving the crisis in a bipartisan manner. They are both smart enough to realize that an angry debate over something this imperative is equal to political suicide. They also know that unity is paramount at this particular time as we need to be certain that our government is working for us and not for themselves. I would have to say that regardless of the strategy involved or the perception of each candidates response they have both made a concerted effort to come together and present a united front.
Below is the link to the CNN article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/24/campaign.wrap/index.html