# Bailout deal agreed to. McCain's"leadership" not required. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 25, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177 "2008-09-25T17:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/1 "2008-09-25T17:20:21Z")
This is still breaking on the news channels, nothing linkable yet, but Chris Dodd just announced that the Dems and Pubs have just agreed “in principle” to a bailout package. The scheduled meeting at the White House this afternoon for McCain to save the day has now become irrelevant. I don’t know what they’ll do now. I guess they’ll sip lemonade and play records. Anyway, McCain’s “help” was neither required nor requested to make this deal. This stunt has officially blown up in his face. The legislative “crisis” has been resolved. Now he HAS to go get his ass spanked at Ole Miss. Even better, he no longer has an excuse to try to pull Palin from thursday’s debate. ETA, I’m now hearing that the Senate Banking Committee decided to adopt Barack Obama’s proposal as the template for the deal. Snicker. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/2 "2008-09-25T17:24:21Z")
> **[Breitbart News Network](https://www.breitbart.com/)** > > Syndicated news and opinion website providing continuously updated headlines to top news and analysis sources. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/3 "2008-09-25T17:26:08Z")
Of course McCain helped. The congressional leaders said to each other, “Shit! John McCain’s coming back to town to try and fix a deal on the crisis. Let’s get our agreement together before he can come in and fuck up the whole thing on us.” Without that pressure on them, they’d still be wheeling-and-dealing. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/4 "2008-09-25T17:30:36Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Of course McCain helped. The congressional leaders said to each other, “Shit! John McCain’s coming back to town to try and fix a deal on the crisis. Let’s get our agreement together before he can come in and fuck up the whole thing on us.” Without that pressure on them, they’d still be wheeling-and-dealing. That’s basically what [Barney Frank said last night](http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/barney-frank-wh.html): > [@](#): > > “Frankly, we’re going to have to interrupt a negotiating session tomorrow between the Democrats and Republicans on a bill, where I think we’re getting pretty close, and troop down to the White House for their photo-op, and then come back and get on to it,” Frank said. > > “We’re trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain campaign,” he added. Barney Frank rocks. He tells it like it is. He doesn’t give a shit. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/5 "2008-09-25T17:39:43Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > This is still breaking on the news channels, nothing linkable yet, but Chris Dodd just announced that the Dems and Pubs have just agreed “in principle” to a bailout package. The scheduled meeting at the White House this afternoon for McCain to save the day has now become irrelevant. I don’t know what they’ll do now. I guess they’ll sip lemonade and play records. > > Anyway, McCain’s “help” was neither required nor requested to make this deal. This stunt has officially blown up in his face. The legislative “crisis” has been resolved. Now he HAS to go get his ass spanked at Ole Miss. Even better, he no longer has an excuse to try to pull Palin from thursday’s debate. > > ETA, I’m now hearing that the Senate Banking Committee decided to adopt Barack Obama’s proposal as the template for the deal. Snicker. You know, I really can’t wait to see this debate. After gliding through a few blogs and forums every post for McCain boils down to _“Obama is unpatriotic, McCain put country first!”_ despite the obvious fact that McCain wasn’t needed in DC and he isn’t on the committee anyway. Thats just basic reasoning, really. Obama was right when he said a President needs to be able more than one thing at a time. I don’t understand what the McDupes see in McCain. Really, I don’t…he hasn’t said or done anything that gives me any faith in him. _ **Country first** _ is going to the debate. There is little more than a month left before we elect a new president. Country first isn’t trying to duck out of the debate and get your ill chosen and non-qualified running mate out of it too. _ **Country first** _ isn’t 100 years in Iraq. Country first isn’t saying the economy is strong and then having it blow up in your face and claim “I meant the workers”. I’m tired of watching the US go down the tubes. This election is becoming a circus because WE put up with this nonsense. McCain’s stunt was a BS move to avoid the real issues and concerns. Thats not the actions of someone I want to as a president. This shouldn’t be a “My team against Your Team” thing for voters. We need to hear these men and make decisions on voting by who can serve the nation best. My wife was going to vote for McCain but this latest stunt, plus Palin have made her change her mind. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/6 "2008-09-25T17:42:07Z")
McCain pulled a “Jerry Rector.” Let me explain. When I was a kid, my older brother and I played little league. Being the athlete of the family, my brother was chosen to play in the All-Star game in our town, while I wasn’t. The day of the game Jerry Rector showed up, with his bat, ball, and glove, and his little uniform on, even though he didn’t make the team. His presence there was neither asked for nor required, and with his few skills he wouldn’t have added anything to the occasion anyway. He so wanted to be part of the team, but he just didn’t have it. Just like McCain, he ended up a spectator. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/7 "2008-09-25T17:46:20Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > ETA, I’m now hearing that the Senate Banking Committee decided to adopt Barack Obama’s proposal as the template for the deal. Snicker. Where did you hear that? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/8 "2008-09-25T17:48:20Z")
> [@autz](#): > > Where did you hear that? I heard it on the Ed Schultz radio show. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/9 "2008-09-25T17:50:56Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I heard it on the Ed Schultz radio show. OK. If you find it in writing, please post a link. There is someone I’d like to show that to. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/10 "2008-09-25T17:55:31Z")
I wonder if McCain even thought about what would happen if it got settled today. Maybe the plan was to slow it down so he’d look leaderly by being there. It strikes me that crap like this - acting rashly without thinking of the consequences - is how we got into this mess in the first place. That goes for borrowers, lenders, and banks. Great show of judgment there, John. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/11 "2008-09-25T17:57:59Z")
> [@autz](#): > > OK. If you find it in writing, please post a link. There is someone I’d like to show that to. Will do. It’s possible I misheard something. I haven’t seen or heard anything else about that yet. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/12 "2008-09-25T18:00:16Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I wonder if McCain even thought about what would happen if it got settled today. Maybe the plan was to slow it down so he’d look leaderly by being there. > > It strikes me that crap like this - acting rashly without thinking of the consequences - is how we got into this mess in the first place. That goes for borrowers, lenders, and banks. Great show of judgment there, John. He probably thought everybody would stop and look to him for leadership. At least that’s how his monkeys probably envisioned it when they came up with this stunt. ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/13 "2008-09-25T18:00:41Z")
McCain surrogates are on TV and such right now trying to spin it as if he is somehow responsible for the success of what has happened so far. Yes that’s right, folks! Thank St. John for your bailout bill. His selfless suspension of his campaign has completely saved us all! ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/14 "2008-09-25T18:07:26Z")
McCain is in a real bind isn’t he? I think what he will try to do is to say he is satisfied with the deal, claim some kind of credit for it and appear for the debate. His surrogates will try to tout his actions as an example of leadership. It won’t work but it may avoid complete humiliation. The other alternative would be double down , oppose the deal and run against both Bush and the Democratic Congress and say he is fighting for the little guy against corrupt Washington interests. Substantively that would be disastrous and would really spook the markets. It would probably be disastrous politically as well but given McCain’s recklessness there is a smallish chance he may go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/15 "2008-09-25T18:11:55Z")
One of McCain’s campaign bobos was just on Fox trying to spin that this deal happened as a result of McCain’s announcement yesterday. The regular Fox morons are trying to parse words about whether it’s really a “deal” or not. They’re clearly upset. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/16 "2008-09-25T18:12:45Z")
> [@Merkwurdigliebe](#): > > McCain surrogates are on TV and such right now trying to spin it as if he is somehow responsible for the success of what has happened so far. Yes that’s right, folks! Thank St. John for your bailout bill. His selfless suspension of his campaign has completely saved us all! OK I didn’t see that. It appears McCain will try to walk his way back from this mess. This spin is too ridiculous to work but it may avoid complete disaster. This whole episode will set in stone the narrative of McCain as reckless which won’t help him at all though. ---
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/17 "2008-09-25T18:27:04Z")
Thanks, **Diogenes**. I woke up today after yesterday’s debacles and thought “It’s a great day to be a Democrat”. It’s even better this afternoon than it was this morning! I’m going to go buy a lotto ticket. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/18 "2008-09-25T18:32:27Z")
You might wait for more of the dust to settle before you start crowing. From yahoo news: > [@](#): > > But there were fresh signs of trouble in the House Republican Caucus. A group of GOP lawmakers circulated an alternative designed to attract private capital back into the credit markets with less government intrusion. > > Under the proposal, the government would provide insurance to companies that agree to buy frozen assets, rather than purchase them directly as envisioned under the administration’s plan. The firms would have to pay insurance premiums to the Treasury Department for the coverage. > > “The taxpayers haven’t done anything wrong,” said Rep Eric Cantor, R-Va., adding that rather than require them to bear the cost of the bailout, the alternative “pretty much puts the burden on Wall Street over time.” Besides, I think with something like this, it would be a good (if not necessary) idea to make sure McCain and Obama both were fully behind this deal. Bush isn’t the one who will have to implement it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/19 "2008-09-25T18:40:49Z")
I don’t know what you think your link is supposed to prove. The deal is done. If you don’t believe it, look at the Market. That tells you they think it’s done. In any case, McCain would still have no input on any negotiations or on writing anythimng. he’s not on any of the relevant committes and he’s not in any leadership. All he can do is vote. His economic opinions are not valued and have not been sought. I did hear again that Chris Dodd says the Banking Committee used Obama’s plan as an outline. So McCain got out-maneuvered. Too bad, so sad. Now he has to go to Oxford MS and take his ass-kicking like a man. ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177/20 "2008-09-25T18:41:36Z")
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Republicans ginned up some kind of problem that stalls the process which would take McCain to “fix” That’s the first thing I felt when those Republicans started hedging in the news. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bailout-deal-agreed-to-mccains-leadership-not-required/465177.md?page=2)