# Obama temporarily leaving the campaign trail **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 21, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834 "2008-10-21T01:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/61 "2008-10-24T02:22:48Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Are you really surprised? This is the typical level of political moronity that the McCain campaign has been showing for at least the last six weeks and probably more. At LEAST since the first major economic eruption, anyway. McCain is going for the “I hate going to my fucking grandma’s house” vote. Quite clever of them, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/62 "2008-10-24T02:36:14Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > McCain is going for the “I hate going to my fucking grandma’s house” vote. Quite clever of them, actually. The problem is, he’s already lost that vote. Now he apparently has no chance of regaining the lead with senior citizens he once had. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/63 "2008-10-24T02:41:55Z")
With Barack off the trail for two days, this would have been the perfect time for Camp McCain to steal the limelight. Two days of telling people why they should be voting for their guy. Two days of controling the news cycle. Welp, they did steal the limelight. I’m beginning to think Obama may really win this thing. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/64 "2008-10-24T12:20:18Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > The problem is, he’s already lost that vote. Now he apparently has no chance of regaining the lead with senior citizens he once had. Couple this with the Sarah Silverman campaign to go to Florida and talk to Bubbe (or whatever Jewish grandmas are called)… thank you, McCain campaign. You’ve done us a solid. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/65 "2008-10-24T12:33:50Z")
on gma they had a clip of obama’s interview with robin roberts. he said that his grandmother’s health is such that they aren’t sure if she will make it to election day. poor guy. i hope she can hold on until election day. but i don’t want to wish more pain and suffering on her. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/66 "2008-10-24T13:02:48Z")
I actually think the McCain flack knew and understood that what he was saying was bullshit. You can see in the last 20 seconds or so of that clip, as the anchor mocks him, the guy can’t help but let slip with a smile. He’s got a losing hand, but he’s playing the bad cards he was dealt. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/67 "2008-10-24T17:37:36Z")
> [@](#): > > He’s got a losing hand, but he’s playing the bad cards he was dealt. Pardon me if I’m mangling the poker analogy, but it looks to me like he was dealt a jack and a three, and discarded the jack in hopes of pairing the three. There were things the McCain campaign could have done with this, probably not enough to bring them back into contention, but at least enough to make up a little ground. But as **Biggirl** said, to do that, they needed to focus entirely on themselves: Anything they said against Obama (even legitimate things like criticising his policies) would have carried a risk of looking cruel. But to directly attack a guy for visiting his dying grandmother? That’s just idiotic. There’s no possible way that can benefit you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834.md?page=3)