Obama and Town-Hall Debates
Fred Barnes writes for The Weekly Standard that Senator John McCain wrote a letter to Senator Barack Obama in which he (McCain) invited Obama to a special road trip this summer. McCain wants to fly on the same plan with his Democratic rival - to show to people that this will be a civilized campaign - and he wants to do several town-hall meetings, or debates, together.
At this moment, it appears that Obama isn’t quite willing to accept the offer. As Barnes writes:
So why wouldn’t Senator Bring-Us-Together jump enthusiastically at the opportunity? Several reasons, all political. Obama figures he’s going to win because of the strong Democratic tide and doesn’t want to offer opportunities for Republicans to lay a glove on him. Also, he’s not particularly good at town hall gatherings–spontaneity is not his thing–but McCain is at his best at such sessions. And Obama would rather give set speeches, at which he’s terrific, than take questions that might force him to deal with things (Rev. Wright, Tony Rezko, etc.) he’d rather not talk about.
As such, it does not make much sense for Obama to participate in these events. Such a road trip would send a great message, of course, but it could also very well result in the Senator from Illinois trailing in the polls.
Additionally, town halls do not come without risk for McCain. In the 1960 presidential election, John F. Kennedy is considered to have benefited enormously by being seated across from Richard Nixon in the first televised presidential debates. Could this pattern repeat?
Sounds more like McCain knows he won’t raise as much money as Obama and is trying to get some free airtime and some help with his summer transportation bills.
Having experience with McCain in AZ, it fits his style.