Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Comparing Economic Crisis to 9/11, McCain Wants Friday's Debate Delayed; Obama Rejects Pushing Off Debate
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 24, 2008
Modified Sep 24, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 24, 2008
Modified Sep 24, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Photograph of McCain delivering a statement to the traveling press corps in New York by Gerald Herbert/AP
Republican presidential candidate John McCain said he was temporarily suspending his campaign tomorrow and asked for Friday's much-anticipated debate with Democratic candidate Barack Obama be delayed, so he can work on the bailout plan in Washington D.C. He said he contacted Obama's campaign and emphasized that partisan differences must be put aside for a solution (not counting that both Democrats and Republicans have problems with the plan).
McCain said, "We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night’s debate until we have taken action to address this crisis... Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now."
Obama's campaign did confirm he spoke to McCain ("Senator Obama called Senator McCain to ask him if he would join in issuing a joint statement outlining their shared principles and conditions for the Treasury proposal and urging Congress and the White House to act in a bipartisan manner to pass such a proposal...") but did not mention anything about delaying the debate.
Is McCain's timing suspect, given that Obama now has a clear lead over him, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll? Politico's Jonathan Martin writes, "Coming a week after McCain struggled to find his footing on the crisis and as national and state polls show him slipping in large part because of voter concerns over the economy, it also amounts to a dare: How can Obama say no?"
UPDATE: Obama had "a hastily arranged news conference" in Florida, where he said the debate should go on, "This is exactly the time when people need to hear from the candidates... Part of the president’s job is to deal with more than one thing at once. In my mind it’s more important than ever.” (Obama also agreed that "there are times for politics and there are times to rise above politics and do what’s right.”)
And ABC News reports that an Ole Miss (where the debate is supposed to be held) official said postponing the debate would be "devastating." The school has spent $5.5 million making accommodations for the event, and Andrew Mullins, special assistant to the University Chancellor Robert Khayata, said, "It's huge. You cannot just say that you're not going to do this thing. I don't have any idea whether we do the debate [at a later date]. (We) probably wouldn't do it."
Tagged
9/11
bailout
barack obama
Congress
debate
economic crisis
economy
john mccain
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .