McCain Letter to Obama Calls For 10 Joint Town Hall Meetings
John McCain challenged Barack Obama to a series of 10 town hall meetings today between June 12th and the Democratic National Convention on August 25th. The idea came from Barry Goldwater and John Kennedy, who had agreed to do a series of joint town hall meetings during the 1964 election, but ultimately didn't occur because of Kennedy's assassination.
McCain sent a letter to Obama today asking him to join him in the appearances without the trappings of a full debate. "What a welcome change it would be were presidential candidates in our time to treat each other and the people they seek to lead with respect and courtesy as they discussed the great issues of the day, without the empty sound bites and media-filtered exchanges that dominate our elections," the letter reads. "I also suggest we fly together to the first town hall meeting as a symbolically important act embracing the politics of civility." McCain told the crowd at a town hall meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that this would be environmentally friendly and save some money, and that "given our expenses, I know our campaign would agree."
The Obama seemed open to the suggestion, with a few changes. "As Barack Obama has said before, the idea of joint town halls is appealing and one that would allow a great conversation to take place about the need to change the direction of this country," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. "We would recommend a format that is less structured and lengthier than the McCain campaign suggests, one that more closely resembles the historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas."
McCain, though, wasn't thrilled about changing the format. "I want a town hall meeting, because I think that's the most effective way for democracy to function," he said. "That's why I proposed this format." McCain argues a town hall would allow more voters to ask questions of the candidates and have a voice in the process. "The choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," he said. "Sen. Obama has the opportunity to embrace new kind of politics by embracing this."