The Daily Background

This really is a great idea:

After a stop at a solar technology company in this central Oregon town, Obama was asked if he supported a suggestion that he campaign with McCain and hold joint town hall meetings in the run-up to the November general election.

“I think that’s a great idea. Obviously we’d have to think through the logistics on this,” Obama said. “Should I be the nominee, if I have the opportunity to debate substantive issues before the voters with John McCain , that’s something I’m going to welcome.”

It’s a great idea for a couple of reasons. It keeps McCain on the campaign trail (as opposed to in private fundraisers with big dollar donors begging to get the money he’ll desperately need), and it also will keep the tone of the campaign friendlier than it might be otherwise. It’s hard to engage in swiftboating when you have to see the candidate you’re up against the next day (Kerry and Bush never met each other on the trail except for the debates and forums they participated in).

Also the fact that this would be done without a moderator is a great way to cut through the newsfilter of people like Charlie Gibson forcing the candidates to answer ridiculous questions about distractions or people like Wolf Blitzer forcing the candidates to answer ridiculous hypothetical questions involving Iran and nuclear attacks on Israel.

Finally, it forces the candidates to draw contrasts with one another in person, which will be helpful in creating distinctions between one another.

It should be noted that McCain’s people think that this format will be to their advantage. First, a town hall forum is the place where McCain himself feels most comfortable, and it’s also relatively cheap to put on and with joint appearances it’ll mean plenty of free “earned” media attention and coverage.

Filed under: Z-TDB Blog