John McCain’s decision to put his campaign on hold to help fix the economic crisis has yielded a curious theater and has underscored the $1 trillion bailout’s lack of precedent in American political history. Senator McCain and Senator Obama will be issuing a joint statement on the crisis, and President Bush invited both candidates to attend a special working session at the White House on the specifics of the bailout.
The bailout seems to have taken a bite out of the usual partisan politics.
But hold on. There are other political parties with nominees seeking the White House – and the broad and painful scope of the financial crisis may be just the springboard issue that these contenders have been seeking.
“The GOP platform clearly states that it is opposed to government bailouts and market regulation,” stated Libertarian Party Presidential nominee Bob Barr. “However, McCain and Palin are in favor of the bailouts if they come with market regulation. Apparently, being a ‘maverick’ means favoring ‘big government.’”
American voters – just weeks away from the election – are furious with incumbent leadership in both parties. “The problem is, the people asked to clean up all the broken furniture, they didn’t even get invited to the party,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat. “That’s why so many of the people that are contacting me…are not just against this bailout, they’re very angry.”
Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney has submitted a 10-point plan in press releases on the crisis.
And the Constitution Party’s Chuck Baldwin, who was very recently endorsed by Congressman Ron Paul, is weighing in on the bailout. “Our entire financial system is based on an illusion, with a foundation built on quicksand,” he said.
The fallout from the $1 trillion hit to responsible American taxpayers could very well usher in a new era of multiple political parties.
Presidential candidate Baldwin summed it this way: “That deer in the headlights on the faces of Obama/Biden/McCain/Palin when discussing this crisis should tell Americans everything they need to know about these candidates.”