Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
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WEST DES MOINES — Republican presidential nominee John McCain Monday said blame for the failure a $700 billion proposal to bail out ailing financial markets lies with his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.
Speaking to reporters at the Marriott Hotel in West Des Moines, McCain said, “Sen. Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process.”
Sen. John McCain speaks to reporters in West Des Moines, 9/29 (Video capture from johnmccain.com)
But then, McCain added, “Now is not the time to fix the blame, it’s time to fix the problem. I would hope that all our leaders, all of them, can put aside short-term political goals and do what’s in the best interests of the American people.”
After reading a statement, McCain took no questions.
McCain is in Des Moines to hold an economic roundtable discussion at EFCO Corp. today. The audience will consist of roughly 200 employees of local businesses. The event will not be open to the public.
Although McCain said Congress should re-convene, he had no immediate plans to return to Washington, D.C.
“Today I’ve spoken to [Federal Reserve] Chairman [Ben] Bernanke, [Treasury] Secretary Henry Paulson, congressional leaders and now it’s time for all members of Congress to go back to the drawing board,” he said. “I call on Congress to get back obviously immediately to address this crisis.”
McCain has received some criticism for bragging about building a winning coalition in support of the bill just a few hours before it failed. On Monday morning, McCain campaign communications director Jill Hazelbaker said on Fox News that the deal would not have happened “without Sen. McCain.”
McCain attempted to address such criticism in his statement.
“I worked hard to play a constructive role in bringing everyone to the table,” he said. “The plan is now significantly improved. It strengthens taxpayers’ protection and oversight and the taxpayers are on the hook for less money up front.”
Obama’s campaign spokesman Bill Burton in a statement called McCain’s reaction “angry and hyper-partisan.”
“Now is the time for Democrats and Republicans to join together and act in a way that prevents an economic catastrophe,” Burton said.
McCain’s visit comes on the heels of several polls showing Obama with a commanding lead in Iowa. Many observers wonder if Iowa, which has been a battleground state in the previous two presidential elections, would remain on the candidates’ radar. McCain’s campaign has consistently said Iowa is still a part of their strategy, and the campaign continues to invest time and resources in the Hawkeye state.
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