[Chet 99]

These results do not reflect the debate in any way.

They do reflect that McCain’s suspend the campaign gambit did not work. It may have backfired.

What’s more, McCain pulled all of his advertising for the past several days. Obama immediately bought up those spots! That may have hurt in more ways than can be quantified. Campaigns would not pay for TV advertising if it did not work!

There is still plenty of time ahead to right this ship.

[Maelstorm]

After hitting the road and talking to people I think that the debate probably benefited McCain slightly. It is all about what it comes down to in the end.

[albie]

“They do reflect that McCain’s suspend the campaign gambit did not work. It may have backfired”.

...I agree that stopping the ads will hurt but going to Washington to do what he was originally voted in as a senator to do was the right thing. If he didn’t his “Country First” slogan would’ve been destroyed by the MSM.

[snarkytart]

I didn’t agree with McCain’s decision to suspend his campaign and throw himself in the middle of the DC bailout debate, because he never clearly stated he was against it, and wanted to work on a more conservative solution. If you’re going to do something like that, don’t come out with a statement like, “working for a bipartisan solution”, crap. Come out AGAINST it plain and clearly to the American people.
I even had to ask people here what McCain’s stance was on this issue, because he wasn’t making it obvious at first.

It really looked like he ran back to DC just to vote on something people HATE! And President Bush was on TV Wednesday night trying to sell this bailout to the people and he failed to do it... and BINGO... Thursday night was a big night for Obama in the polls.

[ARCADIA]

They do reflect that McCain’s suspend the campaign gambit did not work. It may have backfired.

I was telling everybody this, but FR was going on and on about it being a "masterstroke."

Kinda reminds me of when Newt shut down the government and how Clinton was able gain from that. Simply said, the center of the electorate reacts badly to this type of thing.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

You're probably right. What's comforting, though, is the election is still a ways off. Can O hold serve over the next 40 days riding a narrative thats about 2 weeks old now? I speak of the meltdown on Wall Street, that's whats started this shift to Milhouse. I say not likely, and to back that up I highlight Effin's spectacularly bad September 2004 that he had, it looked like W was running away with it, yet in the end, he narrowly pulled off yet another close election.

If Eff'n could do so well after such a terrible month so close to election, then this thing is by no means over. If this thing blows over, which is in all probability very likely, then we shift back to a tied race. If McCain can deflate this and pin it on the D's, something he's done very poorly at of late, he can not only negate the dmg but swing things back in his favor. So we'll see.

[mountainbunny]

What’s more, McCain pulled all of his advertising for the past several days. Obama immediately bought up those spots! That may have hurt in more ways than can be quantified. Campaigns would not pay for TV advertising if it did not work!

I had not heard that before. Obama buying up the abandoned slots seems like it would have been a foreseeable result of McCain canceling them. I admit to not watching much TV, but the few shows I've seen have had what seemed to be wall-to-wall Obama commercials. This explains that.

I would have thought McCain might have at least held onto the time slots and maybe put public service spots or something in the place of campaign ads, but maybe that's not legal since he went with public funding.

Can McCain get those spots back?