I Hope We Got It Right

The obvious dilemma when you are in the middle of a big story: stay with or move on? And when?

The country's economic problems are front and center for a good reason. If you remember our conversation with NPR's Adam Davidson on Monday, you recall he said there was a point last week at which there was no lending going on at all -- none of the major creditors were willing to part with their cash.

So, yes, big deal here.

But, you can't live on economic policy alone, so we are trying to figure out when is the right time to veer off and for what.

I hope we got it right today.

We are committed to our regular features but sometimes you have to step off. That's why we decided to hold off on the Mocha Moms yesterday and bring you that conversation next week. We decided to stick with the Magazine Mavens today because the segment only airs once a month and we thought they surfaced some timely issues.

We also decided to stick with our planned interview with Geoffrey Canada and Paul Tough because the subject matter is so very crucial. The interview was about Tough's new book detailing Canada's work on trying to address persistent underachievement in poor neighborhoods.

And, of course, our lede was right on the news -- the opening of the annual Congressional Black Caucus convention and the ongoing economic crisis came together nicely in our conversation with Rep. Andre Carson. The Democrat from Indiana is the second youngest member of the House and the newest member of the Black Caucus and Carson sits on the House Financial Services Committee--bonus!

UPDATE: Also, we're learning that Barack Obama has responded to John McCain's proposal earlier today to postpone Friday's presidential debate in light of the nation's financial problems. Obama said it's more important than ever that he and McCain sit down for a debate. McCain also announced he's suspending his campaign to work on the economy.

Obama says he believes participating in tomorrow's debate and taking on the current serious economic challenges can both be accomplished without compromising effectiveness.

Michel Martin

5:27 PM ET | 09-24-2008 | permalink

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5:27 PM ET | 09-24-2008 | permalink