What is his response to my call to join me in joint town hall meetings before undecided voters?
In Cambridge this month, students and residents launched a joint "town and gown" effort to protest against the University's investment policies.
I interviewed John McCain a few weeks ago in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was conducting his first joint town-hall meeting with his running mate, Sarah Palin.
He proposed that he and Barack Obama hold joint town-hall meetings every week throughout the summer, beginning with one in New York City.
But Obama is far from a lightweight, as Republicans will learn if he agrees to do joint town meetings with McCain.
It might, conceivably, be civil Mr McCain has invited Mr Obama to hold joint town-hall meetings with him, where both men answer whatever questions the audience tosses at them.
Earlier this month, Toomey and Sestak conducted a joint town-hall session on health care, which the Times noted for its civil tone; after the event, the two Specter opponents repaired to a local tavern for beers.
The subject did not come up at a joint town-hall-style meeting in New Hampshire on Monday morning, and Mr. Ryan did not bring up the issue at a rally in Roanoke, Va., Wednesday morning.
On Friday, Mr. McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, sent a letter to Mr. Plouffe informing him that Mr. McCain had accepted an invitation to joint town-hall-style meetings in July at the Ronald Reagan and Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Libraries.
A spokesman for Mr. McCain said the candidate looked forward to debating "as often as possible, but it's disappointing that Senator Obama has refused his offer to do joint town hall meetings".
Standing in a suit and tie, Mr. McCain hawked knives for cutting pork for the shopping network; and offered 10 blank commemorative plates celebrating the joint town-hall-style meetings that he had wanted to have with Mr. Obama.
