Obama Rejects Public Financing
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, McCain, Money, Republicans, VideoThis is his announcement…
If everybody remembers correctly, what Obama pledged to do was sit down and try to come to an agreement with McCain on public financing. This never happened between McCain and Obama themselves, but their campaigns talked.
Rightfully so, McCain’s camp is attacking this reversal…
“Today, Barack Obama has revealed himself to be just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama.“The true test of a candidate for President is whether he will stand on principle and keep his word to the American people. Barack Obama has failed that test today, and his reversal of his promise to participate in the public finance system undermines his call for a new type of politics.
“Barack Obama is now the first presidential candidate since Watergate to run a campaign entirely on private funds. This decision will have far-reaching and extraordinary consequences that will weaken and undermine the public financing system.”
“In the past couple of weeks, our campaign counsels met and it was immediately clear that McCain’s campaign had no interest in the possibility of an agreement,” Burton said. “When asked about the RNC’s months of raising and spending for the general election, McCain’s campaign could only offer its expectation that the Obama campaign would probably, sooner or later, catch up. And shortly thereafter, Senator McCain signaled to the 527s that they were free to run wild, without objection.”Burton said that while Obama had essentially shut down fundraising for Progressive Media USA, which aspired to be a major anti-McCain media voice, McCain had sent no such clear signal to GOP 527s.
Hmmm, that’s pretty weak. I mean, sure, Obama stopped one of these groups, but is he going to stop all of them? I have serious doubts.
So is this decision disappointing to me personally? Yep. I would have liked to see him just accept public financing and let the chips fall where they may. However, do I understand why he’s opting out, given that nearly all of Obama’s $265 million has come from donations of $100 or less? Of course. I mean, if what Obama has done isn’t the realization of true public financing, I’m not exactly sure what else you could point to as a better example.
More as it develops…
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June 19th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Public financing, NAFTA, Trinity Church, unconditional talks with Iran, dividing Jerusalem, timetables for withdrawal from Iraq, Habeus Corpus for terrorists…
Can Obama say one thing in front of one audience, then completely backtrack and take a different position when he is in front of another - and get away with it? Yes he can!
June 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Somehow, this looks mostly like a typical case of a candidate in the primaries running away from the center, and then for the general election running back towards the center. Which always makes for fun opportunities to carry on about flip-flopping positions — but also reflects the reality that positions that are necessary to win over primary voters are not the ones which are required to win general elections.
Or can someone cite a case where a candidate won the party nomination (either party, federal or state office) and then won while running away from the center for the general election?
June 19th, 2008 at 10:52 am
When is the Republican base going to wake up and put some real support behind John McCain? Sitting back while Obama gains ground is like fiddling while Rome burns. Surely Republicans and corporate America prospered during the last 8 years. Now is the time to allocate some of those resources to help McCain beat Obama. I know some Republicans don’t like McCain, but would you rather see Obama get elected? Republicans … Don’t bite off your nose to spite your face!
Support John McCain NOW!
June 19th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
No More Lobbyist!!!!!!
Senator Obama has said many times, “Lobbyist will not run my White House.”
Getting rid of the extremely negative impact of lobbyist is one of the major reasons I support Senator Obama.
McCain has flip-flopped on many things. Yesterday he told the citizens of Missouri about a gas tax holiday he knows Congress will never approve.
Prior to McCain’s event in Missouri yesterday, Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri said in a conference call that McCain’s plan would cost the state 6,000 jobs and $167 million in federal gas tax dollars for Missouri’s roadways.
“The people of Missouri can smell a phony deal a mile away,” she said. “Frankly, that’s what John McCain’s gas tax is. He knew it wasn’t going to have any meaningful impact on people’s real pain – our dependence on foreign oil.”
McCaskill said it was “a promise he knew he would never have to deliver on.”
The “Could McCain Have Come Up with a More Ill-Suited Economic Advisor Than Phil Gramm?” is one of many examples for the damage caused by lobbyist specifically gas prices and the subprime housing damage.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/87999/?cID=936047#c936047
June 19th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
So. A politician who cut his political teeth in the wards of the bare knuckle Chicago political machine, turns out to be just another politician who will say whatever he needs to say to get votes and do whatever is politically expedient to get elected. Huh. Who would’ve thunk it?
June 20th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Friday Flotsam - Naked Ambition Edition…
This has distressed some of his acolytes, who are concerned that Obama might superficially appear to the uninitiated to resemble a self serving ambitious politician….
June 21st, 2008 at 10:59 am
[...] also because he learned during the primary campaign that he can raise more money than God. This has distressed some of his supporters, who are concerned that Obama might superficially appear to the uninitiated to resemble a [...]