McCain Rips Obama Over Campaign Funding
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, MoneyUnsurprisingly, John McCain is wasting no time in criticizing Barack Obama over the Illinois senator’s decision to renege on a campaign promise and turn down public funding. McCain said:
”This election is about a lot of things, but it’s also about trust. It’s also about whether you can take people’s word. … He said he would stick to his agreement. He didn’t.”
The Obama camp argues that because they’ve financed the campaign through small individual donations, they’ve found a funding mechanism even less tied to lobbyists than the public system. That’s a slippery answer as the fact remains, Obama’s campaign has long said they support the public funding, plan to use it and plan to make an agreement with the Republican nominee to use it as well.
Of course, I’m not sure voters will care. Sure, the Obama move is slippery but money is always a slick business and American’s haven’t often held money matters against a politician. In fact, McCain now says he may opt out too, which would break his own pledge, albeit in response to the uneven playing field created by Obama.
Come November, I don’t imagine anyone will be talking about this. But it’s right for McCain to get his shots in now.
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June 20th, 2008 at 10:22 am
It seems a very stupid thing to try and attack him for, but then, I think that about most political cat fights… I mean, elections X_x
June 20th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I agree Alan. It’s an unscrupulous about face by Obama. But since I think public funding of elections is an awful idea anyway, and because I fully expect every candidate who can gain an advantage by opting out to do, I’m not that troubled
John McCain would have made the same decision if his campaign had caught fire with fuel from vast legions of smaller independent contributors. I’m certain of it. That leaves me thinking that McCain is making an accurate argument primarily as a matter of convenience.
And I’m even more certain than you that most folks won’t give a crap. Most of them will never even know, and will hear mentions of it but not really know or care what’s being talked about.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:32 am
As I sit here reading this post, I feel the warm, caressing breeze of “change” floating over me. A “change” that puts integrity, truthfulness and the common man, over money, convenience, and political expidency. A cleaner kind of politics. (in hushed tone, “yes, we can”).
Here’s the thing about integrity and honesty: It is easy when you don’t have a choice or nothing is to lose. Everybody can display honesty and integrity when there is nothing to lose. One’s honesty and integrity is only truly tested when there is something to loose and something gain by not keep your word.
Barrack Obama has failed that test, miserably in this situation. BTW, am no fan of publically financed campaign. It is a horrible, horrible idea that quite honestly repulses me. That being said, it is an idea that has been traditionally supported by the left.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I’m disappointed. I cannot say I am surprised, though. Obama has been signaling since February that he would not use public financing even though he once touted it as a way to stay clear of lobbying influences.
It’s worth pointing out, though, that Obama never committed to public financing (just pledged to)–which puts him a step ahead of McCain, who not only opted in, but was a key author of the campaing financing reform he has now dodged.
Obama has been saying for months he would adhere to public financing if McCain did, but said the agreement needs to include a promise by both candidates to commit to discouraging cheating by their supporters (political parties, 527 groups, lobbyists).
McCain not only has refused to do this, but flagrantly violated the law he helped write. It is foolhardy for McCain to bash Obama on this–Obama may have given up the moral high ground, but he can still paint McCain as a hypocrit.
McCain signed up for matching money in 2007–and by doing so he agreed to follow strict state-by-state spending limits and an overall limit on spending of $54 million for the primary season. (The general election has a separate public financing arrangement).
McCain officially out spent that limit in March.
To be fair to McCain, he did ask to opt out of his matching money agreement in Febrary, but the FEC which oversees the system could not release him from the agreement because they lacked sufficient members to vote on the issue. Again, in fairness ot McCain, the FEC board lacked those members because the Senate refused to confirm Bush’s appointees to the FEC board.
The problem for McCain is that he even though he did not receive the money (which would allow him to opt out), he did use the promise of federal funding as collateral for borrowing money.
Technically, he complied with the law–he asked out while the FEC board did not have a quorum, but the bank would not loan him the money unless promised to re-apply for federal funding if his campaign ran into trouble.
The cash bump from his Super Tuesday primary wins made the need for public financing unncessary. If that were all the story entailed, it might be understandable.
However, by agreeing to be in the public financing, McCain was able to get around ballot access rules for the primaries in states around the country. As a participant, he was added to the ballot in all 50 states at a savings of between $2-$3 million. That means he did benefit from the system he created, then opted out when it no longer suited him
Add to that the right wing smear campaigns run out of organizations like the Swift Boat veterans or the Obama smear campaign in South Carolina a couple months back and I understand Obama being reluctant
Still, I was hoping that Obama would play chicken with McCain on this issue. The end result would have been both candidates would at least try to adhere to the spending limits and maybe this would have been about issues.
Now, I am afraid it will be more business as usual. Indeed, he may have even played into McCain’s hands. McCain will opt out of the general election limits and now let loose the dogs of war.
Boo Obama.
June 21st, 2008 at 8:59 am
So while there may not be any anti-Obama 527s it is however worth noting that the RNC has raised five times the money the DNC has.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/gop-money-1.html
June 21st, 2008 at 11:11 am
There aren’t any anti-Obama 527s yet.