John McCain needs to withdraw from Public Funding, too

[margotb822]

I don't want my money going to fund McCain's cam-pain!

This is fraud, waste, and abuse of tax payer money. How does he think he can get people to vote for him if he can't even get them to donate to him???

:evilfrown:

[tridim]

1. I believe he already has.

[thewiseguy]

3. No he has not

He cant raise enough money so he had no choice but to do it.

[tridim]

6. I swear I just heard it on AAR.

But Google news doesn't agree. Sorry about that.

[still_one]

12. That isn't what it says here

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/02/11/politics/horserace/entry3819016.shtml

[thewiseguy]

18. No he has not. Read here

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/19/obama.public.financing/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[still_one]

23. I don't know, but here is Obama's campaign response

Barack announced an important decision for our campaign today.

I want to add a little context to the video message you received earlier announcing that we will not participate in the public financing system for the general election.

Even though we stood to receive more than $80 million in taxpayer funding for our campaign, the system has been so gamed and exploited by our opponents that it is effectively broken.

John McCain, the Republican National Committee, and their allies in so-called 527 groups that raise and spend unlimited contributions are dedicated to manipulating this broken system to raise as much money as possible -- and they've proven that they're very good at it.

A top McCain adviser told MSNBC earlier this month, "now that we're in the general election, the RNC money counts, the DNC money counts. So the truth is today, John McCain has more cash on hand and more money than Barack Obama does."

In April alone, they raised nearly $45 million. That's more than our campaign and the Democratic National Committee combined. And that doesn't include the plans of 527 groups like the one called "Freedom's Watch," which has said it will spend as much as $250 million under Karl Rove's direction to attack and defeat Barack Obama.

To compete, Barack has put his faith in ordinary people giving only what they can afford. That's been the strategy of this campaign from the beginning, and more than 1,500,000 supporters like you have gotten us this far.

We have a historic opportunity to prove that a movement of ordinary people has the power to change the way political campaigns are funded. And we have a clear goal as we begin this new challenge: 50,000 people declaring their independence by making a donation before July 4th.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[thewiseguy]

2. I dont know why the tax payers should pay for McCain's campaign

[margotb822]

4. Seriously

I don't support it at all!

[Clovis Sangrail]

14. and I don't have kids

so why should I pay for schools?

(hint: it's the same answer)

[thewiseguy]

15. Schools = McCain's Campaign?

:think:

[ChazII]

9. I don't understand why

taxpayers should pay for any candidates campaign.

[Clovis Sangrail]

25. actually

I think taxpayers should pay for all campaigns entirely.
Call campaign donations what they are.. bribery.. and make them all illegal.

Until we sort the current mess though, it's a crooked game so I don't begrudge Obama for opting out.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. Make TV ads free and the cost plummets.

[ChazII]

27. So the NEA

is paying bribe money?

[Clovis Sangrail]

31. do you have to disagree with something

for it to be a considered bribe?

A bribe is anything given with the intent to persuade or induce... regardless of the goal's morality.
So, if the NEA (which ever NEA) has funneled contributions to a candidate - YES it is a bribe.

I realize the game is crooked and I stated as much in my earlier post; in light of this I understand the value of contributions and of Obama dropping out of public financing.
However, that doesn't change the definition - or nature - of a bribe.

[ChazII]

32. National Education Assoc.

We agree then.

[Born_A_Truman]

5. Then what excuse will he use when he fails?

Oh this is going to be fun! They are facing someone who already knows their dirty tricks. It is just frosting these talking heads today.

As far as tax payer $$ going to elections, it is strictly voluntary on your tax return. If you don't check the box you haven't funded anyone.

[Hugabear]

7. Obama called his bluff

I don't think McCain ever had any intentions of withdrawing from public financing. He challenged Obama to do so, promising that he would do so as well. He never expected Obama to actually do it, which would have given him his excuse for taking public money as well.

[SoCalDem]

8. sham-paign is more like it :)

He's a LOSER..and i have never thought he will be the actual candidate anyway.. I think they have "told" him he's gonna end up Sec of Def or some other appointed position.. I think (and always have thought) that he's a place-holder.. He's got no enthusiasm for this sham-paign and is only going through the motions..

they;re gonna pulla switcheroo on us.. Maybe Jebbie/Romney

[still_one]

10. Based on this, he already has

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/02/11/politics/horserace/entry3819016.shtml

[bunnies]

11. According to this.... McCain opted out back in February.

February 11, 2008, 4:26 PM
McCain Opts Out Of Public Matching Funds
Posted by David L Miller|


With the Republican nomination now all but his, John McCain is opting out of the public financing program that – back when his campaign was running on fumes – seemed to be the only way for him to maintain any sort of viability.

According to the Associated Press, McCain informed the Federal Election Commission and the Treasury Department that he was withdrawing from the public financing system, which would have infused his campaign with $5.8 million in matching funds but also required him to abide by spending restrictions that would likely prove fatal in a general election against either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Both Democrats long ago said they would forgo the public financing system.

McCain raised just shy of $10 million in the last quarter of 2007, but actually had more debt than cash on hand. However, the campaign reported raising $7 million in the first three weeks of January – a pace that has almost certainly accelerated now that the Arizona senator is his party's presumed nominee. Now, McCain will be able to spend that money however, and wherever, he wants.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/02/11/politics/horserace/entry3819016.shtml

[thewiseguy]

13. He was not even the nominee in Feb

McCain has accepted public financing because he cant raise enough money on his own. I read that today.

[bunnies]

16. What a tool he is.

So now he's jealous that Obama will have WAY more money than him. Dear John McCain, too fucking bad!

[thewiseguy]

17. No major candidate has opted out of it since 1976

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/19/obama.public.financing/index.html?section=cnn_latest

McCain criticized Obama for doing so today. Obama is rolling with cash so he does not need to become a sitting duck with his hands tied just like Kerry was.

This is a good move. It would be hilarious to see McCain get swiftboated and he wouldnt have the money to respond. :rofl:

[bunnies]

20. Yep. Its payback time!

Gobama! :bounce:

[dsomuah]

30. He opted out of funding for the primary campaign not the GE

Candidates can opt out of funding for the primary and then accept it in the GE. In that case, spending caps don't come into force until after their party's convention. Many candidates have done that before.

Of course, as we all remember, McCain did something very sneaky when opting out of public funding for the primary. Initially when he thought he would raise a lot of money for the primary, he opted out. Then when he has two bad fundraising quarters in 2007, he decided to go back on public financing. Then, when his campaign started to pick up in early 2008, he opted out of public financing again.

What makes what the McCain campaign did particularly shady is that it appears that they may have secured loans during their time of financial problems by telling their lenders that they would be getting public financing which they would use to pay back the loans. Then when they started to do better in fundraising, they turned down public financing without getting a dime of public money, and paid back the loans from their own funds.

FEC regulations state that if a candidate accepts public financing, they have the right to change their mind, until funds are actually given to the campaign. At that point, they are considered to be on public financing, and have to adhere to the spending limits. In McCains case he didn't actually spend public financing money, but he did spend money he got from loans which were borrowed against public financing money that he was planning to get.

Whether he violated the letter of the campaign finance law is debatable, but he most certainly violated the spirit of the law, so it's a little rich for him to turn around and call Obama a hyopcrite.

[briv1016]

19. I think you guys are confusing public funding for the primaries and general

Obama, Clinton, Richardson, McCain, Romney, Giuliani, Brownback, Tommy and Fred Thompson all opted out of public funding for the primaries. Now that it's down to Obama and McCain, the general election starts. (Okay, legally it doesn't start until the conventions but you get my drift.)

[slinkerwink]

21. actually, he's not withdrawing according to TIME

[Seabiscuit]

22. John McCain should withdraw from public life, too. n/t

[nsd]

24. First Read: McCain to accept public financing

"Aboard the Straight Talk Express from the airport to the hotel in Minneapolis, McCain said that his campaign has decided that it will accept public financing for the general election. “We will take public financing,” Asked what his thinking was, he said, “Because we decided to take public financing.”

That will enable McCain to spend $84 million after the GOP convention.

Obama, who today rejected the public financing system, could possibly raise more than three times that amount for the general election."

link



Heh. It looks like Obama is poised to spend McCain into the ground.

[Johonny]

29. their convention is late this year.

So he needs less AFTER the convention.