Public Financing in the General Election.

DuH2 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 07:27 PM

Basics of wthat it means.

Quote:

Each major party candidate could get about $85 million in public funds for the general election, but they would not be allowed to raise any other money

...

Quote:

Both candidates would have to rely on outside groups and on the national parties to supplement their spending if they accepted public financing.

Basics of why its an issue-

Quote:

A year ago, both McCain and Obama indicated that they would accept public financing for the general election if the other party's nominee did as well.

But Obama, whose fundraising has brought in record amounts of primary money, has hedged that position over the past week, giving McCain openings to pounce.

Last week, Obama said it would be "presumptuous of me to say now that I'm locking myself into something when I don't even know if the other side is going to agree to it."

McCain gave Clinton a pass on the issue, given that she never indicated she would forgo public financing.

..

Quote:

As for accepting public money for the general election, McCain said: "I obviously would have to reevaluate if Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton does not make that commitment."

Today-

Quote:

"We either keep our word or we don't keep our word. I intend to keep my word to the American people," McCain said Wednesday, pressing the line of criticism anew a day after delivering a blistering critique of the Illinois senator as both won their party primaries in Wisconsin.

"I think the American people would expect him to hold to that commitment, especially if we want to bring about change," McCain added.

In an opinion piece published in USA Today on Wednesday morning, Obama wrote that he wants to work toward a spending agreement with the Republican Party's nominee.

"I propose a meaningful agreement in good faith that results in real spending limits," Obama wrote. He laid out a series of conditions, including, perhaps, limiting how much money McCain can spend for the general election while the race for the Democratic nomination continues.

"That's Washington doublespeak," McCain responded. "I committed to public financing. He committed to public financing. It's not any more complicated than that. I'll keep my word, and I want him to keep his."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080220/ap_on_el_pr/mccain

So basically Obama and McCain made rather open commitments to go with Public Financing for the General Election Campaign. McCain is reminding Obama of that and Obama is giving back... spin.
If Obama goes back on this it will have an effect in November..not a good one for him either but bad as most people do not like the influence money is playing in US elections.
SO beyond the question of whether or not Obama is a double talkng BS artist

.

..should they both accept only Public Financing??
(I think so..but I have my doubts that Obama will)

In a broader sense should it be required of Presidential Candiates that they accept such financing from now on??
(I think so)

The12thMan · #2 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 09:28 PM

Sounds a lot like the way Obama changed his mind about seating Florida's delegates after he lost there. Sheesh. Have a little integrity already!

gmb92 · #3 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 09:42 PM

McCain's down 3 TDs at the start of the 4th quarter and he's requesting a draw. Too late, buddy.

justabubba · #4 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 09:51 PM

Quote:

With the Republican presidential nomination within reach, John McCain is reshaping his campaign to press on without public financing that could limit his spring spending, senior advisers say. The Arizona senator’s rejection of the presidential public financing program he once defended is just the latest evidence of how ineffective the post-Watergate reform has become in an era of multimillion-dollar candidacies.

Under the public financing program, McCain could spend only about $54 million on all the primaries and caucuses — a sum Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton had spent before the first voters caucused in Iowa on Jan. 3.

Fair enough. But check out the ending:

To be sure, there may be some legal hiccups before McCain’s campaign can surge forward unfettered. During the bleak days of August, McCain announced he would participate in the program. He has been certified by the FEC as eligible for matching money and has taken out a loan based on that assurance.

But so far he hasn’t received a penny of public money, since the FEC’s primary account is as broke as McCain’s August war chest.

Any challenge would put the issue on the table of the FEC, which isn’t meeting these days because of a congressional fight over appointees.

But even if the commission were meeting, one must wonder if the panel — an organization that decided the cost of field organizers doesn’t need to be added to the overall cost of winning a state primary — would tell the Republican Party that its nominee can’t slip through a newly carved loophole and arm himself for battle against a significantly better funded and unrestricted Democratic nominee.

http://www.evangelicalsforromney.com/

well lookie here what i found ... read on. it appears McCain did not decide on public financing until he was forced to recognize he would have no funding otherwise. appears to be the exact opposite of Obama's position. so, McCain filp-flopped on the issue already

Quote:

Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose presidential campaign is in dire financial straits, is eligible to receive public financing for his struggling bid, the Federal Election Commission said Tuesday. Mr. McCain requested authority to receive matching money on Aug. 10, but his campaign said he had not decided whether he would ultimately accept it. Doing so would put him at a major disadvantage against his well-financed rivals, Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mitt Romney, who are likely to forgo public financing and thus free themselves from spending limits. "We have not made a final decision,” said Jill Hazelbaker, a McCain spokeswoman, “but we are doing what’s necessary should we decide to opt into the matching fund system.”

Quote:

Mr. McCain is the first 2008 presidential candidate to be declared eligible to receive matching money. Should he take the cash, it would be a major strategic shift for a candidate who for months believed that he would not need public money.

Mr. McCain, the former presumptive front-runner for the Republican nomination, set out to raise $100 million or more this year and drew up a budget based on that assumption. But the money did not come in as expected, and campaign spending was exorbitant. The campaign was all but broke by July.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/29/us...cs&oref=slogin

JMS · #5 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 09:53 PM

you cant hold that against mccain, his hair is so white!

something along those lines was mentioned in the article duh cites, but he mustve missed it.

Quote:

Obama's spokesman, Bill Burton, hit back: "John McCain is in no place to question anyone on pledges when he abandoned the latest campaign finance reform efforts in order to run for the Republican nomination and went back on his commitment to take public financing for the primary election this year."

"I intend to keep my word to the American people..."

lol, mccain is the bees knees.

The12thMan · #6 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 10:37 PM

Aw shucks. The lies are on record. The left shouldn't have any trouble ignoring it anyway. They get so much practice...

http://www.midwestdemocracynetwork.o...6c89c39f84c54b

QUESTION: “If you are nominated for President in 2008 and your major opponents agree to forgo private funding in the general election campaign, will you participate in the presidential public financing system?”
OBAMA: “Yes. I have been a long-time advocate for public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests. I introduced public financing legislation in the Illinois State Senate, and am the only 2008 candidate to have sponsored Senator Russ Feingold’s (D-WI) bill to reform the presidential public financing system. In February 2007, I proposed a novel way to preserve the strength of the public financing system in the 2008 election. My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election. My proposal followed announcements by some presidential candidates that they would forgo public financing so they could raise unlimited funds in the general election. The Federal Election Commission ruled the proposal legal, and Senator John McCain (r-AZ) has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.”

JMS · #7 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 10:47 PM

theyve had to deal with the lies on the right for years. practice makes perfect.

The12thMan · #8 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 11:20 PM

Whew! JMS! Now that was pure lie-ignoring expertise! I applaud you! Not many people would have actually posted in the thread after that, but there you are. I am truly in awe.

JMS · #9 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 11:25 PM

not ignoring lies, just acknowledging classic repub hypocrisy.

The12thMan · #10 (**permalink**) 02-20-2008, 11:30 PM

A tiny difference. You use McCain's opponent's words as evidence of McCain's hypocrisy. I use Obama's words as evidence of Obama's hypocrisy.

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