Opting Out Is Good
Wingnuts everywhere are having one of their synchronized Major League Snits over the fact that Obama has (rightly) opted out of the presidential public financing system.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snsnqbq_OCo[/youtube]
These so-called fiscal conservatives who won’t fund SCIHP, extended unemployment benefits or foreclosure help (but who are delighted to send plenty of money to bail out Bear Sterns or to subsidize coal or oil extraction or to the Swiss bank accounts of KBR) are actually whining about one man who is refusing to take $84 million of the public’s funds.
Fiscal conservatives — the don’t spend any money unless you are bombing people or I am getting my slice crowd — are suddenly apoplectic when someone decides to leave public funds on the table. They are absolutely livid when a candidate for president actually decides to pull himself up by his own bootstraps and do the work of getting his supporters to fund his campaign. They are appalled that a candidate could be so confident that his supporters will fund his campaign and won’t have to manage the strings and restrictions that come with government funding.
Republicans really are the New Welfare Queens.
This campaign is just so impressive. There is no question that is was a great move, and done at the right time.
McCain is toast.
I was really, really nervous that he would opt into public financing and try to fight the republicans with one arm tied behind his back. I’m really, really relieved now!
Oh, give me a break:
What a bunch of pure bovine feces. Barack Hussein Obama is declining public financing — and breaking a promise in doing so — because he believes he can raise, and spend, a lot more money than the $84 million to which public financing would limit him. Your attempt at justifying this is simply a crock.
As for it being just us “wingnuts” who are displeased about it, I’ve somehow never thought of the editors of The Philadelphia Inquirer as conservatives:
More at the link.
You celebrate Mr Obama’s decision because you believe it will result in his securing a political advantage; why do you bother with lying about that?
I was also nervous that he would buy into a broken system that allows Republicans such a huge advantage.
The fact that wingnuts like the other Dana are going nuts over this is proof to me that it was a great decision.
Do Republicans really want to focus on this issue. Fine with me. Let’s talk about McCain’s little bunny-hop moves on public financing.
“You put your right hand in, you take your left hand out…”
Jason: how does a system which provides equal funds for both sides allow Republicans “a huge advantage?”
It is, of course, interesting that not only did Mr Obama break a promise, but that you wanted him to break a promise, just to secure an advantage in getting elected. But if your new kind of politician is going to start out by breaking promises, how can we trust his word on anything else?
There are a number of issues I disagree with Senator Obama on, like our foreign policy, civil liberty issues, etc. But I do think that public financing needs to be reformed , and the system certainly is broken. What I am not sure of, and maybe someone can enlighten me, who are the normal people who are small donors? Are they corporate lobbyists? Is it Warren Buffett?
Also, I noticed two thing that Democrats promised to prevent are coming up again, 1. FISA immunity is coming back, 2. Iraq appropriations and if passed these are both major victories for the Bush Administration.
Dana –
Obama stated very clearly that he would opt in is his GOP opponent opted in. McCain has already broken the law and been called on it by a Republican FEC.
So go on lying – see what good it does you.
Obama 1 flip flop to McCains 8 and look at the press.
Run away Dana or you are going to get hurt flipping out over this one. You guys are so pathetic.
There wasn’t much of a promise in the first place (it was pretty highly caveated) and taking public funds while all of your lobbyist buddies are pouring money into 527s specifically to get around the public financing limits. Obama is on record asking donors to not contribute to 527s but to his campaign. McCain has washed his hands of the 527s, knowing that he needs them badly this cycle. Obama can’t control where donors’ monies go, but it is instructive that David Brock’s 527 to carry out an extensive ad campaign against McCain dies on the vine shortly after Obama asked 527s to stand down.
Public financing is quite broken (and I am no longer sure if we should have it, certainly not in its current state) and perhaps people will get invested in fixing it. McCain himself gamed the system during the primaries (the DNC and others have lawsuits pending), which not one of these wingnuts thought was breaking a promise or even unethical. But how amusing is it to watch these wingnuts actually defending being at the public trough?
I love the way lying about your campaign pledge isn’t lying when a Democrat does it. Obama flip-flopped once? There are whole sites dedicated to tracking his flip-flops on a whole variety of issues.
I love the “public financing is broken” argument here. Why not at least admit that the reason Obama doesn’t want to use public financing has nothing to do with John McCain or the pathetic Republican 527s (you people forget MoveOn.org and other Democrat 527s when it is convenient). Obama threw campaign finance under the bus with his grandmother, Rev. Wright, and half a dozen policies because it was convenient to do so and there will be no price to pay because his supporters don’t care whether he lies or not.
C’mon, Sharon — you are so close here! Just say it — Government Programs Are Good For You…..
Where did you happen to have a fit about McCain gaming the public financing system earlier this year?
I would have like Obama to have followed up this announcement with an announcement that he would limit contributions from individual donors to $600, half of the maximum. This would then say, I am not cultivating the big donors, I am going to do this with a million $100 donations.