I'm getting a real tickle over the feigned outrage of my friends on the right who are blasting Barrack Obama's decision to forgo public financing in the General Election. These are the same people who hate public financing of elections and have a special touch of venom for the McCain–Feingold Act. Never mind that McCain took public financing in the primaries then opted out which is a questionable legal decision.
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I think a president must adjust to circumstances and do whatever it takes to win. With 1.5 million donors averaging $90 it's hard to argue that this isn't a publicly financed campaign.
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Ann Althouse puts it best:
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It's fine with me. I don't like the campaign finance scheme. And I like a practical politician who adjusts to changing circumstances. It's good news that he's not an ideologue. I don't think he's going to lose the people who fell in love with him as a vision of idealism. I think he's going to gain moderate people like me who want an effective, sensible leader.
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It will take a lot of money to run in all fifty states that the Obama campaign plans to do. He is running ads in traditional Republican states like North Dakota and Indiana. Ive even seen polling numbers that show him down by only 4 in Alaska and competitive in Texas. I just linked to an AP story, I hope I don't get sued.
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Then there is the internet smears. He's a muslim that won't say the pledge and took the oath of office on a Koran, etc. The latest one cherrypicks passages of his books that is refuted here.
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Christopher Beam at Slate came up with a brilliant counter to the bullshit.:
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Rather than restate untruths about Obama, the campaign would do better to start some rumors of its own.
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There are many things people do not know about BARACK OBAMA. It is every American's duty to read this message and pass it along to all of their friends and loved ones.
Barack Obama wears a FLAG PIN at all times. Even in the shower.
Barack Obama says the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE every time he sees an American flag. He also ends every sentence by saying, "WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL." Click here for video of Obama quietly mouthing the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE in his sleep.A tape exists of Michelle Obama saying the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE at a conference on PATRIOTISM.
Every weekend, Barack and Michelle take their daughters HUNTING.
Barack Obama is a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN. He has one HAND over his HEART at all times. He occasionally switches when one arm gets tired, which is almost never because he is STRONG.
Barack Obama has the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE tattooed on his stomach. It's upside-down, so he can read it while doing sit-ups.
There's only one artist on Barack Obama's iPod: FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.
Barack Obama is a DEVOUT CHRISTIAN. His favorite book is the BIBLE, which he has memorized. His name means HE WHO LOVES JESUS in the ancient language of Aramaic. He is PROUD that Jesus was an American.
Barack Obama goes to church every morning. He goes to church every afternoon. He goes to church every evening. He is IN CHURCH RIGHT NOW.
Barack Obama's new airplane includes a conference room, a kitchen, and a MEGACHURCH
Barack Obama's skin is the color of AMERICAN SOIL.
Barack Obama buys AMERICAN STUFF. He owns a FORD, a BASEBALL TEAM, and a COMPUTER HE BUILT HIMSELF FROM AMERICAN PARTS. He travels mostly by FORKLIFT.
Barack Obama says that Americans cling to GUNS and RELIGION because they are AWESOME.
Gort, this is your best post ever, Kudos!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little pissed about the thing with 527's. I defended the idea of 527's four years ago...
ReplyDeletehttp://anothermonkey.blogspot.com/2004/08/george-bush-vs-527s.html
http://anothermonkey.blogspot.com/2004/08/george-bush-vs-527s-part-2.html
http://anothermonkey.blogspot.com/2004/08/george-bush-vs-527s-part-3.html
But now Obama has decided that 527's don't fit in with his campaign finance plan. At what does MoveOn.org do? They say, "Gosh, we were thinking of getting rid of our 527 anyway! What a coincidence!" More people rolling over and showing their bellies. Politics. Blah.
I'll put an Obama sign in my window, but only if I can get it from his campaign without a payment - sorry, "donation" - being demanded in return.
I find it more interesting that he doesn't take money from BIG OIL not because it's illegal, but because HE wont. He's a fraud just like every other lawyer/politician.
ReplyDeleteIf I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.”
http://constitutionclub.wordpress.com/2008/06/22/mccain-vs-obama-the-money/
The issue has illuminated a key difference between the candidates: While both campaigns talk the game of change, only one is willing to put his money where his mouth is.
PLONK
The change of view on the campaign financing issue is fine with me, since his contributions come from individuals (the voting public) rather than corporate interests and lobbyists.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm still outraged over his acquiesce to the FISA "compromise" bill, both as to the expansion of spying powers and telecom immunity. As someone who taught con law, he of all people knows better. He went back on his promise of a filibuster if immunity stayed in any bill presented to the Senate.
Now that the primary is over and liberals have nowhere else to go, he feels that he is free to ignore us for an appeal to the center.
I just posted a link that is a great read. If you want to stop the lies about Obama, I urge you to click and read.
ReplyDelete"I think a president must adjust to circumstances and do whatever it takes to win."
ReplyDeleteThe President isn't running in this election....
I'm ok with his opting out of public financing.
ReplyDeleteI am very angry that he caved on FISA, especially when he seemed he would be against it based off of statements made in the primaries. Albeit he does want to remove the immunity that is not enough. He should vote against the bill if it has immunity or not. Stand strong like Feingold is.
That list at Slate is hilarious.
Our esteemed host wrote:
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a real tickle over the feigned outrage of my friends on the right who are blasting Barrack Obama's decision to forgo public financing in the General Election.
Gort: Mr Obama made a promise, and he broke it, because he saw it as advantageous to himself to break it.
Now, if Mr Obama broke that promise, when he didn't need to, why ought I to have any confidence in any of his other promises?
Obama certainly "needed" to break the promise. He has the ability to raise several hundred million dollars for the campaign whilst McCain can only raise perhaps a third of that amount. Had he played by the rules he would be strapped financially when he needed to respond to the accusations of the GOP fiction writers. I find it amusing that the Republicans always want the Dems to play by the rules while they themselves break so many that it would take an engineer to put it all back together. Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, and Kerry all played by the so called "rules" and were unfairly slandered and then trounced at the polls by the GOP. Of course, Bill Clinton did not and went on to win twice. I had some misgivings that perhaps Barack was going to be one of these boy scout candidates who would be too honorable to stoop to hardball politics, but now my fears have been eased. To all the GOP'ers out there, get ready for a long and hard fought campaign. Dukakis and Kerry don't live here anymore; deal with it. God Bless.
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