Obama opts out of public campaign finance system

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nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
Originally posted by: Jhhnn

Look at it this way- Obama is saving the taxpayers money, right? That should be a good thing, right?

it's kinda like stealing from peter to pay paul, no? he could have just as easily accepted public financing and told his individual donors to save their money for the rising cost of gas/food.

but it's not a realistic expectation for a politician to turn away from what might be the biggest financial advantage ever.

it's going to be amazing to see what he can spend money on... they can buy ads in red, red, red states that he doesn't have a hope of winning just to put McCain on the defensive.
 

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
126
Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Jhhnn

Look at it this way- Obama is saving the taxpayers money, right? That should be a good thing, right?

it's kinda like stealing from peter to pay paul, no? he could have just as easily accepted public financing and told his individual donors to save their money for the rising cost of gas/food.

but it's not a realistic expectation for a politician to turn away from what might be the biggest financial advantage ever.

it's going to be amazing to see what he can spend money on... they can buy ads in red, red, red states that he doesn't have a hope of winning just to put McCain on the defensive.

It's the choice of those who want to fund him in his campaign to spend their money this way.

And it's amazing what you can see the Barack Hussein Obama team is going to do with their cash inflow...
 

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
18,161
7
0
Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Jhhnn

Look at it this way- Obama is saving the taxpayers money, right? That should be a good thing, right?

it's kinda like stealing from peter to pay paul, no? he could have just as easily accepted public financing and told his individual donors to save their money for the rising cost of gas/food.

but it's not a realistic expectation for a politician to turn away from what might be the biggest financial advantage ever.

it's going to be amazing to see what he can spend money on... they can buy ads in red, red, red states that he doesn't have a hope of winning just to put McCain on the defensive.
He ran tons more ads than Hillary did in the primary and he barely won.

So more money does not equal a victory per say, but it sure helps.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
166
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
I think some of you applauding Obama missed the fact that he will be the first candidate since Watergate to not use the public finance system.

The only reason he is not using it is because it is to his political advantage to not use it. Given a chance to show us what kind of character he has and stick with a pledge that is disadvantageous Obama took the easy way out.

Duhhhhh, it'd be really, really, really stupid to give up the public finance system and go with grass roots fundraising, if the grass roots fundraising was only expected to bring in half as much money. Of course it's to his advantage to switch, otherwise there'd be absolutely no reason to. Way to point out the obvious.
 

sportage

Lifer
Feb 1, 2008
11,492
3,161
136
Watch or ipod COUNTDOWN with KO MSNBC. You can get it mp4 video in the ipod section.

KO explains:
First, how Obama NEVER SAID he'd opt out.
Second, how Mccain flip flopped himself after old Huck-bee dropped out.
And how Mccain opting to take public fin opens the door for the sleazy 527 attack groups
to spend unlimited money doing the republicans dirty work.

I'm going to send Obama another $5 right now just for the hell of it.
$5 is a small price to watch a republican out swift boated at his own game. :laugh:
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
And it's amazing what you can see the Barack Hussein Obama team is going to do with their cash inflow...

he's going to have more money than he could possibly spend in the swing states.... why wouldn't they contest every state, no matter how far of a reach it might be, if they can afford the ad buys?

KO explains

:laugh:

And how Mccain opting to take public fin opens the door for the sleazy 527 attack groups to spend unlimited money doing the republicans dirty work.

I don't get that argument.

Obama is not taking public financing... I don't see moveon.org packing up and closing shop.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Jhhnn

Look at it this way- Obama is saving the taxpayers money, right? That should be a good thing, right?

it's kinda like stealing from peter to pay paul, no? he could have just as easily accepted public financing and told his individual donors to save their money for the rising cost of gas/food.

but it's not a realistic expectation for a politician to turn away from what might be the biggest financial advantage ever.

it's going to be amazing to see what he can spend money on... they can buy ads in red, red, red states that he doesn't have a hope of winning just to put McCain on the defensive.

I'm not sure there are any red, red, red states this election.
 

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
126
Originally posted by: loki8481
And it's amazing what you can see the Barack Hussein Obama team is going to do with their cash inflow...

he's going to have more money than he could possibly spend in the swing states.... why wouldn't they contest every state, no matter how far of a reach it might be, if they can afford the ad buys?

OH! Why should the Obama team try to win!?!


Maybe he should just give up right now.

*edit - and you're amazed when you're branded a "devil's advocate."
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,333
136
Originally posted by: maddogchen
one of many broken promises to come from Obama. Just like any other politician.

Which promise did he break? Oh yeah... :roll:

One of the problems you guys are going to have with this "Just like any other politician" spin is that that's what you're running just any other too.
 

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
142
116
Originally posted by: Craig234
Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Jhhnn

Look at it this way- Obama is saving the taxpayers money, right? That should be a good thing, right?

it's kinda like stealing from peter to pay paul, no? he could have just as easily accepted public financing and told his individual donors to save their money for the rising cost of gas/food.

but it's not a realistic expectation for a politician to turn away from what might be the biggest financial advantage ever.

it's going to be amazing to see what he can spend money on... they can buy ads in red, red, red states that he doesn't have a hope of winning just to put McCain on the defensive.

I'm not sure there are any red, red, red states this election.
But there are some white, white states like West Virginia.
 

trenchfoot

Lifer
Aug 5, 2000
14,899
7,428
136
The Tsunami from Hawaii isn't anywhere near cresting yet, and already McCain is deeply in its shadow, rowing his little skiff in a hapless futile gesture against the irrepressible surge that wave is creating.
 

Siddhartha

Lifer
Oct 17, 1999
12,505
3
81
Is Mr Obama breaking the law? Is he doing anything unethical?

Or are the McCain supporters grasping at straws?
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
Originally posted by: maddogchen
one of many broken promises to come from Obama. Just like any other politician.

You made the attack, back it up. List the broken promises.

It's already been explained to you why this is not a broken promise.
 

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
Originally posted by: sportage
Watch or ipod COUNTDOWN with KO MSNBC. You can get it mp4 video in the ipod section.

KO explains:
First, how Obama NEVER SAID he'd opt out.
Second, how Mccain flip flopped himself after old Huck-bee dropped out.
And how Mccain opting to take public fin opens the door for the sleazy 527 attack groups
to spend unlimited money doing the republicans dirty work.

I'm going to send Obama another $5 right now just for the hell of it.
$5 is a small price to watch a republican out swift boated at his own game. :laugh:

Yeah, it's just too bad that cirtually everyone else that appeared on that network last night took the position opposite of KO, but since he was the only one to act as purely defending hack then it must be true.
 

Corbett

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2005
3,074
0
76
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Is the lupi/loki duo trying to steal the top spot from CAD/Prof?

You two are up-and-comers in the waning field of GOP hacks.

This, coming from the guy who posts multiple daily Anti-McCain, Pro-Obama threads.
 

Socio

Golden Member
May 19, 2002
1,732
2
81
Obama opt-out is big threat to troubled system

From the moment that the public financing system was created in the wake of the Watergate crisis, it was viewed as an imperfect way to rid politics of the excesses of special-interest money.

But now, with the decision by Senator Barack Obama to become the first presidential candidate to forgo public money, the system is facing the most critical threat to its survival.

Over the years, these loopholes have come in different names and different forms. Back in the 1990s, there was ?soft money,? a flood of unlimited and unrestricted donations given to party committees, leading to influence-peddling excesses that were laid bare in a Clinton-era Senate investigation.

That type of giving was outlawed, and a few years later came the rise of ?527 money,? named for a section of the tax code that regulates independent spending.

In recent years have come the ?bundlers,? or wealthy individuals who gather donations from other rich donors. They are the Rangers and Pioneers and other titled donors that are the descendants of the Republican Team 100 fund-raising juggernaut of the first President Bush.

But Mr. Obama?s decision to opt out of public financing ? along with the ability of the Internet to let candidates raise large sums of money from small donors ? may do more to shatter the system than all of the loopholes it has spawned.

Not only does it sound like Obama has already been bought and paid for by special interest groups, he plans on destroying the only safeguard we have that can keep others from being bought off as well.

He is going to finish turning this country from we the people controlled to he who has the most money controlled; he is not even President yet and is already starting to destroy our very foundations.
 

Pabster

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
16,986
1
0
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Is the lupi/loki duo trying to steal the top spot from CAD/Prof?

You two are up-and-comers in the waning field of GOP hacks.

Those who live in glass houses should be careful with the stones. ;)
 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
I think some of you applauding Obama missed the fact that he will be the first candidate since Watergate to not use the public finance system.

The only reason he is not using it is because it is to his political advantage to not use it. Given a chance to show us what kind of character he has and stick with a pledge that is disadvantageous Obama took the easy way out.

Geez PJ... Try and say if the roles were reversed you wouldn't be excusing McCain here.

Newsflash: The goal of this campaign is to win and if that means breaking this 'pledge' so be it.
 

Mursilis

Diamond Member
Mar 11, 2001
7,756
11
81
Originally posted by: UberNeuman
It's the choice of those who want to fund him in his campaign to spend their money this way.

I absolutely agree with this - so why are there limits on contributions? Contributions should be unlimited, and transparent. I believe both that any citizen has the right to give any candidate unlimited cash, and that the public has every right to know about it.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
136
Originally posted by: Socio
Obama opt-out is big threat to troubled system

From the moment that the public financing system was created in the wake of the Watergate crisis, it was viewed as an imperfect way to rid politics of the excesses of special-interest money.

But now, with the decision by Senator Barack Obama to become the first presidential candidate to forgo public money, the system is facing the most critical threat to its survival.

Over the years, these loopholes have come in different names and different forms. Back in the 1990s, there was ?soft money,? a flood of unlimited and unrestricted donations given to party committees, leading to influence-peddling excesses that were laid bare in a Clinton-era Senate investigation.

That type of giving was outlawed, and a few years later came the rise of ?527 money,? named for a section of the tax code that regulates independent spending.

In recent years have come the ?bundlers,? or wealthy individuals who gather donations from other rich donors. They are the Rangers and Pioneers and other titled donors that are the descendants of the Republican Team 100 fund-raising juggernaut of the first President Bush.

But Mr. Obama?s decision to opt out of public financing ? along with the ability of the Internet to let candidates raise large sums of money from small donors ? may do more to shatter the system than all of the loopholes it has spawned.

Not only does it sound like Obama has already been bought and paid for by special interest groups, he plans on destroying the only safeguard we have that can keep others from being bought off as well.

He is going to finish turning this country from we the people controlled to he who has the most money controlled; he is not even President yet and is already starting to destroy our very foundations.


That's the most circular argument yet, socio. You apparently didn't even read what you linked, as anybody with half a brain would reach exactly the opposite conclusions to your own...

The current system is the one paving the way for big money to run the country, and the GWB admin and former Repub congress are the apex of that dungheap. And, yes, the Obama campaign is out to destroy the very foundations of that by pooling the piddling resources of Joe and Joan Everyman into something worthy of contention, something to buy off the whores of the media in the same way that the Scaife Foundations and corporate lobbyists have done for decades...

Yeh, Obama has sold out the the biggest special interest group of all- the middle class, contributors who cough up less than $200 each in an attempt to rid the system of the scum currently controlling it...
 

maddogchen

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2004
8,903
2
76
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: maddogchen
one of many broken promises to come from Obama. Just like any other politician.

Which promise did he break? Oh yeah... :roll:

One of the problems you guys are going to have with this "Just like any other politician" spin is that that's what you're running just any other too.




Analysis: Obama chose winning over his word

Sure doesn't look that way to the media. Everyone is talking about him reversing course. You guys are happily shooting at McCain for doing so. Now its Obama's turn.


Originally posted by: Craig234
Originally posted by: maddogchen
one of many broken promises to come from Obama. Just like any other politician.

You made the attack, back it up. List the broken promises.

It's already been explained to you why this is not a broken promise.

Really? must have missed it. But I wouldn't be surprised, another politician trying to back out, trying to put the spin oh i never promised it even though that was obviously what he meant. Its what you willingly led everyone to believe.

All of them are the same, liars. McCain, Obama, Hillary, Bush, the other Clinton.

 

Robor

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
16,979
0
76
Originally posted by: lupi
Yep, he's using his political machine real well for traditional politics.

Which wouldn't matter except he's the politician for change and not politics like normal. That kinda gets you in a conundrum unless you recognize that's he's going to lie as necessary to improve his campaign chances.
FFS it's not a 'lie' to change your mind and to be a candidate of 'change' doesn't mean doing every single thing the exact opposite of traditional politicians of the past.