"Barack Obama once and for all destroyed public financing as we know it"

[cynatnite]

so sayeth the repukes because Obama raised more money than them.

I say they are all whiner-babies.

******

"People will look back at 2008 as the year that Barack Obama once and for all destroyed public financing as we know it," said Todd Harris, a Republican strategist who worked on McCain's 2000 presidential campaign. "It will be very difficult four years from now for any candidate to make the case that they should participate in public financing given the obvious financial advantage that Obama has received by opting out."

But while Obama has rewritten campaign finance rules with his use of technology and personal outreach, he has also taken advantage of a changing social and political landscape that suited his message and his celebrity. As a result, his campaign says, he has 3.1 million donors, with more than 600,000 new ones contributing just in September.

Obama reached them through Facebook and MySpace, by e-mail and by phone text. A purchase of Obama merchandise on the Web guaranteed you a place as a donor; so did attendance at his popular and crowded rallies. Those donors, in turn, were encouraged to reach out virally to even more.

"He has developed a donor base that is comparable to what we would consider a donor base for a national political party," said Anthony Corrado, a political scientist and an expert on political money at Colby College in Maine.

snip:
But McCain and Obama have operated on separate tracks. McCain's fundraising apparatus was not set up like Obama's and McCain has never shown an affinity for fundraising anyway.

Instead, he has had to rely on the Republican National Committee to supplement his restricted finances. And while their combined forces had given them some parity with Obama and the Democratic National Committee, Obama's September performance amounted to a fifth gear that the GOP simply didn't have.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081019/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_money_analysis

So, basically Obama has gotten much of his money from poor folks like us. McCain got his from the govt (isn't that a govt handout?)and the repuke party threw in their own cash, too.

[DJ13]

1. I think Obama's ability in campaign financing will finally bring about

......a desire to publicly finance elections, much as every other industrialized country does.

If it takes the humiliation of the GOP to bring that about, thats just icing on the cake.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Sounds good to me. :^)

[BlooInBloo]

2. Public financing is a good way to go to limit corporate influence....

But so, too, is brazillions of small donors.

[Eric J in MN]

3. Both candidates are having dinners which cost $28,500 per ticket...

...with the money going to the DNC or RNC.

How is McCain less corrupted by taking public money, when he's still raising RNC money which is used to promote him?

Until money-raising for the parties is addressed, there is nothing so great about the public financing system during the general election.

[raising2moredems]

5. The pukes lost the money edge and they aren't happy

It was ok when the 527s et al raised and spent millions. And yes, public financing is a govt handout. The
"base" lacks internet and any disposable income.

[NC_Nurse]

6. Oh boo-hoo. The public got behind him and beat the shit out of them.

God forbid the PEOPLE back who they want and beat out the lobbyists, corporations and rich cronies who
give the Repubs money. :eyes:

[Richardo]

7. Sorry, 3.1 million donors sounds like the 'public' to me.

Choke on it, GOP. :D

[beachmom]

8. No, the crappy McCain/Feingold legislation did which allowed the 527 loophole.

No way in hell was Obama going to be left high and dry when the 527 hit.

[BeyondGeography]

9. This is the same crowd that drooled over Bush's "Pioneers" and "Rangers"

Like they give a shit about public financing.

[high density]

10. Reneged on what pledge, AP????

I hate how the fucking Republicans are able to repeat a lie so much to the point that it becomes a fact.

The RNC is still taking contributions, so the GOP base that is supposedly so happy about Palin is free to send money to them. I haven't heard of them breaking any records.

[Phredicles]

13. Sure, but AP was treating it as a fact from the moment he announced

his decision. I noticed they didn't say bupkes about McKKKrash's fudging on whether he's stick to public funding or not.

[RoyGBiv]

11. Good ...

The "public financing as we know it" was fundamentally broken and needed to be done away with.

[Thrill]

12. McCain should be thankful he is running against Obama. Most politicians

would absolutely destroy him with that kind of money advantage. But Obama isn't really negative against him

[LiberalFighter]

14. By their definition... Govt handout = Socialism

[Aqaba]

15. Hell hath surely frozen over with Rethugs complaining about campaign finances

[EC]

16. They are setting it up as "Obama bought the election"

but in reality, the citizens of America bought the election since his average contribution was somewhere around $85 ...so screw them...we (American citizens not Mr. & Mrs. Big )win...

[Marsala]

18. Maybe they'll spin it as, "The pointy-headed liberal elite bought the election." n/t

[blue sky at night]

17. fuck them.....

fuck them........Obama did it without one cent from lobbyist scum, that is the big difference that really boils them. So fuck them.

[mwooldri]

19. But this IS public financing!

The PUBLIC financed Obamas' campaign, pure and simple.

Mark.

[cynatnite]

20. Yep. n/t

[Renew Deal]

21. Good, and now the need to rewrite the finance laws.

Because they make no sense. First off, kill the candidate based 527's within 90 days of an election. Kill the "independent expenditure committees." Publically finance campaigns. And change how financing works around conventions.

[Shakespeare]

22. He didn't destroy it. He democratized it.

And it just infuriates them.

[WeDidIt]

23. HEre's a little factoid. ! out of ever 100 Americans of all ages

is a donor to Barack Obama.

That's pretty fucking huge.