WE Blog

In other news the DNC is pressing for action by the FEC for McCain, who has already pledged money from the matching funds.

Obama was ‘agin’ it before he was ‘fer’ it.

With all the 527s with the unlimited anonymous funding lining up against him Obama would be a fool to disarm.

I’m with you, bj. They just wouldn’t listen.
If only Hillary would have gotten the nomination.
She could have won. She should have.

“By the way, Obama actually put his pledge, to accept public financing, in writing.”

Finish the statement, Rossell, instead of playing dumb. (Sorry, I forgot that it isn’t an act.)

Obama said…… IF the Republican nominee also did not accept public funds.

Big diff………………

The only people that have an issue with this is the few Republican blowhards (that’s you Rossell) that spend their days standing around comparing stink fingers.

I guess I don’t follow this. Obama has pledged to not accept PAC money, and this is a bad thing how?

WS, WTF is a stink finger?

I’m by no means for John McCain.

But I will call out rank hypocrisy when I see it.

Senator Hillary Clinton pledged not to seat the delegates of Michigan and Florida. But when political reality, for her AND the party changed her mind and she wanted those delegates seated?

Why what high dudgeon! How DARE she go back on her word because situations change! She must be driven from the race immediately! People switched to supporting Obama over the outrage.

Now comes Obama and does basically the same thing. He reverses himself on a pledge he made in the face of political reality. Oh but NOW it’s hunky dory to go back on your word.

I guess it just depends on how ya like your waffles cooked. I like mine cooked on both sides.

Ahhh…sweet, sweet irony —

don’t you find it funny that McCain, the Republican, is embracing government funding for the election while Obama, the Democrat, would rather be self-reliant?

McCain wants it both ways. He will have the 84 million in public money while his ‘arms-length’ 527s and the RNC can spend all they want. And the 527s don’t even have to report.

“…the Democrat, would rather be self-reliant?”

I feel a tremor in the universe, captain.

Ah, yes, the RNC. That would be a big sticking point in my book!

Ah, yes, Phantom, thanks for bring that up. Details:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=ai2lraISErJs&refer=home

Oh those poor broke little republicans, bending over now for their expected drubbing by those awful fat-cat Democrats! Obama certainly is for change!

He is running ads in places like Alaska and North Dakota.

And in the ad, he sounds more and more like a Republican.

I’m curious. How many on-the-records donors will Barrack have? How many will Bush III have?

The number of individuals who put up might be a better election model than the electoral college.

ks-dem – I think Obama already has millions of donors. Think of it – if they simply each give $500.

Obama as we speak is slipping some offshore campaign investment accounts untraceable cash to gather some untraceable interest.

(wink,wink)

Interesting tidbit – remember the Keating Five?:

“Cindy McCain hasn’t been in the news much but she could be in the future. Cindy, who inherited something like $100 million from her beer-distributor father, was addicted to prescription drugs which she later stole. She also had a business relationship with Charles Keating, the crooked banker who swindled thousands of people out of their life savings and went to federal prison for it. Almost nobody knows this but if the Republicans go after Michelle, Democratic 527 groups have plenty of material to work with concerning Cindy.”

There was another one too – another democrat – whose name escapes me right now.

Oh, please. Obama may be trying to out-Clinton Clinton, but to compare him to Reagan is to minimize just how thoroughly extreme Reagan was.

A good AP analysis of the ad (same link).
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIjsMeUUJFScXcuo4_O64YJgRQwwD91DA0I80

ANALYSIS: Obama seeks to introduce himself to voters — and address some of his political vulnerabilities — as he opens his general election advertising campaign.

By focusing on family and core values, Obama is trying to show voters of all stripes — Democrats, independents, and Republicans — that they have much in common. These issues transcend political preferences and Obama is seeking to win over independents and some Republicans unhappy with eight years of Republican rule.

“It’s my guess that the whole idea behind campaign finance reform was to make the campaigns equitable in regards to how much money each can spend.”

No, it wasn’t. The purpose was to remove the influence of special interests.

“Obama initially pledged to abide by this effort to prevent one compaign from having an advantage over another simply because it has more cash.”

Nope.

“Now that he is the one who has more cash, Obama naturally wants all he influence cash has to offer.”

Again, nope. Obama said that he would us public funds IF the Republican nominee would do the same.

McCain didn’t, so Obama won’t.

End of story.

If Obama doesn’t want to use taxpayer money for his campaign, then I’m all for it. Why doesn’t McCain just ask his wife for more money? After all, there is no limit on a person using their own personal money is there?

I think McCain crying in his beer about this is more telling that obviously he is having trouble getting Republicans to support him.

Whenever McCain attacks Obama regarding “ethics” all Barack has to say is two little words – Keating Five.

“Doesn’t Obama have some ‘arms-length’ 527’s of his own?”

Not necessarily “his own”, but move-on.org has been helping him. Here is one of their ads using the Fleettwood’s favorite John Sidney McCain, the Third (Bush administration) quote:

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/alexad.html?id=12905-3981722-slFmLGx&t=4

Kinda of reminds ya of the Goldwater Daisey ad – just need a few mushroom clouds and it would be better.

A serious question. Does it not seem that McCain is running the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign of fear and loathing? Can that stuff possibly sell this cycle? Does he have data, or is the Republic party just stuck in the last fight?

Here is a USA Today article that answered some of my questions.

Q & A: Obama’s public funding opt-out

http://tinyurl.com/6k5364

“I don’t know about McCain, but based on the ad you linked there Steven, Obama has no aversion to it.”

Mike,

I would have to agree, which is what prompted my question, actually. Move-on.org responding in kind made me go “huh, what does this mean?” But, I do have to point out that there is not supposed to be any connection between the Obama campaign and move-on.org. Does that mean there isn’t? I don’t know.

Humans are hard-wired to remember what they fear. It is an evolutionary adaptation (Sorry, Mike). So that may be all that is at work here. But, I think it is interesting that McCain is doing so much of the same stuff Team Bush did in 2004, while trying to say his brand of leadership is different. Not seeing it, so far.

It’s a good ad.

But I quit moveon when they started VICIOUSLY shilling for Obama. The way they treated Senator Clinton was shameful.

Speaking of ads, you can bet they are already composing one about this. McCain’s delivery is perfect for this sort of thing. I can practically HEAR him in that soft voice he sometimes uses….

“Barack Obama signed a pledge to restrict his campaign to public finance. I signed that pledge too. But Senator Obama has gone back on his word and is accepting contributions. I have to stand by my word. That’s what I’ll always do. That’s what the President of the United States should do.”

And Obama didn’t have to make this decision now. He should have let McCain’s own foul with this issue simmer awhile.

But I guess time is money when you’re waiting for the faithful to send their nickels and dimes.

I think you nailed the coming ad, BlueJay! Throw in a “my friends” or two and you’ve got it.

Dammit, what went wrong?

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_inflated_health_savings.html

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/katrina_kerfuffle.html

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/soft_on_iran.html

and finally

http://www.factcheck.org/republican-funded_group_attacks_kerrys_war_record.html

And McCain will now have this for fodder at those town halls he wants with Obama.

McCain is crazy I think. At least a little bit. But he can be a masterful politician at times.

Something like this lets him be the poor old veteran running against the double talking kid. Not good.

The key to McCain is to make him mad. But this does not help since it puts Obama on the defensive.

“Flip-flop,” my ass.

Here’s Barack Obama’s op-ed from USA Today back in February. It is clear: his acceptance of public money was conditional on both candidates making a good-faith effort to limit the activities of 527’s.

“In 2007, shortly after I became a candidate for president, I asked the Federal Election Commission to clear any regulatory obstacles to a publicly funded general election in 2008 with real spending limits. The commission did that. But this cannot happen without the agreement of the parties’ eventual nominees. As I have said, I will aggressively pursue such an agreement if I am my party’s nominee.

I do not expect that a workable, effective agreement will be reached overnight. The campaign-finance laws are complex, and filled with loopholes that can render meaningless any agreement that is not solidly constructed.

As USA TODAY has critically observed, outside groups have come to spend tens of millions of dollars “independently,” while the candidates they favor with these ads “wink and nod” at this activity. There is an even greater risk of this runaway, sham independent spending now that the Supreme Court has wrongly opened the door to more of it in a recent decision.

I propose a meaningful agreement in good faith that results in real spending limits. The candidates will have to commit to discouraging cheating by their supporters; to refusing fundraising help to outside groups; and to limiting their own parties to legal forms of involvement. And the agreement may have to address the amounts that Senator McCain, the presumptive nominee of his party, will spend for the general election while the Democratic primary contest continues.”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/02/opposing-view-3.html

Barack Obama didn’t flip-flop. Period. His participation in the agreement depended on John McCain meeting certain conditions. McCain refused–on several counts by the way, not the least of which (as others have noted) were McCain’s OWN effort to illegally opt out, which the FEC stopped, and that he refused to step and tell the more noxious 527’s to cease and desist. As McCain said a few days ago,

“”I can’t be a referee of every spot run on television,” McCain told the Herald in an exclusive interview.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/12/mccain-adopts-hands-off-a_n_106694.html

Why should Barack Obama continue to honor an agreement whose spirit and letter John McCain has broken many times over? John McCain can go to hell.

I think HLP’s response at the start of the thread suggests the likely response for Republicans generally. They weren’t for public finanacing in the first place, to say nothing of how ridiculous it is to try to opt out yourself and then vilify your opponent for doing so.

Now why bother with that post paulie?

Your fingers just need the exercise?

There ARE people in this country who will be influenced in their vote by a screed like that.

“Barrack is an Arab name!

Hussein is an Arab name!

Obama is an Arab name!”

I add the exclamation point to your words. We get that it is implied.

But I seriously doubt any of them are readers or posters here.

Go to that bar you hang out at where you and your friends plot to mug gay people in the park. The folks there might be moved by your last.

BJ
You, too are a liar.
You know full well that I turned some gay bashers in to the police.
I doubt that you would ever have the guts to do the same.

Hey, who is the REAL racist?

Obama ADMITS, in his book, that he has trouble understanding White people.

Obama ADMITS, in his book, that he had learned to take advantage of White guilt to advance his personal goals.

Obama never mentions ANY trouble with his Arab heritage.

Odd, his Arab heritage is actually greater than his African heritage.

This leads me to believe that Obama’s book, about his Black angst, is just a smoke screen.

Obama makes his “Black Heritage” an issue, in order to hide his true, Arab Heritage.

Hey, this guy is supposed to “unite” all of us?

How can he, when he is ashamed of his White roots, and says so, and how can he, when he hides his Arab roots?

BJ
You contemptable little worm.
I was invited.
I declined.
I went to the police.

You are a coward and a thug.

You have claimed that you wrote “Frits and Tits call it quits” on the black board, when Mondale and Ferraro lost an election.

You lack class. You are a thug. If you were ever a Republican, as you have claimed here, I am glad you left.

We don’t want you.

You are the type of person that I have frequently arrested or turned in to the police, myself.

He flip flopped regarding Jerusalem’s status under Arab pressure, so what’s new???

CF
I am a firm supporter of the First Amendment.
I do NOT like campaign finance laws.
I believe that almost all campaign finance laws violate the Constitution.
However, as currently legislated, it is not legally possible for any candidate to have any say over advertising, as far as “prior knowledge” is concerned.
After it airs?
It would be hard to believe that public comments of repudiation would have much impact, and a smart politician would make clear that the law FORBIDS private contact on the matter.
After it airs? The candidate is free to say, “I did not approve that message and I do not like that ad” —
However, anything further than that, and that candidate is probably going to hit some legal snags.
The candidate can not try to cut off funds to the 527.
The candidate can not try to get stations to quit running the advertising.
Obama knew this, when he made is false promises.

Do you mean to tell us that Obama would ACCEPT public financing, of only McCain would simply, verbally, denounce all 527’s?

How would that work?

That is ridiculous on its face.

McCain has ALWAYS said that he does not like independent expenditures.

I fully admit that McCain is wrong on campaign finance.

What else could McCain POSSIBLY say that he hasn’t said before, on this matter?

Franklin,

“Obama is more Arab than Black.

Barrack is an Arab name.

Hussein is an Arab name.

Obama is an Arab name.”

Way to dig yourself deeper into the racist pit, Franklin. You may want to do more to check out the bullshit you repeat here: turns out “Barak” is a good Swahili name.

“There has been a lot of discussion about this one with some people connecting the name to Arabic words, others to Hebrew, and others to Swahili. Regardless, the name “Barack” or “Barak” is found among Africans and “Barak” is a Swahili word meaning blessing or prosperity. There are also related Arabic words such as “baaraka,” which relates to blessing and most agree that the name is derived from Arabic. Obama has cited both origins of the name. In his book Dreams From My Father, Obama describes the name in this way: ““It means ‘Blessed.’ In Arabic. My grandfather was a Muslim.” He has also described his first name as Swahili.”"

Also turns out that Barack Obama is plenty African–and who are YOU to act as the arbiter of who’s African and who’s Arabic, Franklin? You’re a white Republican doofus from Kansas.

“Obama’s father’s family is overwhelmingly African. According to an overview of published genealogies of Barack Obama: His father was Barack Obama. His grandfather was Onyango Obama, a Kenyen who converted to Islam. His great grandfather was simply known as Obama of Kendu Bay, Kenya. His second great grandfather was named Obiyo. His third great grandfather was named Okoth. His fourth great grandfather was named Obongo. His fifth great grandfather was named Otondi. His sixth great grandfather was named Ogelo. His seventh great grandfather was named Ogelo.”

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/o/obama-lies.htm

Want to keep playing, Franklin? Or have you made yourself look stupid enough?

I recall Boxlicker posting the string of lies from which the above debunking was taken; you may want to review it, Franklin, before embarrassing yourself further.

heh heh HEH!

Tetherpaul!

BlueJay posted June 19, 2008 at 8:33 pm

“But I guess time is money when you’re waiting for the faithful to send their nickels and dimes.”

Has Senator Clinton raised the donations to pay off her primary campaign debts?

And also her $11.4 Million personal loan to her own campaign?

That’s 114 Million dimes, or 228 Million nickels — not including any interest she earns.

It’s kind of empowering being on the fence.

No not between Obama and McCain. Between Obama and just sitting this one out.

It lends one a new objectivity. Along comes PaultheFranklincon to push me toward Obama. And then along comes cosmos to push me back on the fence.

Don’t throw “bonedig” at me cosmos. I invented the word.

“You posted that you are no longer a Democrat.”

That is true. I have found the party’s behavior shameful. Try winning with just registered Democrats. But that is not Baracks tac is it?

No, he is a panderer. We don’t really know what he is.

I am not here to do Senator Clinton any favors. I have done enough of that. Do you imagine that you are doing Senator Obama any favors here?

I attack you because you attacked me. I stood against a shill like paulie and his crap. Where were you? You show up late and throw a barb at me.

Oh that’s right. You never stick a fight.

You and your candidate better start telling me why I am wrong and you are right.

Come on fellows, the real enemies are not us.

If I were to start a corporation to downplay WSU, I would start with Paul Rossell (read the posts here), Dennis Rader (see the press results), and Nathan Price (read the posts here, again).

Stranglers, dumb asses, and shakers – also Shockers…

BlueJay posted June 19, 2008 at 11:17 pm,

“You and your candidate better start telling me why I am wrong and you are right.”

BlueJay, why don’t you tell us why “ideas” can only mean “I really like those ideas”?

Why don’t you tell us why lowering children’s health insurance so it is affordable (in the FUTURE) is calling parents TODAY, who cannot afford the very high costs TODAY, “irresponsible”?

Answer: Because BlueJay can’t.

Post your shepherds quotes that concern me or I will there cosmo.

I’d rather fight “Franklin”.

Barack Obama called the Republican party the “party of ideas for a pretty long time”.

It was only a contender for the nomination, Senator Hillary Clinton, that got him to call those ideas bad.

Obama in his recent ad sounds like a Republican.

Thanks, CF: I learned quite a bit more about this tug-of-war between Obama and McCain than I knew, thanks to you.

Call me an elitist, but I prefer solid information to pissing matches. The latter really serve no purpose.

And there again is that well known Obama and Obama supporter elitism and dismissal.

While you were doing that cosmo, I went and found the words for Obama’s new ad. The comments in parentheses are mine.

“We didn’t have much money,(But we do now! You can do it too! If you can’t, you aint trying!) but they taught me values straight from the Kansas heartland where they grew up.(No comment needed here) Accountability (It’s your fault if you are poor!) and self-reliance.(I didn’t mean yes we can. I meant yes YOU can. And if you can’t it is your fault.) Love of country. ( care to show me what is to love?) Working hard without making excuses.(Show up and punch the clock. Be a good little worker.) Treating your neighbor as you’d like to be treated. (Can I come live in YOUR neighborhood Barack? Mine kinda sucks.) It’s what guided me as I worked my way up( just who IS making you a candidate for national office?) – taking jobs and loans to make it through college. (Reagan cut off my loan. I don’t see a dime’s worth of difference between you and him)

It’s what led me to pass up Wall Street jobs and go to Chicago instead, helping neighborhoods devastated when steel plants closed. That’s why I passed laws moving people from welfare to work,(He kicked people off of public aid and made them go to work at McDonalds.)

“It’s what led me to pass up Wall Street jobs and go to Chicago instead, helping neighborhoods devastated when steel plants closed. That’s why I passed laws moving people from welfare to work.”

This one really sticks out.

Those steel plant jobs were union jobs. Why didn’t you pass laws to forbid the steel plants moving out of country?

And you come along now and say that those good well paid union workers should be grateful to you for pushing them to work for Wal Mart?

Oh you’ve sold a lot of people Barack. I ain’t buying.

(He kicked people off of public aid and made them go to work at McDonalds.

Congratulations, Jay: you’re moving the right direction. Specifics, instead of arguing about language. The ad in question–it’s on his site, linked from my link–gives, in small print, the number of the legislation in question.

Care to look it up on Thomas, or elsewhere? Got a source?

Considering the amount of time and energy you waste reposting the same tiresome things in slightly different words (goaded on by a handful of others who just don’t know when to let it go), wouldn’t it be better to use that time to throw out some real meat?

Hell, I’ll even help, just to try to raise the level of debate: Energy bill of 2005. Mining lobbyist, Nevada. Ethanol, Iowa. Google is your friend. There are other things, but most I’ve what I’ve found–so far–has been bullshit. This stuff might have legs.

Go for it.

“Chas” observes –

Some Talk Radio Gal on KNSS right now trying to “prove” that Obama changing from going by “Barry” as a youth, to Barack as a grown man, is Proof he is really Muslim…. When is this stupidity and BS going to STOP???

Never underestimate the CONs’ faith in stupidity.

An old Texas Observer piece, back when Shrub was figurehead governor of the Lone Star state, featured Karl Rove’s approach to politics. By definition, half the people are below average. If he could own that half of the population and combine them with the corrupt (I think he actually said, the “politically savvy,” but he went on to praise corporate lobbying and campaign donations), he’d create a perpetual (at least he didn’t say “thousand-year Reich”) political majority.

Only problem with Rove’s formula is now 76% of Americans realize they’re not as stupid as Shrub.

Who IS modeling Ronald Reagan in his campaign cosmos?

Good night. I’ve no stake in this election. My best vote is for the Green party to gain them standing against the other side of the con coin that is Obama.

Thank you cosmos for proving to me that I should not vote for Obama.

See? Here is the deal. You are willing and very able to bleat happily.

I am not so endowed. Things are a bit rougher for me and mine.

Hey scrape us off! I never liked being under anyone’s boot anyway.

God, those Republicans love government subsidies and their Daddy’s influence. Why can’t they pull themselves up by their own bootsraps?

“Obama wants to be the new Reagan.”

I think this wins the silly award.

He’s more left than all the Senators (and that is saying something) and he wants to be the new Reagan.

You win a plaque of a different nature.