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You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2008 / And About That Campaign Finance

And About That Campaign Finance

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There is one person who is lying, cheating, and gaming the system. I am sure you will be shocked to learn it is Mr. McMavericky Straight Talk:

I mentioned earlier today that it was quite a thing to see John McCain denouncing Barack Obama for breaking his word on public financing when McCain himself is at this moment breaking the law in continuing to spend over the spending limits he promised to abide by through the primary season in exchange for public financing. (By the FEC’s rules, we’re still in the primary phase of the election and will be until the conventions.)

I want to return to this subject though because this is not hyperbole or some throw away line. He’s really doing it. McCain opting into public financing, accepted the spending limits and then profited from that opt-in by securing a campaign saving loan. And then he used some clever, but not clever enough lawyering, to opt back out. And the person charged with saying what flies and what doesn’t — the Republican head of the FEC — said he’s not allowed to do that. He can’t opt out unilaterally unless the FEC says he can.

The most generous interpretation of what happened is that McCain’s lawyer came up with an ingenious legal two step that allowed him to double dip in the campaign finance system, eat his cake and spend it too. But even if you buy that line, successful gaming of the system doesn’t really count as strict adherence. And the point is irrelevant since the head of the FEC — a Republican — says McCain cannot do this on his own.

Maybe once this gambit gets exposed McCain can call up Keating for a loan.

Reader Interactions

32Comments

  1. 1.

    cleek

    i really love that the wingnuts are running with the “ZOMG! Obama opted out!” thing. the attention it will bring to the initial ‘pledge’ and how McCain broke it is gonna be awsm.

  2. 2.

    Shade Tail

    What gets me is these mouth breathers claiming that Obama promised to use public financing, when he did no such thing. He said he would use it **if the republican candidate did the same thing**. And, as John points out above, McBush is busy gaming the system, probably illegally, which definitely frees Obama of any obligation to use that system himself.

  3. 3.

    rob!

    McCain’s campaign is utterly, totally hopeless. the only reason he’s not being beaten 75-25% is because the country has undergone eight years of brainwashing and it takes a while to come out from that.

    I’d be disappointed if Obama was as naive and idealistic as his opponents like to paint him as. Thankfully, we know he isn’t.

    I can’t wait till the debates where we’ll see him stick a knife (or dozen) into the flailing corpse of McCain, live on stage.

  4. 4.

    Gregory

    From the previous thread…

    Even “Nedra Sprinkles”’s piece acknowledged that Obama offered a conditional deal. McCain didn’t meet the conditions, as exemplified by the fact that he’s illegally spending primary funds for the general election right now.

    Obama didn’t break a promise. Obama put a deal on the table, McCain didn’t take it, so Obama walked away. It comes down to McCain turning down a deal Obama offered in a very public manner, and then complaining because Obama didn’t unilaterally disarm.

    The Republicans are having a fit because Obama’s action puts them at a disadvantage, and a huge one at that. They’re lying because the facts have them at a disadvantage too. And the so-called “liberal media” is letting them, if not actively enabling the GOP. End of story.

  5. 5.

    rawshark

    the only reason he’s not being beaten 75-25% is because the country has undergone eight years of brainwashing and it takes a while to come out from that.

    The reason is melonin. Obama has much much more than McCain. Racism is no longer institutionalized so it gives the impression that it’s not as prevalent as it once was. Thisng is, it’s worse. Just wait until you see the 3/5 of a president buttons.

  9. 9.

    Gregory

    Amidst the awesomeness of the Repukes’ new-found love for publicly financed campaigns, it can’t be emphasized enough that the ability to opt out is a feature, not a bug.

  10. 10.

    abiodun

    Finally a Democrat who knows how to fight back! I am sending in my second instalment of $25 via Mybarackobama.com for the real public financing.

  11. 11.

    ThymeZone

    What I am seeing today is a focussed and discipline campaign the likes of which Dems have not enjoyed for a long time. Maybe ever.

    Yesterday the Big STory was that Obama had bitchslapped McCain’s public financing shell game and flipped him the bird, much to the faux outrage of the McCainists.

    Today, probably according to plan, Obama replaced the Big STory with a new Big Story, the fact that he is planning a campaign trip with Hillary next week.

    The campaign funding thing has all but disappeared off the cable news blatheradar. Meanwhile McCain is getting pwned in the blogworld for the very thing that Obama pointed to in his statement about funding yesterday …. “gaming” the finance rules and trying to have his funny money and eat it too.

    We are watching a well orchestrated show here, and I am starting to wonder if I don’t need to press my bet with DougJ on the popular vote election outcome. I have McCain getting less than 35% of the popular vote. I am not sure that he could set a new record for failure here that will never be broken.

    I posted that to an adjacent thread, but it sort of goes here too. So at no extra charge to the blog, I have dragged it over here. I am nothing if not generous.

  12. 12.

    smiley

    The replacement talkers on Limbaugh’s and O’Really?’s shows are all over this. I heard one of them say, [paraphrase] “He’s the candidate of change? He’s the first candidate to opt out of public financing since the law was enacted and he calls himself the candidate of change? [/paraphrase] Ah… Wingnut logic…

  13. 13.

    ThymeZone

    The replacement talkers on Limbaugh’s and O’Really?’s shows are all over this

    The Obama campaign knows that these crapmongers don’t have influence over any demo that matters any more. The people who listen to that shit are not exactly on the fence in this election cycle. So who cares what they say? MSM pretty much laughs at them these days, and the independent voter doesn’t pay any attention to them.

    Now we have a candidate and a campaign that seems to really understand the information dynamics that matter, and knows how to play this new organ to the fullest.

  15. 15.

    Joshua

    This is great. Whenever I saw McCain’s crocodile tears over this I kept thinking of how he is breaking campaign finance law every single minute of every single day and has for months. What an idiot.

    Remember that most of the controversies McCain would have hammered to sink Obama – like Rev. Wright – are out there and nobody cares. So McCain is pulling out whatever second tier horse shit he can think of and praying that something sticks.

    I said a few months ago I could easily see Obama winning 40 states, and nothing has changed.

  16. 16.

    Zifnab

    the attention it will bring to the initial ‘pledge’ and how McCain broke it is gonna be awsm.

    Reporter: But Mr McCain, given your current campaign status with the FEC, and your critique of the Obama campa… oh, is that a honey glaze on the chicken? And cooked over mesquite. NOM NOM NOM NOM – True Patriot! – NOM NOM NOM NOM

    He’s the candidate of change? He’s the first candidate to opt out of public financing since the law was enacted and he calls himself the candidate of change?

    ZOMG! He’s opting out like no candidate has done before! That’s not change at all!

    Sir. This word, change, you keep saying. I do not think it means what you think it means.

    The most generous interpretation of what happened is that McCain’s lawyer came up with an ingenious legal two step that allowed him to double dip in the campaign finance system, eat his cake and spend it too.

    Worse than that. The campaign finance system gives you a number of perks – waving the obligation to pay certain fees to get on state ballots, for instance – that would normally cost poor, fledgling campaigns more money than they could afford. Back in January, McCain was cash-strapped enough to need this sort of assistance. Now, as the nominee, he doesn’t have those fiscal restraints, but he still isn’t obligated to reimburse the states for the cost he was waved.

    He’s effectively getting free money from a system he doesn’t participate in. In short, he’s stealing from the state governments that facilitated his nomination.

    So yeah, even when its worse than it looks, its even worse than it looks. McCain deserves the thrashing he’s going to receive in November.

  17. 17.

    smiley

    ZOMG! He’s opting out like no candidate has done before! That’s not change at all!

    Yes, that was my point, to point out the illogic. I need to learn to speak snark.

  19. 19.

    Dreggas

    ThymeZone Says:

    The replacement talkers on Limbaugh’s and O’Really?’s shows are all over this

    The Obama campaign knows that these crapmongers don’t have influence over any demo that matters any more. The people who listen to that shit are not exactly on the fence in this election cycle. So who cares what they say? MSM pretty much laughs at them these days, and the independent voter doesn’t pay any attention to them.

    Now we have a candidate and a campaign that seems to really understand the information dynamics that matter, and knows how to play this new organ to the fullest.

    See Dan Abrams last night taking apart a wingnut radio show host.

  20. 20.

    Crust

    The campaign finance system gives you a number of perks – [waiving] the obligation to pay certain fees to get on state ballots, for instance – that would normally cost poor, fledgling campaigns more money than they could afford. Back in January, McCain was cash-strapped enough to need this sort of assistance. Now, as the nominee, he doesn’t have those fiscal restraints, but he still isn’t obligated to reimburse the states for the cost he was [waived].

    Are you sure about fees? I’m guessing the issue you’re thinking of is that McCain used his certification for public funding to get on the ballot in Ohio and Delaware without collecting signatures as would otherwise be required (thereby saving his campaign money).

  23. 23.

    Nicole

    A good explanation from the man himself:

    “John McCain’s campaign and the Republican National Committee are fueled by contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs, and we’ve already seen that Sen. McCain has no intention of reining in his allies running 527s with millions of dollars in soft money.

    What’s more, Sen. McCain has, in fact, been running a privately financed general election campaign since February, using private money raised during the primary to attack me and target battleground states. By the time he accepts his party’s nomination, Sen. McCain will have run a privately funded general election campaign for seven months.

    I wholeheartedly agree with the idea that we need to limit the influence of big donors on campaigns, and I’ve co-sponsored legislation to fix the system — legislation Sen. McCain does not support. I am firmly committed to reforming the system as president, so that it’s viable in today’s campaign climate.”

    –Senator Obama, Op-Ed in USA Today

  25. 25.

    James F. Elliott

    It takes a really special kind of balls to write a law regarding campaign financing and name it after oneself and then proceed to break laws about campaign financing.

    Chutzpah. He has it.

  28. 28.

    Phoebe

    Please, what does IOKIYAR stand for? I am not aware of internet traditions. Apart from knowing what “shorter” means.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. […] John Cole lays it out… I want to return to this subject though because this is not hyperbole or some throw away line. He’s really doing it. McCain opting into public financing, accepted the spending limits and then profited from that opt-in by securing a campaign saving loan. And then he used some clever, but not clever enough lawyering, to opt back out. And the person charged with saying what flies and what doesn’t—the Republican head of the FEC —said he’s not allowed to do that. He can’t opt out unilaterally unless the FEC says he can. […]

  2. […] John Cole lays it out… I want to return to this subject though because this is not hyperbole or some throw away line. He’s really doing it. McCain opting into public financing, accepted the spending limits and then profited from that opt-in by securing a campaign saving loan. And then he used some clever, but not clever enough lawyering, to opt back out. And the person charged with saying what flies and what doesn’t—the Republican head of the FEC —said he’s not allowed to do that. He can’t opt out unilaterally unless the FEC says he can. […]