Not Buying It

I'm not an expert on campaign finance reform, but I do understand the basics: the idea behind public funding of campaigns is to equalize the playing field so that donors with more money do not have outsized influence over campaigns.

Now Obama, despite having stated repeatedly he was considering public financing for his campaign has decided to forestall public financing and instead stay with his unprecedentedly successful fund raising, with over 1.5 million donors, most contributing less that $100 on the internet. His campaign claims having this many individual small donors is in itself a grassroots form of public financing. (Not to mention it allows him to raise money beyond public financing limits).

The McCain campaign has been harping on this in the hope they can use it to brand Obama as a candidate who will go back on his word, who "flip flops" based on the needs of the moment. This being unlike McCain - who's evolving positions on the Iraq War, offshore oil drilling, or George Bush's tax cuts (to just choose a few) - aren't position changes based on political expediency, they are principled leadership. They are "shocked, shocked!" that Obama is willing to do what is necessary to win.

Nice try. The decision may perhaps not be a pretty one, but it is a pragmatic one. And as Chuck Todd and MSNBC's "First Read" state:

...the decision was a no-brainer. As one very smart political observer told us yesterday, if Obama had stayed in the system -- bypassing the opportunity to raise about three times amount what the system offers -- then he’d question Obama’s judgment and ability to be president. Simply put, it would have been a dumb move.

Andrew Sullivan says

"[I]...see no reason why public financing is somehow morally superior to hundreds of thousands of small donors. But if you want to see a Democrat prepared to take a short-term hit in order to score a real long-term advantage over his opponent, Obama's your man."

But to top it all off, harping on this issue cleverly obscures the fact that McCain himself is currently openly violating campaign LAW, after opting in to public financing to save his campaign, then spending beyond the agreed limits. Josh Marshall at TPM (tries to) explain "McCain Breaking the Law in Plain Sight":



People thing supporters of Obama are somehow going to be surprised to realize he's also a POLITICIAN. Well no shit. I think the these mindless zealots who believe he is some sort of messianic figure largely exists only in the minds of his detractors. (And to me, his FISA position is much more problematic than this one). The fact is he is liberal and a pragmatist, or as David Brooks states:

"This guy is the whole Chicago package: an idealistic, lakefront liberal fronting a sharp-elbowed machine operator. He’s the only politician of our lifetime who is underestimated because he’s too intelligent. He speaks so calmly and polysyllabically that people fail to appreciate the Machiavellian ambition inside."

That's why I'm glad he's on my side.

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Meet the new Boss, same as the old....you know the rest

John McCain has been trying to put a lot of distance between himself and our ever-unpopular current president, while Democrats have been trying to proclaim that John McCain's election would mean Bush's third term. Well the New York Times takes a look today at where John is "McSame" and where he differs from Bush's policies. Take a look at their chart here.

One thing you might notice immediately: The "same" column is substantially longer than the "different column." And as I explored in an earlier post, some of the differences on foreign policy are quite troubling. The Times also has an accompanying article in which they state:

A look at Mr. McCain’s 25-year record in the House and Senate, his 2008 campaign positions and his major speeches over the last three months indicates that on big-ticket issues — the economy, support for continuing the Iraq war, health care — his stances are indeed similar to Mr. Bush’s brand of conservatism. Mr. McCain’s positions are nearly identical to the president’s on abortion and the types of judges he says he would appoint to the courts...while it would be hard to categorize him as a doctrinaire Republican or conservative, Mr. McCain appears to have ceded some of his carefully cultivated reputation as a maverick.

And regarding how McCain's contradictory energy policy strains to seem "different" than Bush, check out this clip (more on this later):



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Gore-dorsement

I keep finding a lot of established Dems giving some of their best speeches endorsing Obama (see: Bill Richardson)



And here is the rest of it. Keep Reading (if there's more)...

John McCain's Worst Enemy: John McCain

John McCain, Straight Talker



And here is the rest of it. Keep Reading (if there's more)...

Reminder: It's Yes WE Can

Here's some of what "Change" really means.

The Obama campaign has mobilized a grass roots group that is also part of his core message: he's not running the typical "campaign only in the few swings states you need" strategy we're so used to from recent elections. He plans on mobilizing as many people in all 50 states, so that he has a large and involved citizenry to help him keep on the pressure as president to get the reforms he's proposing through. The NY Times discusses his 50 state strategy today here.

This clip from shows Obama talking to a small group of Indianans about his views of government transparency and how his presidency would be more open and accountable: from continued town hall meetings, to outreach from the cabinet members, to posting all government activities on the internet to make it easy to monitor and get involved in causes you deem important.



And here's a recent clip where Obama rally's his campaign staff in their office following his winning the nomination reminding them that now that they've won the nomination, they HAVE to win the election, its too important (its longer, but worth watching the whole thing - the end is the best).

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Been a While....

Hey all, been a while since I've been posting - mostly because I felt as far as the primary goes I had reached who I was going to reach and done what I could do. But I'm thinking I will probably start back up, though probably a little less frequently, with more information, clips and articles about the general election and more specifically - John McCain.

Also, I'm posting because I wanted to share Steven Colbert's hilarious summary of the Michigan Florida situation (hopefully finally resolved this weekend):


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Let's Pretend

Washington Post's Eugene Robinson has a a hilarious-if-it-weren't-so-true take on Hillary's ridiculous all out push to capitalize on Obama's "bitter" comments. (poll numbers are showing the media - surprise- are blowing the significance of this whole thing out of proportion, see what Robert Reich said about that yesterday.)

The Daily Show covered the entire "controversy" last night (bits about Hillary start at 3:20 or so):



And here's a taste of Robinson's column:

Hillary "Shot-and-a-Beer" Clinton has given us the perfect illustration of what's so insane about American politics: the philosophical dictum that could be summed up (with apologies to Descartes) as "I seem, therefore I am."

Clinton spent the weekend bashing Barack Obama for not seeming to be enough of a regular guy -- not for any actual deficit of regular-guyness, mind you, but for giving the impression that such a deficit might exist.

The former first lady, whose family has made $109 million since her husband left the White House, then made a show of demonstrating that she's actually just a regular gal. The point wasn't really to convince anyone that she, Bill and Chelsea commute between their two lavish mansions in a five-year-old Ford F-150 pickup with a gun rack and a "Jesus Rocks!" bumper sticker. Her aim was to prove to the nation -- or at least to Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania and Indiana -- that she's better at feigning regularness than Obama.

This is how we pick a president?

(His kicker after the link!)

Clinton's argument assumes that "regular" is a synonym for "unsophisticated" -- that to communicate with voters who have not attained a certain income or education level, a candidate has to put on an elaborate disguise and speak in words of one syllable.

So tell me: Who's being patronizing?

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Whoopsie.

It's already been revealed the Empress has no clothes, but this is just out, and video speaks so much louder than words.

When this is some of the key experience you are claiming qualifies you for office instead of your opponent, and the other claims are similarly suspect, there's clearly a credibility problem.

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Si, Se Puede!

Bill Richardson, '08 presidential candidate, Bill Clinton's Ambassador to the UN and later Secretary of Energy, and current Governor of New Mexico endorsed Obama today in a speech far more rousing than any I saw from him during the campaign (hey Bill - I like the beard too!) He was clearly inspired by Obama's speech earlier this week.


In a statement released earlier today, he said:

My affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver. It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall...Barack Obama will be a historic and a great President, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.

Also - significantly from the '08 Democratic candidate with some of the most extensive foreign policy - he takes on Hillary's "commander-in-chief" threshold argument:

"There is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama has the judgment and courage we need in a commander in chief when our nation's security is on the line," Richardson said. "He showed this judgment by opposing the Iraq war from the start, and he has shown it during this campaign by standing up for a new era in American leadership internationally."

Full transcript of his speech here, and reporting on his endorsements here and here Keep Reading (if there's more)...

"I'm Here Because of Ashley"

If you missed Obama's speech, or only saw soundbites on TV, watch it here:



And/or read it here. I have to admit I got a little misty at the end.
And here is the rest of it. Keep Reading (if there's more)...

Punch/Counter-Punch

In a speech today on Iraq, Hillary Clinton said the following:
"Senator Obama holds up his original opposition to the war on the campaign trail, but he didn't start working aggressively to end the war until he started running for president. So when he had a chance to act on his speech, he chose silence instead." And implied that Obama would be dependent on advisors, and won't match "words with actions."

Obama's campaign produced a video response:



Whether the vote was a vote for war or not I recapped in this post, along with headlines from that day.

I myself would add: Hillary herself not only was originally for the war, but only came out strongly for withdrawal in the midst of democratic primary, when it was necessary to do so.
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Olbermann to Clinton: "You are campaigning as if Barack Obama is the Democrat and you were the Republican."

If you've never seen an Olbermann Special Comment, they usually call to light hypocrisies of the Bush Administration. This is the first time he's said anything about the Democrats, in this case regarding the Clinton campaign and Geraldine Ferraro's comments and its a MUST SEE

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Maher & McAuliffe

Its already been shown the empress has no clothes, and pointed out that this is an argument she probably shouldn't start, as its one that McCain will win. Yet:


All the talk of "post-9/11" world, and how the Republicans will attack on national security: the Clinton campaign seems to think their role is to act like Republicans? Rush Limbaugh sure thinks they'll do a better job on it then his guys will.

Argh. Keep Reading (if there's more)...

Been There, Done That

Hillary said this yesterday, and its caused some hubbub:

I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House. I know that Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.

Besides being unfair to Obama's actual record, the problem is that here is that she has just given John McCain a bite he can use in every ad he might have to run against Obama showing he doesn't have support of his own party. Its one thing to attack, its another thing to be willing to throw your party's potential candidate under the bus.

But it also hinges on the "experience" issue which Hillary has banked so much on, and which I have repeatedly discussed and dissected on this page. (Not to mention that if she goes into a general election against McCain with experience as her argument - he wins!)

But someone's found a classic Hillary clip that shows how that experience doesn't necessarily lead to good decision making.

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Who you gonna call?

So on Friday, Hillary's campaign releases this fear mongering ad on TV in Texas and Ohio:

Her campaign describes it as a "positive" ad. Afterwards, her campaign had a conference call with reporters to discuss it, as described on the National Journal's blog (w/audio):

Responding to the release of HRC's new TX TV ad, which asserts in no subtle terms that only she has the experience to deal with a major world crisis, and, relatedly, to keep your children safe, Slate's John Dickerson asked the obvious question:

"What foreign policy moment would you point to in Hillary's career where she's been tested by crisis?" he said.

Silence on the call. You could've knit a sweater in the time it took the usually verbose team of Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson and Lee Feinstein, Clinton's national security director, to find a cogent answer. And what they came up with was weak -- that she's been endorsed by many high ranking members of the uniformed military.

Obama's campaign impressively whipped up their own response the same day:

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BREAKING: Saturday Night Live Was Actually Funny!

Funny takedown of media's Obama love, Hillary's "qualifications" and more. (LINK UPDATED UNTIL THEY TAKE IT DOWN AGAIN)


RIDICULOUSLY, Clinton is now saying SNL shows how biased the media is against them and that people should watch it! I guess they don't realize it makes fun of them too! ("It has been a lifelong dream of mine to lose to Barack Obama in Maryland"). Seems desperate. Keep Reading (if there's more)...

Ugh.

Don't think this is gonna help.

Hillary mocks obama
by dollarsandsense123
UPDATE: I should also note, magic wand excepted, special interests definitely won't disappear when they are funding and running your campaign. But I guess she's banking on people not finding that out.

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McCain.i.am

Two funny take offs of the Obama video:

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Get Some Inspiration (& Some Kennedys!)

Obama

Obama + music + celebs

The Kennedys & Obama:

Caroline Kennedy's Endorsement "Like My Father"

Ted's Endorsement

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Yes We Can

I'm not a big fan of these group celeb "cause" videos (especially when the Black Eyed Peas are involved), but hell, it is a good speech. (Thanks to Dave for the heads up)

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