Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Obama: Show Me The Money!

Original Link: http://jay1949.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/obama-show-me-the-money/

Alas, it was no surprise when Barack Obama broke his previous commitment on campaign funding and opted out of the public-financing system. His excuse was typically disingenuous and misleading - - the public financing system is “broken” and allows John McCain to cheat by relying on independent 527 organizations to carry the ball. “Broken” is a Democratic Party code word which, roughly translated, means “not to the immediate advantage of the Democratic Party.” It last cropped up in the claims that the immigration system is “broken.” Of course, when someone claims that a public policy is “broken,” you might expect him to offer some means of fixing it; apparently Obama’s “fix” is to use his fund-raising capacity to buy the Presidency. Then lots of stuff will be discovered to be “broken.”

As to the 527 organizations, by law neither McCain nor Obama can attempt to exercise any control of them. Obama doesn’t call of Moveon.org and try to bring them to heel; he knows better. This is a disengenuous excuse.

Will this breach of faith be a major issue? Probably not; certainly it will not discourage any Obama backers. For the Democratic left wing, this is the year to win by any means, fair or foul. But in the context of one problem after another, it adds up. Somewhere along the line there is a straw that will break the camel’s back. This may not be it, but it brings the break point closer.

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