Letters to the Editor
-
Media darling
Obama is the media darling. The media will be hard pressed to do the same kind of number on John McCain that they did on Hillary. McCain's party will defend him, unlike Hillary's party with half the members hell bent destroying her name and message. Obama supporting Democrats do not seem to care anything about the issues. My advice to Obama, don't keep your word, keep up the propoganda campaign then everyone will ignore the obvious fact that you have about as much qualifying experience to be President as Warren Beatie. Maybe Tom Cruise could be the VP candidate. Just think how much the Scientologists will swoon when Obama tells them, "Yes you can."
-
Am I missing something?
The Democratic and Republican National Conventions are only about a week apart in late August and early September. $85 million would mean each candidate would have about $42 million a month to spend on campaigning before the November elections. That's $10 million more than Obama raised this past January. I don't see what the big deal is. It's not worth it for Obama to risk tarnishing his reputation on this issue. He should accept public financing, hand over his donors list to a trustworthy 527 and call it a day.
-
Hypocracy from politicians?
You gotta be kidding!
-
The general election season hasn't started yet, but...
I do think Obama should opt for public financing in the general campaign (as should McCain), provided that both campaigns agree to forcefully "reject and denounce" the help of independent groups from each of their respective camps. Both Obama and McCain should agree to go out to forcefully and aggressively condemn the Swift-Boating of the other from their supporters.
I think that would be an equitable solution and a campaign worthy of them. However, neither should enter public financing if they can't get that agreement. If you use 527s (or talk radio or your party's national committee or miscellaneous party hacks) to make attacks that you don't want to be made answerable for, then you may have abided by the letter of the agreement but not the spirit.
Will McCain or Obama have the character to stand up to the masses within their camps that play dirty when the general election heats up? I don't know. McCain's repudiation of Bill Cunningham at the cost of his recently acquired sympathies from talk radio speak well of him. Obama's repudiation of Farrakan wasn't nearly as costly to him, but it holds promise.
I have high hopes of seeing a relatively clean campaign this fall from these two guys. If one is ever to happen in my lifetime, I think these two have the best shot at pulling it off.
-
Obama Didn't Outspend Hillary
The fact that he outspends Hillary 3-1 is the only reason he's made it this far.
That's a load of crap. Headed into Super Tuesday, the Clinton campaign had spent almost twice as much during this primary season as Obama's campaign had. He managed to win about as many delegates in spite of having been outspent 2:1, and went on to score in the subsequent contests while raking in millions in contributions.
Hillary, meanwhile, had to loan her campaign money just to stay afloat.
I think Obama would be foolish to try to compete with McCain using public financing. The 527s would bury him. The only way he'll be able to counter that sludge effectively is with the kind of broadbased public financing he's getting from his massive network of small donors.
-
Obama should reject taxpayer funding and continue the building of a large public coalition
Obama should just admit that when he first decided to run, the thought of being able to raise competitive funds without either a)massive support from PACs and special interest groups or
b0public funding seemed beyond even his imagination. He should be humbled and inspired by the enormous public response of small donors to his campaign which actually makes it possible for him to wage a truly competitive race--funded mostly by small donors, not special interest groups or the taxpayers--in the general election. It means democracy can actually work as a participatory sport rather than a spectator sport--when millions really participate rather than a select elite political class.
-
correction
My previous later was accidentally posted to screen name "less than pleased"--not one of my choosing. I don't know how to change it. This is the first letter I have ever sent to salon, so I don't know why I get assigned such a ridiculous name. Please change it to: a serious democrat
-
Here's further proof Obama is a hypocrite
Here's further proof Obama is a hypocrite:
BARACK OBAMA & ME
By Todd Spivak
Houston Press
Published 2/28/08
"It's not quite eight in the morning and Barack Obama is on the phone screaming at me. He liked the story I wrote about him a couple weeks ago, but not this garbage.
Months earlier, a reporter friend told me she overheard Obama call me an asshole at a political fund-raiser. Now here he is blasting me from hundreds of miles away for a story that just went online but hasn't yet hit local newsstands.
It's the first time I ever heard him yell, and I'm trembling as I set down the phone. I sit frozen at my desk for several minutes, stunned.
This is before Obama Girl, before the secret service detail, before he becomes a best-selling author. His book Dreams From My Father has been out of print for years.
I often see Obama smoking cigarettes on brisk Chicago mornings in front of his condominium high-rise along Lake Michigan, or getting his hair buzzed at the corner barbershop on 53rd and Harper in his Hyde Park neighborhood.
This is before he becomes a U.S. senator, before Oprah starts stumping for him, before he positions himself to become the country's first black president.
He is just a rank-and-file state senator in Illinois and I work for a string of small, scrappy newspapers there..."
http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-02-28/news/barack-obama-screamed-at-me/
-
Real story and the MSM
Here's a real story: John McCain's chief strategist (Charlie Black) works for a Mark Penn's (Hillary's chief strategist's) firm.
This is a story I would like to see more about. Strangely enough it is reported nowhere. Not on Salon, Daily Kos, Slate, Newsweek or even Time.
Don't believe me? Here's the link: http://www.americablog.com/2008/02/mark-penns-tangled-corporate-web.html
We would all like to see real stories reported but, with all due respect with the few journalists who are trying to do their work, we know this won't happen.
Before someone tries to tell me who is crooked and hypocritical let's examine who's really working for whom. This would be like if Lee Atwater were working for James Carville. But, sadly, I know it will never be fully reported.