Letters to the Editor
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Lest we forget...
McCain will undoubtedly be the "beneficiary" of some of the highly dubious Republican 527 expenditures we have come to know as "Swiftboating", and that does not count as official fundraising, since it's an "independent" expenditure.
Isn't that conveeeeeeeenient?
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plus
he also gets all that glowing, fawning press coverage for free.
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Ruffini was mostly right
"As much as I don't want to sound unhelpful, it's time for a little tough love. If anyone thinks McCain raising $15 million in March is good news -- and crucially, just $4M of it from online and direct mail -- then they're probably part of the problem rather than part of the solution."
Rather, anyone still supporting the Republicans after 8 years of disaster is part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
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McCain's fundraising shortfall
It's true that Senator McCain's $15 million is substantially less than the $20 million and $40 million raised by Senators Clinton and Obama, respectively.
However, any progressive who takes comfort in this apparent "shortfall" is overlooking a critical difference. The free publicity that Senator McCain will get from Fox, CNN, and the MSM is priceless.
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wouldn't it be dandy
If the combined $60 million raised last month by the Democratic Candidates could all be used against McCain??
Jus' sayin' is all...
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I'm Holding Back for the General Election
And I suppose a lot of other Dems are too. I've given some so far, and mostly to candidates challenging republican senate seats, but I've got a fair amount reserved for November.
This is what many don't realize. The Democratic base, which has always been much larger than the republican base, is fully charged. And if the Democratic nominee accepts public financing, which they probably won't, I'll channel the money into progressive 527s or any other group I think will make a difference.
Yes, McCain will have a lot of free media publicity, but we can counter that as well through aggressive commentary.
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It doesn't matter
McCain is taking public financing in the fall, so he'll have 82 million.
If the nominee is Obama, then Obama has two choices.
1) Accept public financing and have the same 82 million.
2) Go back on his first campaign promise to accept public financing if his Republican opponent does.
The press will have a field day about Obama bypassing public financing if he does in fact go route two.
Since public financing has began; every Presidential candidate in the General Election has accepted it. Obama started his campaign with the promise that he would accept public financing, an offer immediately accepted by McCain. This was when Obama was seen as weak and McCain as strong.
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Chris Matthews is worth many millions of dollars to McCain
What with all the free PR McCain gets. Of course Obama is the Second Coming so that's got to be worth a few dollars too.
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Xanthro
Since public financing has began; every Presidential candidate in the General Election has accepted it. Obama started his campaign with the promise that he would accept public financing, an offer immediately accepted by McCain. This was when Obama was seen as weak and McCain as strong.
-- Xanthro
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 10:05 AM
Wrong. Every Democratic presidential nominee has accepted public financing. NO republican presidential nominee has accepted public financing.
Obama did NOT promise to accept public financing. He said that if he is the nominee, he will try to persuade the republican nominee to accept public financing with him.
And John McCain will sprout wings and fly to Mars before he accepts public financing for the general election.
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Public Funds
Wrong. Every Democratic presidential nominee has accepted public financing. NO republican presidential nominee has accepted public financing.
Are you speaking of this election or all elections since 1976, when Public Funds became available?
Every candidate of both parties has accepted public funds for the general election.
Starting in 2000, Bush started the trend of not accepting public funds for the primary.
No major candidate left in the race is using public funds for this primary.
McCain at one point accepted, then declined primary matching.
Obama did NOT promise to accept public financing. He said that if he is the nominee, he will try to persuade the republican nominee to accept public financing with him.
From Bill Burton, Obama campaign spokesman.
If Senator Obama is the nominee, he will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.
Obama's personal replied to the Midwest Democracy Network questionnaire.
Question: Will you participate in the presidential public financing system
Yes. ... In February 2007, I proposed a novel way to preserve the strength of the public financing system in the 2008 election. My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election. ... The Federal Election Commission ruled the proposal legal, and Sen. John McCain has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.
Obama even had lawyers check on the validity of his proposal, and it was found to be legal.
If someone asks you if you will do something and you reply yes, that's a promise.
And John McCain will sprout wings and fly to Mars before he accepts public
He's already accepted it. While he has left open the option to opt out if the Democratic candidate doesn't accept, McCain will accept otherwise.
It's doubtful that McCain could even raise the 80 million plus, so public funds help him.
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Get it together!
You couldn't have made the headline "McCain maintains menacing money mess" or "McCain maintains menacing money mire"?
Never pass up the opportunity to alliterate to excess!
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More than Money Problems for McCain
Despite the self-defeatest gloom of the Left, it would be quite a feat for any Republican, let alone McCain, to win. The media who knows there is no money to be made by calling the race as a done deal, pretends that McCain has more of a chance than he does, while the Democrats ever hopeful of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory shred each other arguing over who is more electable, Obama or Clinton, when the real question is who is going to win bigger against McCain?
Away from the noise of the blogs, out in the real world, there are millions upon millions of voters who know only two thing, Republicans Bad, Bush Worse, and who would be unlikely to vote for a Republican who appeared to be odds with the current establishement, much less one or is trying to be Bush the Third. The money trail is an indicator of where this is heading. The only people donating to McCain are the tiny segment of Bushites and those who are hoping to buy favor with Senator McCaine who will remain in the Senate.
Like another poster said, I plan on donating after we have a nominee. I don't want to waste my hard earned money on Democrats fighting Democrats. And I'm not the only one. As to the Public Financing. I certainly hope Obama is not noble/foolish enough to throw he huge capital advantage away. (I know Clinton won't.) Since most of Obam's donars come from small individual amounts his campaign is already the million plus people who have donated to Obama to turn his back on the money they are offering to him; They want him to win.