Post by unlawflcombatnt on Jun 19, 2008 17:25:36 GMT -6
from the New York Times:
June 19, 2008
Obama Forgoes Public Funds in First for Major Candidate
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY
"Senator Barack Obama announced Thursday that he would not participate in the public financing system for presidential campaigns. He argued that the system had collapsed, and would put him at a disadvantage running against Senator John McCain, his likely Republican opponent.
With his decision, Mr. Obama became the first candidate of a major party to decline public financing — and the spending limits that go with it — since the system was created in 1976, after the Watergate scandals.
Mr. McCain, who has been a champion of the public financing system, affirmed Thursday that his campaign would accept public financing.
his campaign finance decision....represented a turnabout from his strong earlier suggestion that he would join the system....
Mr. Obama had pledged to meet with Mr. McCain following the primaries to attempt to work out an agreement on financing the campaigns. That meeting never took place, aides to Mr. Obama said, because a meeting between lawyers for the two sides was not fruitful. “It became clear to me that there wasn’t any basis for future discussion,” said Robert Bauer, the general counsel for Mr. Obama’s campaign.
Mr. McCain seized on Mr. Obama’s decision to question his trustworthiness.
“Senator Obama’s reversal on public financing is one of a number of reversals that he has taken,” Mr. McCain said in Columbus Junction, Iowa, where he had been touring the floods. “I’m especially disturbed by this decision of Senator Obama’s because he signed his name on a piece of paper, signed his name.”
“This election is about a lot of things but it’s also about trust,” he said. “It’s also about whether you can take people’s word.”
Charlie Black, a senior adviser to Mr. McCain, charged that Mr. Obama had “broken his word.”....
Asked in a questionnaire whether he would take part if his opponents did the same, Mr. Obama wrote yes. But he added, “If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.”....
Under the federal presidential financing system, a candidate this year would be given $84.1 million from the Treasury to finance a general election campaign. In exchange, the candidate is barred from accepting private donations, or from spending more than the $84.1 million...."
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/us/politics/20obamacnd.html?ref=politics
June 19, 2008
Obama Forgoes Public Funds in First for Major Candidate
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY
"Senator Barack Obama announced Thursday that he would not participate in the public financing system for presidential campaigns. He argued that the system had collapsed, and would put him at a disadvantage running against Senator John McCain, his likely Republican opponent.
With his decision, Mr. Obama became the first candidate of a major party to decline public financing — and the spending limits that go with it — since the system was created in 1976, after the Watergate scandals.
Mr. McCain, who has been a champion of the public financing system, affirmed Thursday that his campaign would accept public financing.
his campaign finance decision....represented a turnabout from his strong earlier suggestion that he would join the system....
Mr. Obama had pledged to meet with Mr. McCain following the primaries to attempt to work out an agreement on financing the campaigns. That meeting never took place, aides to Mr. Obama said, because a meeting between lawyers for the two sides was not fruitful. “It became clear to me that there wasn’t any basis for future discussion,” said Robert Bauer, the general counsel for Mr. Obama’s campaign.
Mr. McCain seized on Mr. Obama’s decision to question his trustworthiness.
“Senator Obama’s reversal on public financing is one of a number of reversals that he has taken,” Mr. McCain said in Columbus Junction, Iowa, where he had been touring the floods. “I’m especially disturbed by this decision of Senator Obama’s because he signed his name on a piece of paper, signed his name.”
“This election is about a lot of things but it’s also about trust,” he said. “It’s also about whether you can take people’s word.”
Charlie Black, a senior adviser to Mr. McCain, charged that Mr. Obama had “broken his word.”....
Asked in a questionnaire whether he would take part if his opponents did the same, Mr. Obama wrote yes. But he added, “If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.”....
Under the federal presidential financing system, a candidate this year would be given $84.1 million from the Treasury to finance a general election campaign. In exchange, the candidate is barred from accepting private donations, or from spending more than the $84.1 million...."
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/us/politics/20obamacnd.html?ref=politics