Obama's “parallel public financing system”

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Ramo
Yep, that's what I meant: In other words, to get on the ballot without qualifying for public financing takes a far more serious candidate than with.

Is the implication supposed to be that McCain isn't a "serious" candidate?

[Ramo]

No. I adopted the "serious" terminology from snoopy. The implication is the sentence that followed:
It seems likely that this was also intended specifically to help out campaigns that are publicly financed.

[snoopy369]

I think it makes a lot more sense than requiring millions in expenditures just to hit the ballot. Anyone who is a serious candidate should be on the ballot, any other restriction is a violation of the Constitution as far as I'm concerned.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by snoopy369
I think it makes a lot more sense than requiring millions in expenditures just to hit the ballot. Anyone who is a serious candidate should be on the ballot, any other restriction is a violation of the Constitution as far as I'm concerned.

How do you measure "serious?"

[snoopy369]

Someone actively seeking office who has a reasonable chance at winning?

[Colon™]

Imran, what are you whining about? Don't you realise the potential "parallel public financing system" has in capitalism vs communism debates?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Obama's the one who's campaign as being against "politics as usual". He pledged that he'd take public funding if his opponent did in the general election. Now he's backing away from it, using the worst sort of bull**** ("parallel public financing system")... ie, politics as usual.

OK, I can see that as backing away from a promise or at least a statement. Personally, I'd like both candidates to forced into public financing though I do note that McCain recently broke his own campaign finance law. Sure, he'll get away with it just like all politicians do but breaking the law is definitely slimier then breaking a promise.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Arrian
Without examining it in any depth, "parellel public financing system" sure sounds like doublespeak.

-Arrian

Do have to agree with this too.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


Absolutely no proof that he broke any spending limit. Every left wing partisan rag is screaming about him raising more than he was supposedly allowed to.

No, he broke the spending limits. There is no fund raising limit.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

The "advantage" consists of not doing something other people shouldn't have to do either. I don't see it as a big problem.

This is also true. I don't like that Obama backed out of his public funding promise but realistically if McCain is going to illegally break the public funding spending limits then what can he do?

[Kidlicious]

Obama is better off. That's all that matters. It's a stupid thing to whine about also.

[Bosh]

Obama's spanking McCain by ridiculous margins in fundraising, so it'd be idiotic of him to go with public financing now.

I'm not looking for someone who's not "politics are usual" (that's what people who aren't the establishment candidate ALWAYS say) I'm looking for someone who won't do stupid ****. And at this point Obama going with public financing would be monumental idiocy especially with what McCain's been doing.

[Dinner]

[DinoDoc]

Obama tied to lobbyists, but boasts of not taking money

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama often boasts he is "the only candidate who isn't taking a dime from Washington lobbyists," yet his fundraising team includes 38 members of law firms that were paid $138 million last year to lobby the federal government, records show.
Those lawyers, including 10 former federal lobbyists, have pledged to raise at least $3.5 million for the Illinois senator's presidential race. Employees of their firms have given Obama's campaign $2.26 million, a USA TODAY analysis of campaign finance data shows.

Thirty-one of the 38 are law firm partners, who typically receive a share of their firm's lobbying fees. At least six of them have some managerial authority over lobbyists.

"It makes no difference whether the person is a registered lobbyist or the partner of a registered lobbyist, if the person is raising money to get access or curry favor," said Michael Malbin, director of the Campaign Finance Institute, a non-partisan think tank.

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said that while Obama's refusal to take money from lobbyists "isn't a perfect solution or symbol, it does reflect Obama's record of trying to change the way that Washington does business." He declined to elaborate.

Lobbyists have long played key fundraising and policymaking roles for candidates, and lobbyists are raising money for both Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain.

Obama fundraisers who work for law firms that lobby and share the fees include:

•Allan Katz, a Florida lawyer who chairs the government relations practice of Akerman Senterfitt. The firm took in $3.6 million for Washington lobbying last year, according to public records compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. The firm touts on its website "an enviable level of access" for clients.

•Mark Alderman, managing partner of Philadelphia's WolfBlock law firm. The firm's lobbying subsidiary earned $930,000 in Washington last year representing clients including defense contractor Lockheed Martin, records show.

•Scott Blake Harris, managing partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis, a Washington telecommunications law firm. Harris withdrew as a lobbyist for Microsoft and Cisco in June, but his partners still lobby, he said.

"My practice isn't going to be helped by this at all," said Harris, who said he got involved with Obama after his 14-year-old son interned in the senator's office. "I went to see him because of how nice he'd been to my kid, and I was captivated by his vision."

Katz, who got to know Obama over dinner, said his lobbying business "will be fine whether he wins or whether he loses."

Alderman said he was "just blown away" after meeting Obama. "This is not a business proposition for me," he said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-15-obama_N.htm#uslPageReturn

Is that what he meant by a “parallel public financing system”?

[Imran Siddiqui]

He's not into "politics as usual", DinoDoc! Didn't you get the memo?