GOP Lies About Obama Campaign Finance
Republican rhetoric predictable as ever
A Republican backlash has begun against presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama for opting out of the presidential public finance system.
According to the Detroit Free Press, “He would be the first candidate to do so since Congress passed 1970s post-Watergate campaign finance laws.” By forgoing the 84 million dollars alloted within the system, Obama can raise unlimited funds from the public for the general election.
The backlash stems from an answer Obama filled out for a Midwest Democracy Network questionaire, in which he checked ‘[X] Yes’ that he would accept public financing for his campaign should he become the nominee, if his Republican counterpart had already agreed to the finance system:
If you are nominated for president in 2008 and your major opponents agree to forgo private funding in the general election campaign, will you participate in the presidential public financing system?
But as Keith Olbermann right pointed out, “His major opponents–opponent, McCain–had not yet agreed to the premise of the question,” in fact, he didn’t even respond to that question.
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Saying that Obama “promised” to take pubic financing, or saying Obama has “broken his word” or been a “flip-flopper” on this issue is decidedly false. Yet all the major networks are allowing Republican guests and operatives to make this claim unchallenged. Essentially the GOP is twisting the truth about Obama’s decision, and the media is letting them get away with it.
If Obama had opted in to the presidential public finance system many would have called him a fool for limiting his funds, given his proven ability in the primary to earn unprecedented amounts of cash from small, private donations. In addition, many Democrats would have questioned whether Obama is willing to do what it takes to get elected, a toughness charge that would have been doubtfully made on Sen. Hillary Clinton had she become the nominee.
At best, Republicans are twisting the truth on Obama’s record. At worse, Republicans are flat out lying when making Obama’s campaign finance structure an election issue. Either way, Republicans have once again demonstrated they are willing to make concerted lies to American citizens to get elected.
Sen. Obama’s finance announcment
Image: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/obama-criticizes-mccain-on-economic-stance/
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