Because I'm open minded, I went on Obama's website to learn about his platform. His website is actually really good from a design stance. All of his material is very well done. He's got this nice PDF that details his platform (really handy).

From his website

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf

Page 4 (as numbered in the document)

Quote :

"Support Campaign Finance Reform: Obama supports public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests. Obama introduced public financing legislation in the Illinois State Senate, and is the only 2008 candidate to have sponsored Senator Russ Feingold’s (D-WI) tough bill to reform the presidential public financing system."

Conveniently in the ethics section... this is actually kind of bad.

I love this change thing that he talks about...

[Edited on June 25, 2008 at 9:56 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2008 9:53:46 PM

See, the thing is, when you preface a thread like this with "because I'm open minded," it makes it hard for people to take you seriously.

I'll go ahead and assume you don't understand why, and explain:

You've yet to start a thread in that fashion where you said anything positive about Obama. It strikes us as improbable that you routinely check your obvious opponents' websites with an open mind when every time you purport to have done so you have something blatantly negative to say.

I say this as a man supporting and voting for John McCain, and who wishes you would quit talking on behalf of the Republican Party and/or conservatives in general.

6/26/2008 6:45:16 AM

You could always use the promise of public financing to get a needed loan for your primary campaign only to opt-out of public financing a month and a half later when it is clear you are going to win , the donations are flowing in, and you don't want the spending caps to hurt your fund raising . Of course, this is against the law according to the FEC chairman (a republican), but he can't do anything because they are undermanned and can't hold a hearing.

It's rich coming from the self-proclaimed poster child of campaign finance reform who openly criticizes the obama campaign for opting out of public financing in the general election.

6/26/2008 9:21:05 AM

^^ Why else would I be on Obama's freakin website studying his positions?

^ Yes that is illegal. Provable, probably not... but for someone who ran on that pledge, both in Illinois and now, it's rather hypocritical for him to take that back... meanwhile, still holding that position on his website.

What gives?

6/26/2008 9:36:10 AM

I think you misunderstood... It was the good ol' campaign finance reform chairman himself, McCain, who did that bullshit.

See, his campaign was nearly broke and dead in the water, and to get a $5M loan late last year he had to use the promise of opting into public financing during the primary election. A month later, he was leading the race and so didn't want the hindrance of fund raising caps so he opted out of public financing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG2OMJLT5c4

6/26/2008 9:44:59 AM

Yes, but he has repleged his commitment to public funds. He will take them, as he pledged. There's no issue here.

Coincidentally, it will be the first time in American history that a republican has been outspent by a Democrat.

6/26/2008 9:52:40 AM

That is where you are wrong. He has pledged to opt into public financing for the general election. Even now, he is still very much breaking the law by raising money (and spending money) well over the capped limit for the primary campaign which by definition lasts until the conventions.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/201284.php

6/26/2008 10:14:11 AM

And that's where Obama has opted out of public finance of the general election after he stated numerous times that he wouldn't.

6/26/2008 11:09:49 AM

So how is breaking the law (and your word) much better than just breaking your word?

Sure, Obama is in the wrong, but to ignore what McCain is doing saying Obama is the worse of two evils is just plain stupid given the facts.

6/26/2008 11:15:50 AM

ok, and?

I don't have a dog in this fight. I will probably vote for a third party candidate who won't win but at least leave me able to sleep at night knowing that I didn't help either the shit sandwich or the turd burger win.

6/26/2008 11:16:20 AM

You don't see anything wrong with obama's website saying one thing and doing another?

I mean, it's right there on his list of issues. At least take it down.

6/26/2008 11:26:25 AM

sure i do, but if you are going to get on your high horse for obama who is basically doing what every other politician would do, then you had better damn well be outraged over mccain who is actually breaking the law

6/26/2008 11:29:10 AM

Quote :

"basically doing what every other politician"

No, he's above those silly games of politics. He's doing it to shake things up and make changes. Just close your eyes and think about HOPE. YOU CAN picture it. Lets just relax and CHANGE our concepts of rules, principles and rights. YES WE CAN.

Criticism is a sign of bitterness. Replace it with HOPE.

6/26/2008 11:40:26 AM

CAPITALIZED WORDS

NO POINT

6/26/2008 11:43:10 AM

stan, you're still completely ignoring McCain in this issue. No one is arguing that Obama is in the wrong, but him being in the wrong is completely different from McCain doing things that are illegal, especially when he's running for a position that is supposed to uphold the laws of the nation.

[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 11:55 AM. Reason : .]

6/26/2008 11:55:15 AM

You don't have to be the change you preach about... especially if the other guys is not changing either. Just preach change. Don't practice. It's ok. Hope.

6/26/2008 11:55:30 AM

Quote :

"Just preach change maverick. Don't practice. It's ok. Hope Honor."

6/26/2008 2:38:11 PM

Quote :

"Why else would I be on Obama's freakin website studying his positions?"

Well, the obvious answer is that you were looking for stuff you could call him out or attack him on. It's fairly common practice.

6/26/2008 3:33:15 PM

the hilarious part of the whole McCain shenanigans is that he could be brought before an FEC hearing and called out on it if only the FEC had enough chairmen to hold a hearing.

Why don't they have enough chairmen to hold a hearing? You might ask. Well they don't because GWB has nominated a bunch of his unqualified lackeys for the positions as usual and the democrats in Congress are blocking the nominations.

6/26/2008 3:53:54 PM

presidents never do that.

6/26/2008 6:20:34 PM

goddamn man, put the elephant cock down for a few minutes and try to grasp the funny.

The democrats in Congress should be expressing their outrage over McCain breaking the law, but they can't prosecute him because they don't want to let through Bush's nominees.

6/26/2008 6:47:16 PM

I think its hilarious.

6/27/2008 9:04:12 AM

that's an elephant trunk.

6/27/2008 10:47:09 AM

Quote :

"Well, the obvious answer is that you were looking for stuff you could call him out or attack him on. It's fairly common practice."

Frumpy

And if Oeuvre hadn't studied Obama's positions, you'd bitch about that. I mean, he got the info from the man's Web site--is it now wrong to examine Obama's positions from his own site, for God's sake?

6/27/2008 10:54:11 AM

Actually, I urge you guys to read that document. There are so many spelling and grammatical mistakes it's funny.

In a big Obama quote in 36pt on a page, it had the word don't spelled don't' with the extra apostrophe.

Whole paragraphs are made up of sentence fragments.


I'm surprised it's still online.


Not that spelling or grammar is a huge deal, but man, spelling and grammar have derailed bills before.

[Edited on June 27, 2008 at 1:50 PM. Reason : .]

6/27/2008 1:49:43 PM

i'll take your word for it

6/27/2008 2:51:20 PM

nice. free tv and radio commercials. entitlement taken to its very extreme!

6/27/2008 11:36:26 PM

of course! only the rich should have speech!

6/27/2008 11:37:49 PM

why should you get speech when you won't let me have a gun?

6/27/2008 11:41:54 PM

Until you lose a friend or loved one to handguns, you will never understand.

6/27/2008 11:54:08 PM

I'm going to come across as a crass asshole here, and I really don't mean to, but projection of grief onto inanimate objects isn't a valid logical argument for the prohibition of handguns.

6/28/2008 12:08:32 AM

until you lose a friend or a loved one who would have survived if he were allowed to own a handgun, then you just won't understand

6/28/2008 12:25:45 AM

Until a friend or loved one loses an election who would have survived if he were allowed to have public funding, then you just won't understand.


See, we can all post stupid shit.

6/28/2008 12:31:56 AM

man democracy would be so much easier if we were just communist

6/28/2008 12:33:47 AM

man, the US would be so much better if people knew it wasn't a democracy. It'd also be a whole lot better without a federally administrated public education system.

6/28/2008 12:39:17 AM