McCain Capitalizing On Fund-Raising Loopholes He Previously Wanted To Reform

New York Times:

Senator John McCain toiled for years to push a campaign finance overhaul through Congress. After the measure finally passed, Trevor Potter, a lawyer and vigorous advocate for reforming the system, was instrumental in defending the law from challenges and pressing for strict enforcement.

Now, as Mr. McCain makes his final sprint for the White House, Mr. Potter is again helping Mr. McCain, but this time by maneuvering to wring the maximum out of campaign finance laws in ways that some contend are at odds with the spirit of the reforms they championed.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Egalitare]

"This month, the McCain campaign began running banner Web advertisements asking for donations to the McCain-Palin Compliance Fund, a fund-raising vehicle rooted in a 1980s F.E.C. ruling that candidates who accept public financing can still collect private donations for legal and accounting costs for complying with campaign finance laws."

Doesn't take much lawyerin' to be able to drive an Abrams tank thru that loophole. Obama's decision to forego federal funds looks wiser everyday.

My next payday's next Thursday, another contribution on the way.

[realtalk]

EARLY VOTING FOR THE ELECTION STARTS ON MONDAY -- FIND OUT IF YOU CAN VOTE EARLY
IN- PERSON, IN YOUR STATE, AND GET OUT AND VOTE!!!



BARACK OBAMA/JOE BIDEN 2008

[unscum]

How? Where?

Is there a website we can go to in order to tract early voting date state by state?

[Pogopaws]

Try this Reed college site:

http://earlyvoting.net/

[AndrewInToronto]

The article mentions that Obama had decided against public financing but his campaign has been almost exclusively financed by the American public, save, for instance 0.003% for PACs. (as of the last FEC released data).

[AndrewInToronto]

The article mentions that Obama had decided again public financing but his campaign has been almost exclusively financed by the American public, save, for instance 0.003% for PACs. (as of the last FEC released data).

[Rjmartinelli]

What happened to that big reform message?

Oh wait, like everything else in his campaign, it's just a lie and political expediency.

[mezz1962a]

He wanted to reform and the Dems did not

hmmm taking $400,00 for Fannie Mae like Obama did while it was in the midst of collapsing seems kinda strange. Why doesn't Obama return that money and ease the Burden we the taxpayers have to pay for the bailout?

I know he can ask the Ex CEO who ran Fannie he is after all Obama's adviser

[HeIsTheOne]

Maybe it's time to shut down for the night, but first read this:

2008 Campaign Contributions from Fannie & Freddie
John McCain- $169,000
Barack Obama- $16,000

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/politics/10fannie.html

[NobodysPoodle]

Please list the source that sites $400,000.

[CindyM2008]

He/She probably got it from sbutt.comditoutofmezz1962a'sbutt.com

[RatgurlSD]

Obviously you missed the letter that very CEO wrote refuting McCain's claim about him being Obama's advisor. Perhaps you should read the actual stories before you make reference to them.

[RatgurlSD]

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=7CBB865D-18FE-70B2-A80ACC7D03A8F14D

[stateMachine]

Yesterday, Senator John McCain released a television commercial attacking Barack Obama for allegedly receiving advice on the economy from former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines. From the stump, he has recently tried tying Senator Obama to Fannie Mae, as if there is some guilt in the association with Fannie Mae's former executives.

It is an interesting card for Senator McCain to play, given that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, was paid by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac several hundred thousand dollars early in this decade to head up an organization to lobby in their behalf called The Homeownership Alliance. ...

I worked in government relations for Fannie Mae for more than 20 years, leading the group for most of those years. When I see photographs of Sen. McCain's staff, it looks to me like the team of lobbyists who used to report to me. Senator McCain's attack on Senator Obama is a cheap shot, and hypocritical.

Sincerely,

William Maloni
Fannie Mae Senior Vice President for Government and Industry Relations (1983-2004)

[RobinSeattle]

Speaking of Republicans and large amounts of cash, you guys have to check the following story out for a good laugh: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/19/draft-gop-delegate-gets-drugged-and-robbed-in-minnyhotel-tryst/

Although you will stop laughing when you read how this guy thinks we should pay for the Iraq War.

But you might also want to ask yourself, "what was this guy doing in a hotel room during the Republican convention with $50,000 in cash on him? Or the $120,000 the police apparently reported to the press?

[BluePride]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59mOukUZNUo

Everybody RUN...

HomeComing Queen Palin's got a GUN!

[beellis16]

If you are also frustrated with the Republican attacks and want to do something to support Obama, help me reach my fundraising goal for Obama. I know it sucks having to give, but for those of us who care about progressive politics now is not the time to hold out. Help keep Obama's momentum going. Everything helps, 5 dollars, 10 dollars, anything.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/BlakeEllis

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

She also has an INSANE pastor!

Pastor Thomas Muthee.

Everyone should check this guy out because it magnifies the stupidity of Mccains pick!

(Keith Olbermann/msnbc/countdown- sarah palin and the preaching witch...)

[ccmd]

Seattle Times Endorses Obama
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Big_Endorsement_Seattle_Times_endorses_Obama/who

[Skua]

So, I ASSUME that everyone of the liberal persuasion who was getting on Obama's case for "breaking his promise" (it wasn't a promise, it was an answer on a questionnaire) about taking public funds has now seen the light?

To recap, Senator Obama's position back in the spring was that (a) the "public financing" system was so full of holes that it didn't provide any protection or guarantee of parity to people who went into it, and (b) that his internet financing system was broadly enough based that it met the needs for non-boughtness of candidates that the public financing system was intended for. A lot of Obama supporters professed themselves to be disillusioned or saddened by his decision to opt out after all.

Personally I am far to the left of Senator Obama and by no means an uncritical supporter of his, but I never thought his decision to opt out of public financing was problematic. Now we see that point (a) above is proven true: Senator McCain is completely unimpeded by the "system", at least by its administration under the Bush regime, from raising and spending as much money as he pleases. So oughtn't the previously disillusioned supporters now to own up that Senator Obama maybe saw things more clearly than they did?

[ByersL]

I never had a problem with it at all, as a far lefter myself, he has to have more $ and the freedom to spend it as he sees fit, for many reasons, and he knows how to play the game he's asked to play. That's how he and his team beat the Clintons and it's how he'll beat McCain.

[DieHardObamaSupporter]

So now, the reformer is reforming his reforms to his advantage. Makes sense to me.

[nippyfan]

If McCain is elected to office, here is my sentiment:

"America, I love you, but I think we should start seeing other people."

[BIG JOHN]

OMG. I CAN'T STOP............LMAO. OH CANADA.

[Jingo]

When Mccain's campaign was on it's last dollar, he secured a loan to continue. McCain guaranteed it's repayment by agreeing that if his campaign failed, he would accept public financing to pay back the loan. When he started rising in the polls, he opted out of public financing so he could collect more money - which appears to have violated the McCain-Feingold Act.

In other words, if McCain's primary campaign was a failure, he would have used taxpayers dollars to repay his own debt. Talk about a bailout!

[DebbieinPhx]

One of the more irritating things about the honorless man that John McCain has done (and this is on the level of personal annoyances) is to coin and use and OVER USE the term Maverick. He touts this like it's a badge of honor, making him special; setting him apart.

Mavericks…. I am truly getting so sick of that term. I am from a cattle ranching family and let me just say a thing or two about the ranchers understanding of a maverick. A maverick is a western term coined in reference to rogue, unbranded cattle. Despite what the glamorized societal thought is about these animals, they don"t tend to lend up to their fictionalized, glorified image. These cattle are wild and tend to be problematic for ranchers. They tend to break through fencing, carry disease and cause nothing but head aches for the cattle owner.

Ranchers are pragmatic people; they have a tough life and know that life is rarely fair and often hard. They treat maverick cattle like any other threat to their herd and their livelihood, and typically do one of two things to mavericks:

1. Geld them as quickly as they can and then put them first in line to be butchered, or
2. Shoot "em on sight.

"nuff said.

[LiberalBuzz]

McBush is also McHypocrite as well.

[DebbieinPhx]

.... and a McHoover

[drzoon]

you mean Mc Llar?

[Coinyer101]

and a mcdillweed