McCain Compares Obama Small Donor Issue To Ayers And ACORN

On a Monday conference call with reporters, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis worked hard to elevate the issue of Barack Obama's undisclosed small donors, suggesting that it relates to other campaign controversies and could imperil Americans' confidence in the election outcome.

"I just hope we know every one of those donations came form legitimate U.S.-based sources" Davis said, adding that America "knows" what it's like to have election results questioned after the fact. Davis also conflated the Obama camp's non-disclosure of donors giving less than $200 (which is not required by law), with both the ACORN voter-registration issue and Bill Ayers.

"This pattern of non-disclosure, of non-responsiveness follows a pattenr of [the Obama camp] setting their own rules to apply to this campaign that is consistent with all other patterns we've seen," Davis said. (Though, of course, the rules about not disclosing donors contributing less than $200 were not set by the Obama campaign.)

"'We don't respond to questions about ACORN'," Davis said, imitating the Obama campaign. "I don't mean to have this call devolve into a 'relationship' call," Davis said, before leading the pack of journalists down precisely that trail -- bringing up (and distorting) Obama's description of Bill Ayers as "just one of my friends in the neighborhood."

It's not clear that this a smart strategy. While it's true that Obama's fundraising haul is unprecedented in its scope and potential impact, it's not clear that tying the issue to the Ayers gambit will make the press treat the new claim any more seriously. In fact, most reporters' questions to Davis after his statement focused on horse-race questions, as opposed to Obama's disclosure.

In a preemptive face-saving measure, Davis announced on the call that the Republican National Committee would begin disclosing its own small donors starting on Tuesday -- something the committee has not previously done. But the extent to which the move is an election-season stunt or long-standing policy for the RNC was not made clear. A follow-up question to the RNC asking whether it would stick with the policy after November was not immediately returned. This piece will be updated if and when we receive a response.

Comments

[demnaz]

Since McCain wants to know who has donated to Obama’s campaign, I suggest that everyone that has donated money send McCain an email stating how much they have contributed.

[rosecomet]

Seriously, this man went off the deep end. Just concede and be done with it.

[rosal]

Collin Powel's endorsement, 100,000 in St. Louis, 75,000 in Kansan, 150 million on donations for September, no wonder McErratic's campaign is having a meltdown, its been a tough week.
The more negative they are, the higher O. goes on the polls, and the more money his supporters send. The Neo's strategy is a joke.

[Omidal]

Rick Davis we know of your Lobbyist ways.
Please respond to your relationship with Fredie and Fannie first
Then we can talk about the small donors to McSame and Obama Campaign.

[Hogdaddee]

John McCain locked himself into public campaign financing by questionably pledging money from public financing to secure a campaign loan during his faltering primary run. In doing so he limited himself to what he could raise per the public financing rules. Now he's all in a tither because Barack Obama astutely opted out of public financing choosing to rely on the tremendous grass roots support and small contributions he's earned from individual donors and rejecting donations from lobbyists and PAC's.

McCain himself made this decision and it is just another example of McCain excersing poor judgement when under pressure. Now while he obviously regrets it, rather than man-ing up and accepting the fact that he did himself in, he is questioning the "source" of all the small (less than $200.00) donations to Obama. Under federal law while the names are recorded and are part of the record they do not need to be disclosed on campaign financing reports.

Now the McCain camp is not raising the issue because they are really interested in knowing the names of the donors - they are raising the issue as a coordinated part of their desperate smear campaign against Obama.

In other words McCain DOESN'T want the question answered - he just wants the question to be out there festering amongst the other vile and specious claims made by his rodents of the right-wing who spread misinformation and engage in character assassination.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Can't say that I'm thrilled at the idea of my name, address, donation amounts and candidate being posted on the internet. I'm embarassed that I couldn't donate more. Oh, well. whatever.

[Clayton139]

Bush/McCai­n/McSame/P­alin, Rush Limbaugh, (Michele Bachmann Crazy Hate) and all there Surrogates’ can only (Preach Hate) for the future and the we have to stop this Nonsense !
They make up LIES everyday to Distract them from LOSING !
They MAKE UP Words Celebrity, Lip Stick on a Pig, Socialism, Terrorist, and all kinds of things to Divide this Country Again !
The Republicans are trying there Divisive tactic’s again just to win ! They are the ones to worry about !

It was the Bush/Cheney/Rove Administration that has put America in this Crisis the last 8 years of over 10.6 Trillion dollars of Debt, and NOW they had to Socialize the Banks too!
Deregulation of the Banking and Mortgage Industry by John McCain and Phil Gramm ! How much more can we take !
Why did they do this to us ? It was there WATCH !
Do we really want 4 more years of the McCain/Same? Palin is Un-qualified and makes W. even seem smart (NOT) ?!
BARACK OBAMA/JOE BIDEN -- 08/12

[newddle]

Gee, if the small donor issue is only as big as Ayers and ACORN, what's McCain getting so worked up about? Participation of small donors will destroy the country?

[jimme]

I've given $25 to the Obama campaign. I've never given any money to any campaign in my life buut I feel that now is the time. I would've given more if I could but Obama also has my vote, which for mccain is priceless.

[taddles]

"Davis announced on the call that the Republican National Committee would begin disclosing its own small donors starting on Tuesday"

Gonna have to raise the BS flag high on this lie. Not that it is unique, every time Davis's mouth moves you get lies but this one is a whopper. Gonna release the info on all of the under $200 donors???....yea, gonna have to cal bullshit on that one.

[patianneb]

Beneath c0ntempt Johnny, but not beneath you. (one of the 3.5MM small individual donors)

[Lombard42]

I've given $50, which is all I can afford right now because I'm relatively poor. I imagine there are a lot of people like me who care about this country and give what they can, figuring in the aggregate we can make a difference.

All the RNC has left is baseless attacks hoping to sway undecideds into somehow equating Sen. Obama's campaign with fraud.

This whole election has devolved into an "I know you are but what am I?" playground argument. It's embarrassing.

And check out the article on McCain soliciting money from the Russians ... Yeah, no conflict of interest THERE. (Did he mean to send that to the Georgians?)

[The 13 Colonies]

McCain in allowing the terrible slurs agaist Obama, has insured his own loss. He helped Obama when he picked Palin.....­..........­..........­..........­.OBAMA 2008'

[KNadine]

For those who have donated in small increments, we should flood the RNC with emails telling just why we love to donate to a good cause - Obama/Biden '08. Bet they'll shut their stupid rhetoric up then!

[arthur2008]

The last thing Rick Davis and his employers would wish to see is "small donors" having a say in governing the nation.

[Weisburg]

Just for running your mouth Rick: Im go back and donate another $100 to Obama. How about dem apples.