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DNC Files Lawsuit About Campaign Finance Weasel John McCain
As many all know by now, John McCain applied for -- and was accepted into -- the public financing system for the primary. With that acceptance came certain requirements, one of those being that he can't spend more than $56,757,500 million during the primary.
As of February 29, 2008 McCain has -- by his own admission -- exceeded that amount. The FEC Chairman David Mason says McCain can't leave the public financing system without permission of the FEC, but John McCain is thumbing his nose at that. He has imperiously announced that the law doesn't apply to him, and is refusing to answer Mason's questions regarding a loan he took out that prevents him from opting out of the public financing system.
Since the FEC doesn't have enough commissioners to take action, having been gutted by Republicans in the Senate who are blocking the appointment of a quorum, the DNC's complaint about this matter has fallen on deaf ears. (We filed a similar complaint.) If the FEC fails to act, the law allows the DNC to file suit compelling them to do so -- which they did today.
From the complaint:
8. The violations committed by Senator McCain and the McCain Campaign before the November 2008 general election cannot be redressed unless this Court issues an order pursuant to 2 U.S.C. § 437g(a)(8), declaring that the failure to act on the DNC administrative complaint in these circumstances is contrary to law and that it is not curable by an agency wholly unable to act.
9. Under the FECA, the effect of such an Order will be to authorize the DNC as the administrative complainant to act in the place of the FEC in seeking from this Court a declaration that the law has been violated and a remedial order establishing any and all appropriate penalties. 2 U.S.C. §437g(a)(8)(C).
The DNC is asking the court to compell the FEC to investigate -- which they can't. So when they fail to do so, the DNC can (and most likely will) ask the court for an injunction against McCain. Essentially, this is the next necessary step in that process -- they can't ask for the injunction until they show that the FEC can't act.
In "Free Ride," their book on John McCain and the press, Paul Waldman and David Brock say that "the press's affection for John McCain is built on three foundations: his Vietnam experience, his advocacy for campaign finance reform, and his style in dealing with reporters." But his commitment to campaign finance reform is a sham, and the DNC's actions go straight to the heart of exposing this deceit and hypocrisy. Let's see if the press picks it up.
We've now got nearly 38,000 cosigners to our FEC compliant against McCain. (You can sign it here, and tell you friends about it here.) When we get to 50,000 we'll do another delivery. I'm thinking McCain's campaign finance reform buddy Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21 needs a chance to redeem himself for being AWOL on all of this. I think we should invite him to do the delivery honors.
He'd make a great YouTube star, don't you think?
Jane Hamsher blogs at firedoglake.com
Follow Jane Hamsher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/janehamsher
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Let's see if Chris Matthews raises this with McCain tonight, and push him on it, given McCain's "straight talk" moniker. Or maybe one of the audience will have the stones to ask?
Of course and as we now know, tough questions (in my opinion) not asked either by Mr. Matthews or the audience. In fact, the phrase "Teflon John" sees most apt! In an effort to learn more about this candidate, I spent quite a bit of time on the Internet and discovered a lot of disturbing data. I am not so naive as to think all "out there" is accurate but, still, the things I came across raise questions for me that I wish some one would address. For example: 1) having read and believed for years that McCain offered to stay as a P.O.W., I was take aback to realize he was just following the orders of the U.S. P.O.W. commander; 2) as a "hot dog" he may have touched off a fire on the USS Forrestal that killed over 130 of his shipmates; 3) he reportedly made about 32 tapes for the N. Vietnamese that, of course, remain classified; 4) did he receive special treatment by his captors (were his code names really "The Crown Price" and "Songbird?"; 5) why does he oppose the release of all material related to P.O.W.'s and M.I.A.'s; 6) why have not his horrible comments toward his wife ( c --t) become more public? And much, much more.
So what does Bush, McCain and Clinton have in common? The Rules don't apply to us.
OMG that photo is awesome!
Hundreds of millions
Hillians and Billians
Campaign financing
The cash flows around
Dining and dancing, wallet romancing
Writing checks makes hardly a sound
Compared to the cries of the fiscally bound
Two thousand bucks is a mort-gauge payment
We can’t afford this extra rent
Disposable income already spent
Us vassals pay an automatic tax
Stretched to the limit we can’t relax
The war is funded on our backs
Money for networks, CNN and FOX
The cozy circle: donation - an ad buy - the expert talks
Tracking the horse race as the rest of us watch
Complacent then choosing like Goldilocks
Too high or too low or right in the crotch
They kick us and trick us
The show goes on
Til the first Wednesday in November
When the politicians are gone
Then we hope they remember
And this wasn’t a con.
But didn't we already learn from papa Bush that Republicans are above the law? It is other, lower types, who are required to follow the law, or even the Constitution, as our beloved leader has taught us .
Of course, there can be no one less fit for his current job than Dubya, but if there were such an individual, his name would be J. McCain.
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McCain’s error on Petraeus’s role.
Today during his appearance at the Associated Press’s annual meeting, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was asked if he was “open to diverting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan” in order to catch Osama bin Laden.” McCain replied, “I would not do that unless General Petraeus said that he felt that the situation called for that.” Watch it:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/14/mccains-error-on-petraeuss-role/
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forpeace - He simply has "NO CLUE".
He does not know up from down from left to right from top to side from bottom to up!
He is in an eternal state of "SPIN DRY"... and GOD forbid, he ever got elected, then WE would all be in "SPIN-DRY" right along with him!
We would really be "A MESS"... We might as well just sit back on our retrograde to 1957!
Once the FEC get's through with him, the only thing John Sidney McLame is winning is a "Grand Puba" cape & hat for his service to the AARP!
He should hire an architect to design and build a new home so that he can retire with his buddies, Laura & Georgie, down in Crawford, TX.
I hope he paints his new home white so that he can finally say he lives in a "white house"... except it wont be on Pennsylvania Avenue!
Anyone can break a law, but it takes a Maverick™ to break a law that has your name on it.
Spot On, AkaDad! Maybe Joe Lieberman can point that out to McCain, too...
aka...love you short...to the point...comment...thanks for a smile on my face in spite of the scariness of a man that would make us long for a return to Dubya!...
What does Russ Feingold have to say about his co-sponsor on this bill? anything?
That, I have to say, is the best slogan I've heard so far this year.
Kudos.
Jane, will Obama accept Public Financing in the General as he had originally promised he would? Maybe the author should check with THAT weasel to see what he says. (I'm just using your own words Jane, so don't get catty).
Maybe the GOP should sue HIM if he doesn't, but I'm sure he wouldn't lie and back out of his commitment.
Um, a verbal commitment to "pursue an agreement" is quite a bit different from taking out a loan based on participating in the public financing system. Obama could be accused of being disingenuous; McCain is a liar and is gaming the system. You tell me who the weasel is.
Well, let's see. Obama said back last year that IF he won the nomination, and IF the republican nominee went for Public Financing in the general election, that he would go for it, as well. Now, John McBush has signaled VERY strongly that he doesn't want to use public financing in the general election, and this is OBAMA'S fault?????
WOW! I wonder where Hannity & O'Reilly will be on this story? Maybe on vacation?
I have to assume that if the american people want more of the same for four more years then john mcCain is their man.
MORE WAR 100 YEARS
MORE CORRUPTION
MORE LYING
MORE SPYING
HIGHER GAS
LOWER SOCIAL SECURITY
AFTER ALL A MAN WITH EIGHT HOUSES AND A WIFE WHO IS WORTH 500MILLION+/-
SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE SMALL PEOPLE
Dunworkin,
MORE WAR 100 YEARS - reread McCain's speech.
MORE CORRUPTION - He's a politician.
MORE LYING - Name one candidate who hasn't lied?
MORE SPYING - Been going on since WW1, what's so different now. With so much data on credit cards, bank cards etc, you can't even imagine what's out there about you! If it's not government, it's business.
HIGHER GAS - Governments can't control gas prices. People should drive less and that will drive the price down!
LOWER SOCIAL SECURITY - The Social Security problem has been going on for 30 years. It hasn't been fixed yet. Don't plan on it being around. If it is great, Do what i did, get a pension plan!
EIGHT HOUSES AND A WIFE WHO IS WORTH 500MILLION - I guess a guy can't make any money for himself these days, but I bet you wouldn't turn down 8 houses or 500+ million! I know I wouldn't!
free rde this will go no where.
This is the kind of stuff that has far more value than Rev. Wright or meaningless comments about hillbillies.
PS. It's always easy to identify a moron on the political forums, they are the ones using Barack's middle name like as if it's an insult.
Now this is something to get our panties all in a wad about. . . NOT
Rome is Burning and the Islamofascists are about to add fuel to the fire!!!
Ms. Hamsher, I challenge you to summon the courage to publicly come out in support of a presidential candidate. As for me? I support Sen. Obama.
I agree. FDL is your blog and you can do as you please, but the studied neutrality of yours and other blogs like C& L (which used to be my favorite) seems cowardly in my eyes. I know you want to support a woman, but how can you support this one who lies so blatantly that she must be the counterpart female to GWB as a laughingstock around the world? How can you support a Democrat who is adopting Republican policies and tactics as in PA? Maybe you don't support Clinton, but why, then, not come out and do as maxdenn says? I cannot vote for someone just because she has a D behind her name when I know she is a DINO and when I know that there is a real progressive out there in the form of Barack Obama.
You guys have gone over the top. Because she chooses to stay neutral as a journalist, you assume she MUST be for Hillary? Because in your mind, anyone who does not cling to Senator Obama's nutsack HAS to be an enemy and a closet Clinton supporter. You people disgust me!
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