But Who will Fix the System?

As expected, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) announced today that he would not opt-in to the presidential partial public financing system. While his decision is regrettable, it is understandable due to the major shortcomings of the 30-year-old system and the failure of Congress to fix the badly broken system in recent years.

With his actions today, the senator now has an increased obligation to the American people that he will make overhauling our special interest-driven campaign finance apparatus for both Congress and the presidency a top priority if elected.

Sen. Obama has long been a supporter of Clean Elections, or full public financing of elections. From his days in the Illinois legislature to his current job in the Senate, Sen. Obama has consistently railed against the pay-to-play political system.

He is a co-sponsor of both the bipartisan presidential public financing legislation authored by Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and the bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act authored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), while Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has refused to sponsor either one.

Sen. Obama's support for public financing and his groundbreaking demonstration of the potential of small donor fundraising indicates that he is up to this challenge. However, Sen. Obama and his campaign must be clear in the weeks and months ahead about their commitment to ending a system that puts big money campaign contributors ahead of the needs and concerns of all Americans.

While declining public funds for this election is regrettable, a failure on the part of the next president to help lead the fight to win grassroots-empowering public financing for all federal offices would be unforgivable.

Comments

[Yohomegirl]

I Have given $300.00 to date, I am single and have my own handy woman business, i.e. I pull wrenches, it was my money. I intend to give the full $2300.00 well in advance of November. Many more are just like me, investing in the future of a better America, and with that a better world. 94% of the 31 million in April that he raised was from the likes of me, people desperate to get such a wise, honest leader up front. Y'all can bitch and moan all you want trying to tear him down, while you bitch and moan about the other side as well. How's that working for you? I'd rather work for me, for Obama, which is one and the same, raising money and awareness. This world can't take one more much less four more.

[ReadyNow]

Obama is a liar and a typical politician. He will say ANYTHING or do ANYTHING to get elected. He is a reed in the wind and has no principals and will not stand behind any of his "freinds". Anyone who will throw their own grandmother under the bus can't be trusted to "watch your back".

Don't expect him to stand up for the USA either...or Nancy Pelosi or anyone else......So sad to have wasted a great movement....

[egal]

The "friends" Obama hasn't stood behind spouted hatred and bigotry; Obama rightfully denounced their words and beliefs, he didn't stab them in the back or lie about them or be glad to have to step away from their influence. Would you complain either way?

He has stood up to a war when the war was popular; he has given the public the truth when it would have been easier to pander and speak down to us with spin.

Isn't asking a candidate to be impractical and make a decision (based on a promise recognized to be a liability in retrospect) even though it could enable the Republicans to win the presidency equivalent to asking him to betray America?

I would think we'd had more than enough of presidents willing to put their own beliefs and desires and buddies, and a refusal to back down or admit mistakes, ahead of what's best for our nation.

Be GLAD that Obama is honest even about things that hurt or shame, not upset that he admits the wrongness of both his black pastor's anger and his white grandmother's prejudice.

A man who can revere without being blind to faults, who doesn't shy from addressing the errors in things he supports, and who adheres to his morality and principles over his friendships is precisely what we need if we are to get past and rise above the problems Bush and his cronies have created and Pelosi and other cowards have simply permitted to continue growing.

[XME]

I don't think it's regrettable that he didn't take the financing. The only thing regrettable to me is that he didn't do what both Hillary Clinton and John McCain did and simply NOT ANSWER the question. He's been hit for going back on his answer, they simply ignored the question. Because of 527s, GOP money, etc. he HAS to skip public financing. He needs every penny he can raise to fight the smears over the coming months.

[Susanfrom29]

I think they ought to limit individual contributions to $1000 to candidates and political parties and 527s.

[kevinw]

When even the author explains that this decision was expected but regrettable, he has already made the point that we should give up this system. This year we have shown that progressives are in favor of public financing when we are broke. Now that we are flush, we will need to wait till next election and see if we need the money. It has been around for some time. The last election was 4 years ago. If it was broken, why was there no effort to fix it. Why weren't the problems of the broken system brought up, when he made the commitment to use the system. It is time to face the facts. We never thought we would ever have this large of a money advantage, where using the system would cost us. It is a good tactical decision to opt out. But it shows we never believed in the federal financing to begin with.

[GLaB]

So true!

[leftLibertarian]

Nick - to fix the system would require the impeachment of the criminals Bush and Cheney.

Doesn't look like the feeble democrats are up to it.

[ContraEgoiste]

"Power concedes nothing without demand." - Frederick Douglass

What this simple truism reveals is that, Democracy is not guaranteed to ANYBODY at birth. It can only exist and survive to the extent to which we pursue it. It is a constant struggle that ALL members of a society that desires it must actively fight for. And for those aware, if the last 8 years taught us just one lesson, it should be that.

It is a shortsighted naïve fallacy to believe that just a couple of hours every 4 years constitutes a struggle and is all the civic responsibility needed to maintain this Democracy, although that is exactly what those in power will like you to continue to believe.

"We get the government we deserve".

We are an easily entertained, quick gratification, short term memory, disengaged, and highly uninformed nation. We measure ourselves by our material worth and not wisdom or education, hence we attribute superior knowledge to those that have the most and believe their prognosis and unquestioning follow along.

[ContraEgoiste]

(continued)

Yes, for the majority of us, the struggle of keeping up with our responsibility is such that our time is limited and we have to use it to unwind to maintain some sanity. This leaves very little time or none at all to keep informed, creating a situation that can easily be exploited. But, this too is our fault, because we let it get to this point. There was once a time where one 9 to 5 earner was sufficient to maintain a family. We have been slowly pushed to become a society of pure consumerism and hence we have to produce that which we consume, creating a vicious cycle. We"ve allowed the substandard education which has now become just training for a job. We have been complicit in transforming news or real information into shallow entertainment. We demand, they supply, or, we buy, they will sell. We have been complicit in our own dumbing down.

But most of all, we take no part in our own governance. Even those of us that do vote, are quick to pass the responsibility to those we elect once the vote is cast. And that is the extent of our involvement. We put it out of our minds until perhaps just a month or so before is time to do it again.

"The people are the government, administering it by their agents; they are the government, the sovereign power." - Andrew Jackson

[deapthrowt]

Obama campaign is already riddled with special interest money. It is awash with union money and his first official act was to bow and scrape the public employee union SEIU and write them a blank check. Obama is both a hypocrite and a liar. Wake up people - this guy will suck you all dry with his lies ........ and his actions.

Public employee unions is what is sapping the energy of the United States and breaking the budget with gold-plated benefits and job security, all at our expense. And how they firmly have their hands in Obama's pockets. And he still lies to you saying he will change the system. Hate to break it to you sweeties, but unions ARE the system.

[lordcopper]

Big money donors can give unlimited amounts of money to 527s that act in concert with the candidate? There is no system!! Obama's response is the only honest campaign reform, millions of small contributors backing up their vote with a "token" contribution.

I can't wait to call in my "favor" in exchange for my $150.00 contribution.

[dadw5boys]

ROLL BACK ALL FINANCE LAWS TO PRE - REGAN / DADDY BUSH YEARS

Roll back all laws period that Republicans have passed.

[MourningDude]

How is Obama going to lead the charge for open and fair elections when he himself was appointed by hundreds of party insiders? Gov. Richardson was clearly laying out a quid pro quo scenario to undecided supers, so clearly there's some hanky panky going on there.

Why would Obama fight for true reform when:

1) He had hundreds of his own political favors to repay.

2) His party is controlling the levers of power, and are a majority of the incumbents in Washington.

3) He demonstrated his own clear hypocrisy on the issue, and has lost credibility on it.

That doesn't bode well for Obama cleaning up the system.

McCain, however, wouldn't have ANY of those problems. All three of those issues would work in favor of McCain reforming the election system. So, if election reform and public financing are important to you, McCain is the obvious choice.

[Susanfrom29]

You are conveniently forgetting the 7 and a half years that the Republicans controlled both houses of the Congress and the WH. If McCain had any intentions of reforming the system he would have already done so, instead of writing in a loophole that allows him to fly on his wife's private jet.

[MourningDude]

Which is all the more reason to be scared. The Dems will want to increase spending to fund all the "neglected" spending from the last 8 years to try to make up for lost time and lost ground.

That means more money, more earmarks, more giveaways. And many more backroom deals to make sure that the tsunami of new spending disproportionately benefits those who handed Obama the nomination.

In an environment like that, reform is the LAST thing on people's minds.

[Researchguy66]

He'll be right on that, lickety-split, don't worry

[bronceye]

Change comes with the first slow step, and hopefully proceeds to a trot or sprint.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

I agree that reform in this era of lobbyists' takeover is a top priority.

Ob*ma's grassroots support is the best possible first step in the best possible direction.

[starboymikey]

Man, oh man will Obama have his hands full if he's elected. I'm sure he wants to go down in history as a great reformer of government, at least partly in manner of Teddy Roosevelt.

The problem is that he will have a house full of powerful enemies, so he will have to choose his battles very carefully if he is to survive politically. The course of history is not easily changed, and few have actually succeeded in doing it.

It's probably a dream that we may go from the worst president in American history to one of the best, but there's The Audacity of Hope for you.

[ReadyNow]

Obama is a wimp. Teddy Roosevelt was a man. Obama will change and flip to what ever the flavor of the month is. He has no principles he won't abandon. He has no friends he won't abandon. He will do anything or say anything to get or stay in power...He will lie and cheat and do anything to stay in power. Look at what he as down so far and he isn't even elected yet. The kool aid crowd looks the other way because Obama is "their lying cheating" pol who must be elected to save us from the other "lying cheating" pol

Sound familiar?

The kool aid crowd will get what they ask for....another scheming politician...

Time for a third party.....

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

A massive uncontestable sweep will go a long way towards making it happen.