Right way, wrong time

I do not think Senator Obama should have said he would pursue a publicly funded general election campaign. I do not know if he ever specifically “promised” to use the public funds, but either way, it makes his recent decision all to easy to criticize. In the end, the positives outweigh the negatives. While campaign finance reform is certainly necessary to break from the rigid two-party pandering mold, the current system seems worthless. The intentions are great, but how can a Democrat compete with the complicated structure of the Republican National Committee and the “independent” 527 organizations? We can’t.

Directly on McCain’s contribution page, you’ll find this statement:

“Contributions to John McCain 2008 and the John McCain 2008 General Election Compliance Fund are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income-tax purposes. In accordance with federal limits, a contribution is designated first for John McCain 2008, with the contribution’s balance designated for the Compliance Fund. For contributions to John McCain 2008 (primary-election account), an individual may give up to $2,300, a couple may give up to $4,600, and a federal multi-candidate PAC may give up to $5,000. For contributions to the Compliance Fund, an individual may give up to $2,300, a couple may give up to $4,600, and a federal multi-candidate PAC may give up to $5,000. Contributions to the Compliance Fund will be used solely for legal and accounting services to ensure compliance with federal law, including a portion of the cost of broadcast advertising, campaign offices, and computer/website expenses. Federal law prohibits Compliance Fund contributions from being used for a candidate’s election. Contributions from corporations, unions, government contractors, national banks, and foreign nationals without permanent residency status are prohibited. *Federal law requires us to report the name, address, occupation, and employer of any contributor who gives more than $200 in an election cycle.”

This “compliance fund” is a perfect example of what must be intentionally confusing systems to avoid scrutiny and investigation by the typical donor, the typical America. The compliance fund cannot be “used for a candidate’s election,” but it can be used to ensure compliance with federal law, and even computer and website expenses? The difference lies only in the legal language; too complicated for me and millions of others.

On top of the convoluted compliance fund, the RNC collects donations for general advertising (technically not authorized by a candidate, but clearly they’re not promoting Barack Obama), and the independent groups spread the “Muslim” and “unpatriotic” rumors like E! with the newest Brittany Spears fiasco. I’m no political lawyer, but it seems like the richest of the richest and the largest corporations can contribute huge sums to these efforts without limits.

Now here’s Senator Obama sharing his decision to forgo the public funds:

His explanation is clear, simple, and logical. Public financing for presidential elections is broken, and the Republicans are “masters at gaming this broken system.” Senator Obama supports the idea, but not the current implementation. Hopefully, the next president will push for fair and functional public funds for the future.

Obama changed his mind, and the pundits will start with the flip-flip talk. But below the surface, beyond the attacks, we can see the evolution of this decision. The Senator offered his verbal support and promised to pursue public funds with the cooperation of the Republican nominee. Alas, Obama and his team correctly realized the danger of accepting public funds and limiting the campaign while McCain and the Republicans essentially roam free.

This country seems to disapprove of changing positions, and rightfully so: it’s not attractive to see McCain pander to voters with complete reversals on tax-cuts and drilling for oil. Hopefully in the case of Senator Obama and public financing, we’ll see the profound thought and deliberate progression leading to the final choice (and no, it’s not the same as McCain and drilling; the claim of seeing $4/gal and switching to help the American people is utter lies when help is at least half a decade away). This is the exactly the kind of leadership we need.

Explore posts in the same categories: America, Conservatives, Democrats, Election 2008, Obama, Pretenders, Progress, RNC, Senators, Vote

Tags: 527s, Barack Obama, Campaign Finance, Democrats, John McCain, Leadership, Opt-out, Presidential Election 2008, Public Financing, Republican National Committee, RNC, Senators

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