Here's a related story. I thought it would be fun to have an Obama t-shirt and maybe a ball cap as mementos of everything that's been going on these last few months, so I called up the Obama campaign ready to make my purchase ... but they wouldn't sell them to me. They explained that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these items goes to the campaign, and they can't accept money from non-Americans. I'm a Canadian, and that means that they wouldn't sell me so much as a t-shirt. I'm hopping I can pick up a few things after the election, but for now, as a Canadian, I'm shut out.
How would the campaign refund the money from an illegitimate donor if it is anonymous? They must have some screening on the front-end to capture the identity of the donor. Did you check Ebay?
I haven't done that yet, but I will likely go that way and I'm sure they're there. Quite frankly I would have been very happy to give my money to the Obama campaign, but I do understand the intent of the rule. It's designed to prevent an Arab sheik from giving McCain $50 million, for example, but it does make sense in principle to not take any money from any non-Americans to fund an American election. If the shoe was on the other foot Canadians would get very excited very quickly if they found out that some Americans were putting money into the Conservative Party of Canada's coffers, for example, so I do get it, even if in practice it seems a little silly when talking about a $20 t-shirt. Here's another bit of news, however. I was just talking to someone connected with Democrats Abroad here in Calgary and this person was telling me that McCain's people held a $1,000 per plate dinner here in the last couple of weeks hitting up Calgary oilmen for money for the McCain campaign. This is second hand info, mind you, and they may well be using creative ways to circumvent the rules, but if there is a journalist out there who is interested in this issue this might be something to check out.
All campaign 'donations' should be banned - soft money, hard money, PACs and all organizations/events designated as "fundraisers", everything at every level of government. The media in this country benefits from being in this country, and should give equal airtime to all viable candidates without a fee. Otherwise, all viable candidates should be given the same amount of money to run their campaigns based on a projected expense of campaigning. (This would have the added benefit of drastically reducing the amount of time that candidates spend campaigning when they should be, you know, actually doing their jobs). One of the biggest obstacles for a third party in the American electoral system is the amount of money necessary to even make a blip with the media, and through the media, with voters. Campaign finance is not non-partisan, it's bi-partisan. One problem is that it de-localizes elections: "legislators raised about four out of every five dollars in campaign funds from outside of where their constituents live." Another is the fact that, via "fundraisers," it gives those with more capital better quality and disproportionate access to candidates. Spending 10 minutes with Joe C.E.O or 10 minutes with 50 Joe Plumbers, if you will, is the problem. Frankly, I'm in favor of the entire system being overturned, but as it stands now, campaign contributions are, to a greater or lesser degree depending on the candidate and the circumstances, inherently anti-democratic. That being said, omitting information from the article you quoted, ling ling, is an incredibly dishonest tactic. It makes it easy to perceive you as a simple party-pusher instead of an person who is actually concerned with the issues.
How soon they forget. but i guess that was then. this is now. and Obama, like his supporters, is full of it.
Your favorite supreme court justices made it legal with Citizens United. If I was Obama, I wouldn't unilaterally let the Republicans get all the hidden money, either. If your heroes want to play the financing shell game, don't get pissy when the other side plays along as well.
uhmmm, when did Obama run for president? when was CU decided? google a bit and then return to this thread.
