Jim Messina, Obama campaign manager:
But this cycle, our campaign has to face the reality of the law as it currently stands.
Over the last few months, Super PACs affiliated with Republican presidential candidates have spent more than $40 million on television and radio, almost all of it for negative ads.
Last week, filings showed that the Super PAC affiliated with Mitt Romney’s campaign raised $30 million in 2011 from fewer than 200 contributors, most of them from the financial sector. Governor Romney personally helped raise money for this group, which is run by some of his closest allies.
Meanwhile, other Super PACs established for the sole purpose of defeating the President—along with “nonprofits” that also aren’t required to disclose the sources of their funding—have raised more than $50 million. In the aggregate, these groups are expected to spend half a billion dollars, above and beyond what the Republican nominee and party are expected to commit to try to defeat the President.
With so much at stake, we can’t allow for two sets of rules in this election whereby the Republican nominee is the beneficiary of unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm.
Therefore, the campaign has decided to do what we can, consistent with the law, to support Priorities USA in its effort to counter the weight of the GOP Super PAC. We will do so only in the knowledge and with the expectation that all of its donations will be fully disclosed as required by law to the Federal Election Commission.
Gee wow, didn’t see this one coming. Here’s an article from four years ago:
McCain attacks Obama for opting out of public financing
Sen. John McCain on Thursday accused Sen. Barack Obama of breaking a promise when the Democrat decided to forgo public financing in this fall’s campaign.Obama told supporters in an e-mail message Thursday that he would not accept about $85 million in public funds when he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee.
In the e-mail, Obama said the public campaign financing system allowed “special interests [to] drown out the voices of the American people” and asked his supporters to “declare our independence from a broken system.”
Poor Obama, he wants to do the right thing but his opponents won’t let him. This is the same Obama who wants to raise a billion dollars (that’s BILLION with a “B”) for his campaign even though he has no primary challenger.
Speaking of which, Obama heavily outspent Hillary in the 2008 primaries too, but I’m sure that was somehow that was her fault as well.
As for special interests, Obama donors have seen a nice return on investment since he took office, haven’t they?
This was the best part:
” . . . all of its donations will be fully disclosed as required by law to the Federal Election Commission.”
That means they won’t disclose anything they don’t HAVE to, like the names of those small (under $200) online donors in 2008.
UPDATE:
Filed under: Barack Obama, Campaign Finance, Crony Capitalism Tagged: | Campaign Finance, Crony Capitalism
Of course, they want to fully disclose all of the donors, but the gift cards from foreign countries do not have names on them. They are not called the most transparent administration in US history for nothing, we can all see right through them.
They are not called the most transparent administration in US history for nothing, we can all see right through them.
OT. Did Justice Ginsberg really say this? *headdesk*
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/06/ginsburg-to-egyptians-wouldnt-use-us-constitution-as-model/#ixzz1lhj6SpCA
All those $3 Eat with Obama lotteries must be to shore up his small donor stats
I haven’t donated to a politician since Edwards. And since it was during the time he was boinking Rielle, I hope there’s a civil suit and I get that $50 back! Just because…….
Ok, I did donate $25 to Sarah’s legal fund when she was being hammered with ethics complaints. Someone found that fund illegal and they sent it back. I did sign it back to her PAC.
the worst part is it’s practically a documentary
Saw this link at LI
Girls as young as 13 have been fitted with contraceptive implants at school without their parents knowing (UK)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9065998/Girls-13-given-contraceptive-implants-at-school.html
The rationale being to drive down teen pregnancy rates. Seems so wrong to me — 13 yo are so easily manipulated. How can they make informed decisions? What about side effects?
And why is it always the girls who get the burden? Why not give 13 yo boys reversible vasectomies instead? Or chemical anti-viagra implants?
Certainly doesn’t prevent communicable diseases
I’m all for super gluing condoms on those penises!
With you on that. The last time I lived in Manhattan was on 168th and Fort Washington my 14 year old neighbor tested positive for HIV, but her school or some do gooder group did such a good job of exposing the child to sex that unknown to her parents she was on the pill. Great job. So she didn’t get pregnant but now she has at best a chronic disease. I told her parents to go after who ever got her the pill and sue them to make sure her meds are covered for life. No idea what they did but I think it is frightening that a child can get monthly access to the pill. Forget about the moral implications– the pill can have adverse reactions and be lethal in some cases. Bet most young teens do not know their own medical history.
Bit of a hypocrite though as I’d probably buy condoms for someone under age if I were asked.
Teen pregnancy is not the worse that can happen to young girls. I get tired of us obsessing over that and acting as if it is The Greatest Bad Thing Ever. There are all sorts of other horrors, rape, child sexual abuse, lifelong STD’s, strokes and blood clots associated with hormonal BC, domestic violence, not realizing you have value as a girl way beyond your sexuality. It’s like there’s this whole crap sandwich we serve girls and we’re like, success, she didn’t get pregnant! All is well.
My mother got knocked up at 15. Father was 18. They are still together and raised 6 kids. We were poor poor poor in my youth but somehow that 15 year old girl retired last May making 6 figures on a GED and a two year nursing degree.
I love teenaged sweetheart true love stories. Like diamonds, they are rare but beautiful.
This could make me jiggy for 2012 again, just a rumor but…….
http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/03/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers-could-be-the-fall-vice-presidential-surprise/
Don’t hold your breath for Mitt to pick a women. Sadly I think he’s more likely to pick someone like the gov. of VA. Yuk.
This tweet made me laugh (it is about rumors that Occupy is planning to go to CPAC)
…because as you know, Occupy is not political.
And of course it’s far to early, ridiculously premature in fact, for Occupy to have any goals or platform or demands.
The comedy for that group writes itself.
Someone pointed out that if Occupy was “non-political” and cared about money in politics, it would protest Obama’s embrace of super-pacs.
Don’t hold your breath.
On OccupyDC attending CPAC
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/07/exclusive-occupy-dc-plans-mayhem-for-major-conservative-conference/
The group behind those huge anti-war-anti-bush-peace marches now teaming up with Occupy. NOW THAT’S POLITICAL. /snort
Said they’ve been quiet the past 3 years because of lack of money…like everyone else….ha!
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/2012/01/26/register-for-ufpjs-occupy-peace-summit-feb-24-27th/
I have a feeling they’re gearing up for a Republican win this fall, because that’s where the money is for the angry left, hating Republicans
(that’s my tinfoil tuesday contribution)
http://www.ajc.com/news/karen-handel-resigns-from-1336515.html
And she is pissed. Her resignation letter spills the beans on the whole board and makes them out to be liars. She is giving a press conference this afternoon to spew some more venom. I wonder if Ari Fleischer will be with her. Komen is finished as a major charity. There has been too much crap exposed.
I am pro choice and i have given to the Komen foundation but had I known they were in anyway funding planned parenthood I would not have. My donations,I thought, went to the provision of screening, treatment and research for breast cancer. I am pro choice but that doesn’t mean I want to finance someone’s decision. Komen was wrong in my eyes to have ever contributed to planned parenthood.
I give her credit for walking away from Komen. The more women that walk away from pinksploitation the better, imo.
Somebody should write a post about this.
I would but I am on hiatus. My frazzled nerves and delicate sensibilities have me on the fainting couch for a while.
I’m actually including her in an article I’m currently writing for P&L called “The Year of the Wimpettes.” Will let you know when it’s up.
I suspect Handel got a bum rap. I think she may have been used as a political pon and a scapegoat. It’s likely that the Komen policies about awarding grants were in place before she even started. Her job was to represent those policies, policies she likely had no hand in creating that wouldn’t even take effect until next year. Knowing how organizations work, she simply wasn’t with Komen long enough to have instituted any real changes. I’m guessing she was used as a sacrificial lamb because of her former political stands and used as a convenient scapegoat to be thrown under the bus.
Will Rogers said, “be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.”
Thinking about prayer, and Obama being at the National Prayer Meeting and saying Jesus would approve of higher taxes …
Side note
I am now living in small town America owning a bar(horses at the end of my street) and I am stunned by the level of community I witness almost every day. An elderly woman died up the block days ago and as I have walk-in coolers one member of the police force came in and asked me if I would mind storing things. I was like why not. Tons and tons of food dropped off to support her family. Obscene amounts. I spoke with one of her sons and asked him what he wanted to do with it all and he said it’s yours and thank you.
I decided to make it a free buffet with a coffee can as a donation to the family. Two days after the funeral there was still free food and I was packed
My pub has a large parking area which is of course for customers only but the funeral home is on the same block so when the bereft family asked me about parking I was like use it. I open at two but don’t even get busy til ten so what would I care.
I did nothing but give some free space for parking and allow my fridge to be used. Flabbergasted by the number of calls I get just wanting to say thank you
I’d bet most of those people cling really hard to their guns and their religion.
That makes me cry, in a good way.
I want to and I encourage anyone who has the means to do a craft day. I am 45 and gay but I met a 5 month old child almost six years ago in a daycare center. It was awful and she never went back. No way I could live with myself if I walked away. She has the most screwed up life with her parents possible but judges, teachers, social workers are all in awe of how well adjusted she is. I had nothing when she was small but we went to the dollar store and we crafted all the time. We made things. No time to sit and for sorry for yourself.
Anyhow kid is bright and adjusted and now I have a bar that doesn’t get busy til ten so I am thinking about opening a craft tent in my parking lot
Wish i could make it free but I have found when i do that the people getting something for nothing end up with some sort of entitlement. Once upon a time in the land before 2008 I tried to help people learn how to read. For some reason I have some talent for that. I always looked at my students as a crossword puzzle– once I understood how they were seeing things everything fell into place. Very proud of what I did. Some went on to get GEDs others can now order from a menu.
I quit when I was called a racist for not supporting obama. 90% of the people I taught were not white and that never occurred to me while I was doing it.