For the first time in the history of public funding for presidential elections, a major party has declined to accept general election public funding. The system has existed starting with the 1976 presidential election. The decision was made by Barack Obama. By turning down $80,000,000 in public funds, this year’s Democratic presidential campaign is free to spend as much money as it can raise privately.
In past years, there hasn’t been enough money to promptly pay primary season matching funds (which have the lowest priority, when there isn’t enough money in the fund to pay all obligations). The Democratic Party’s decision of June 19 means that there will now be no shortage of funds for the primary season matching program. Assuming the FEC gets a quorum very soon, primary season funds for Ralph Nader should be available quickly. Cynthia McKinney is also striving to qualify for primary season matching funds.
Will this affect the amount of taxpayer funding of the Democratic National Convention?
No, that’s a different program, and the Democratic and Republican Parties have already accepted their $16,000,000 each for that.
Ralph Nader stated on Democracy Now! last night that he would be close to $2,000,000 including matching funds. He also claimed their was an influx of money from Clinton supporter though I am not sure at what level.
No More Lobbyist!!!!!!
Senator Obama has said many times, “Lobbyist will not run my White House.”
Getting rid of the extremely negative impact of lobbyist is one of the major reasons I support Senator Obama.
McCain has flip-flopped on many things. Yesterday he told the citizens of Missouri about a gas tax holiday he knows Congress will never approve.
Prior to McCain’s event in Missouri yesterday, Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri said in a conference call that McCain’s plan would cost the state 6,000 jobs and $167 million in federal gas tax dollars for Missouri’s roadways.
“The people of Missouri can smell a phony deal a mile away,” she said. “Frankly, that’s what John McCain’s gas tax is. He knew it wasn’t going to have any meaningful impact on people’s real pain – our dependence on foreign oil.”
McCaskill said it was “a promise he knew he would never have to deliver on.”
The “Could McCain Have Come Up with a More Ill-Suited Economic Advisor Than Phil Gramm?” is one of many examples for the damage caused by lobbyist specifically gas prices and the subprime housing damage.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/87999/?cID=936047#c936047
I wonder how much ink and ballot papers 32 million dollars could buy…
obama is going to buy this election.
About 130,000,000 voters in Nov. 2008 in the various U.S.A. and State gerrymander rigged elections ???
Do the ratio math.
At stake — a Fed budget of a mere about $$$ 3.1 TRILLION — i.e. about a marginal mere $$$ 500 BILLION for Donkey or Elephant spending schemes depending on which Donkey or Elephant Prez candidate gets elected.
Sorry — ZERO chance for Nader, Barr and other folks to be elected.
OBAMA IS TRYING TO BUY THE ELECTION.
If Claire McCaskill believes that a gas tax is such a great idea perhaps her state should institute its own, much like its neighbors Illinois and Iowa, in order to improve its terrible road system which perennially ranks in the bottom 25% of states nationwide.
I think McCain is a joke but Missouri’s public works system is a close 2nd.