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- bababoosh, on 06/19/2008, -28/+212All of the opinion saturated radio programs, where sadly most people get their news and information about not just B.O but all things political, are complaining that he backed out of his signed agreement to take public funds. Well I say so what. If the worst thing about him is that he decided to change his mind and not use tax payer money to fund his campaign, that's alright with me.
It's funny to me how they make such a big deal about this and totally ignore John McCain's obvious, pandering, flip-flops. In my opinion, Obama has been the most honest and candid politician we've seen in a long time, and thank God. He's exactly the kind of person we've been hoping and praying will run for President and I am so excited. - tucsonsun13, on 06/19/2008, -32/+184This man's going to be one heck of a President.
- apollo168, on 06/19/2008, -3/+122For every 1 Euro you give me, I will donate 1 USD to Obama's campaign for you ;-)
- alapoet, on 06/19/2008, -30/+121And good decision, on Obama's part. Bravo!
- Zanarkand, on 06/19/2008, -32/+120Good stuff. At least he is sticking to his word. I just donated another $50.
- peppino, on 06/19/2008, -20/+107I just donated! It was my 1st time! Even if it's only $5, it will make a difference!
https://donate.barackobama.com - sleepyjjk, on 06/19/2008, -34/+104This is change.
- rzxc, on 06/19/2008, -9/+68Senator Obama needs to make another announcement today. He needs to announce his opposition to the telecom immunity bill. The vote is tomorrow. We need a speech today.
- Realnemesis, on 06/19/2008, -23/+78THAT'S MY NEXT PRESIDENT!
- DooM, on 06/19/2008, -7/+60Um.. that's what she said?
- gn0stik, on 06/19/2008, -5/+57Did it bother anyone else that his eyes were obviously not looking into the camera?
The camera was too close, and you could really tell he was reading the teleprompter.. I felt like he was looking over my shoulder while talking to me...
Most probably wouldn't notice, but since I'm paranoid about ninjas, I kept looking behind me to see if they (the ninjas) were creeping up to cut my throat silently before vanishing into thin air.
Good message though, I hope he feels the same way about SIGS and PACs in law making, not just elections. - aliengoods, on 06/19/2008, -6/+49Have you seen the Manchurian candidate? It was about a white guy who was held as a prisoner of war in Asia and brainwashed, so that when he was president he would just be a puppet, changing his positions to suit a small group of very powerful people.
Now who does that sound like to you? - MonsterChaOS, on 06/19/2008, -26/+66Just pointing out that McCain broke campaign finance laws. Way to go Obama!
- Aorawn, on 06/19/2008, -4/+44I see what you did there.
- joach, on 06/19/2008, -14/+51Is it legal for foreigners in other countries to support a U.S. presidential candidate?! am serious about this question, I am a Swede and would like to support Obama's campaign. Can I do that?
- LanceUppercut, on 06/19/2008, -5/+42It seems like he was looking directly at my forehead for the entire video. If i had a receding hairline, this video would make me uneasy.
The message was nice. - filemeaway, on 06/19/2008, -5/+39...that's not change we can believe in
*creepy/nervous mccain chuckle* - dvicklund, on 06/19/2008, -21/+51...Holy crap.
This is huge. This hasn't happened since the infant years of the United States.
How anyone could vote against Obama in the general election now is beyond me. Someone who treats the American people with this much respect and honesty comes around maybe once or twice every hundred years. I'm extraordinarily proud to vote in the coming election. My birthday is in November, and there would be no better gift than for Obama to win the election. - livegreenordie, on 06/19/2008, -26/+54 Good release~
- krystofr, on 06/19/2008, -16/+39I hope my sons grow up to be stand-up men like Barack Obama.
- Rusticles, on 06/19/2008, -4/+27It seems too good to be true that he might be our next president...
- inactive, on 06/19/2008, -3/+25That was one of the best replies I have seen in a long time. Take a cookie.
- bababoosh, on 06/19/2008, -4/+24Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, so I wouldn't call it a double-standard. I understand that blanket statements are far easier to make than to actually think about.
For McCain to all of a sudden change his mind after being consistent on an issue for years, even one he defended less than a month ago, is a flip-flop. It's a flip-flop because now that he is the republican candidate he has to impress is new constituency and get your vote.
Keep in mind, Pie, that McCain was hated by the conservative movement and even accused on several occasions of being a closet Democrat, maybe not by you, but by most. Now that he is the closest thing they have to a Presidential candidate their tone has changed. For the past 8 years he has consistently disagreed with the current administration (save a few issues regarding the war) Now he has become the quintessential Republican candidate because he knows he needs the vote of the conservative movement to win in November. Obama, on the other hand, has been relatively consistent and when he has changed his mind (or flip-flopped if semantics are really that important to you) he's at least given reasons for doing so. Which allows me the right to let it slide, regardless of whether I agree with his changes or not. Motive, is just as or more important a factor to a voter who posses the capacity to think critically. Integrity is as well. I was a big McCain supporter until this election started. He had my vote and he lost it.
-Boosh - DiggasWAttitude, on 06/19/2008, -4/+23I've been supporting, caucusing, etc for Barack since day one. I don't follow you though on how this is sticking to his word. Didn't he say from the very beginning that he wanted a publicly funded general campaign? It almost seems slightly backhanded when he said he is 'giving up' the $80 million when this decision allows him to use all the money that his campaign has pulled in from contributions - something like $300 million. This is coming from a very liberal digger and I may be mistaken about his pledge to use public funds for the general.
- aliengoods, on 06/19/2008, -7/+26I hate to sound like a lawyer, but his pledge was to talk with the Republican nominee if he were the Democratic nominee about public financing. The pledge never said he WOULD take public funds. You may think it's a loophole, but I think it's an important distinction. Promising to talk about something and promising to do something are two very different things.
Also, John McCain has already backed out of public funds after using the very same funds to secure a loan for his campaign, and the Republicans have more dirty money than ever flowing into the RNC. If Obama did take public funds, I would severely question his judgment. - DooM, on 06/19/2008, -4/+23His pledge was that he would negotiate 'aggressively' with the Republican nominee and if that person agreed to only use public funds so would he. John McCain has not agreed to that so Obama has done what he pledged to do. The only weak point is whether he negotiated 'aggressively' about it - Obama's people say he did, McCain's say they wouldn't call it 'aggressive'... so about what you'd expect and who knows what the truth is.
- feebie, on 06/19/2008, -1/+19"I like pie. Wait a minute I don't like pie because people are telling me not to like it."
and
"I like pie. Actually, I change my mind. I just had some pie and it made me feel sick. I realized it doesn't work well in my digestive system, and I don't like the feeling it gives me, so I don't like it anymore."
Which one is the flip-flop? - staunchcentrist, on 06/19/2008, -2/+20To support Obama monitarily, you must be a US citizen or lawfully admitted resident according to the "donate now" legal compliance on his website.
- CerMakAlot, on 06/19/2008, -0/+17Subway... is that you?
- Fafnir43, on 06/20/2008, -0/+17Quick synopsis (may contain slight inaccuracies): Obama pledged that he would try "aggressively" to get McCain to run his campaign using only public (aka government) funding, and that if he succeeded he would also run his campaign using only public funding. This is because the public funding is normally used as a means of preventing undue lobbyist influence.
A few months later, Obama is raking it in from lots and lots of small donors (/not/ lobbyists), and McCain has made it pretty clear he's not going the public funding route. So since Obama can't receive money from small donors if he takes public funding, he's decided not to take it. And a lot of people missed the "if McCain does it too" clause and are accusing him of flip-flopping.
Others are questioning whether he tried hard enough to get McCain to take public funding, considering that given his massive base he had very little incentive to do so. (McCain said he didn't really try, Obama says he did, and since the negotiations were private we probably can't get any independent confirmation one way or the other.) Still other people are accusing him of hypocrisy because one of the major themes of his campaign has been working against the lobbyists, and the public finance route was originally created as an anti-lobbyist invention. (Although as far as I know he's still refusing to accept money from lobbyists at all, public financing or no, so this doesn't really hold water.) - granolajoe, on 06/19/2008, -3/+20"All of the opinion saturated radio programs, where sadly most people get their news and information about not just B.O but all things political, are complaining that he backed out of his signed agreement to take public funds. Well I say so what."
Barack Obama has to be cautious about these types of actions. Remember just how much flak she took, and how hypocritical Hilary looked when she switched opinions for political gain or justification of her actions. - xceptionaly, on 06/19/2008, -3/+20Campaign finance laws that he himself sponsored, no less.
- had3l, on 06/19/2008, -2/+17Honestly, while I somewhat understand what he is doing and his reasons to do so, I wonder: Would he be making this announcement if he couldn't raise more money than he would've with public financing? What if it was Hillary or McCain making the same announcement after proposing a publicly financed campaign? I'll give Obama some credit because I (want to) believe in the guy, but still, it does raise some questions.
That said, it is nothing that would make me back a man who supports torture and invasion of privacy instead. - div2n, on 06/20/2008, -1/+15I find the term flip-flop to be rather stupid on its face, but I'll bite.
He made it very clear very early that taking public funds was contingent upon coming to an agreement with his opponent to lay ground rules so that the playing field would be level. In other words, no Swift Boat equivalent this time around.
The possibility of such an agreement was clearly doomed as soon as it became clear McCain either couldn't or wouldn't control even his own party much less 527 groups (see state level Republican parties running attack ads contrary to McCain's wishes as evidence).
To be fair, I believe there are some democratic leaning 527 groups operating against McCain (isn't MoveOn one?), but a clear difference is how Obama is taking charge of the Democratic party and how the upstart 527 groups are having trouble raising money because Obama specifically laid out his wishes for people not to fund them.
You can call it a flip flop, but the reality is that it is the product of the escape clause that Obama put in his assertion.
Most politicians do that when making these kinds of promises anyway. You'd be stupid not to since the political landscape changes quickly and if you make too definitive of a declaration, you have by definition made yourself inflexible to the changing realities. - lazerflesh, on 06/19/2008, -2/+16Actually, I'm sick of hearing this from ignorant *****. Yes, *****. Don't take what your pundits say on face value. Obama has some great policies. Check them out on his website.
- Fafnir43, on 06/19/2008, -0/+14[citation needed]
- dagamer34, on 06/20/2008, -5/+19Making profit on the side eh..? Screwing over Europeans like only Americans were bred to do!
- bullox, on 06/20/2008, -0/+13Why would we come to you? Who are you again?
- DaDrake, on 06/19/2008, -17/+31Wow, I can't believe everyone doesn't find Obama actions the least bit questionable. This is a flip-flop by definition (and McCain has also flip-floped) but you guys are literally praising him. Don't you guys understand this reflects his moral character?
- specialK16, on 06/20/2008, -1/+14Exactly like what I was thinking. I truly hope for you guys this works out.
- Blackham, on 06/20/2008, -0/+11Another digger, showing his smarts!
- empath, on 06/19/2008, -2/+13You can donate to a 3rd party group like media matters: http://mediamatters.org/
You can also make calls for the campaign if you speak english well: http://my.barackobama.com/page/contact/splash/call ...
If you really want to help, you can come over here and volunteer. - apollo168, on 06/19/2008, -9/+20It's a good idea. He gets to use more money for the campaign. If he was getting his $$$ from a few sources, it would be pretty corrupt. But Obama gets his $$$ from a boatload of regular people donating, so you know it's not to get shady $$$ from lobbyists and such. Also, doesn't this announcement come right after his meeting with Hillary on the money she owes? Perhaps it also has something to do with helping her pay back the money she owes in time to keep the Dems afloat. Either way, can we request that the public money he's not using go to renewable energy or something? I'm selfish; I want to use Barack's extra money to help our country.
- jjb123, on 06/19/2008, -5/+16Can someone please explain what this means? Why is everyone (MSM) upset by this?
- Memitim, on 06/20/2008, -0/+11I'd imagine that he was pretty paranoid about the ninjas over your shoulder, too, since he had to keep his eyes on them the entire time.
- RDinSB, on 06/19/2008, -2/+13Hey Moron... YOU are a Digg user.
- mrfreeziexp, on 06/20/2008, -1/+11It's more like...
...that's not --- not change we can belie---believe in.
*creepy/nervous mccain chuckle* *light applause* - rewinn, on 06/20/2008, -2/+12You'd best not do anything that even seems like skirting campaign finance law, unless you need a roof over your head for the next 5 to 7 years, at taxpayer expense.
Don't worry, Obama's doing fine, and definitely doesn't need any scandals. - Infidelcastr0, on 06/20/2008, -1/+11Heh, Republicans attacking a Democrat for refusing to spend taxpayer dollars, that's a new one.
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