[atari 2600]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

at any rate, the only duh-worthy thing here is your implication that obama got any public financing (he hasn't) and that he's returning it (there's nothing to return) so he can get some PAC money (he won't).


MAGOO is the one who got public financing. he got it when his campaign was bankrupt.

the story goes like this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/us...ics/23fec.html
(that's from february 2007)

what this calls for, were obama the nominee, is that he returns the money he's received and sticks to $85 mil from public financing.

magoo, who is stuck with public financing now, is callign for obama to do as him
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalra...-attack-1.html

recently obama showed a bit of caution saying he'll "sit down with mccain to hammer out an agreement"-- he'll have to do that or eat his words or find a way out. but this has nothing to do with PACs-- his success has been with the small contributions online-- $50, $100, etc.

at any rate, magoo has no incentive to stay stuck with public financing and he's looking for a way out, but he'll face some troubles in the process
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23362651/

Freakazoid, the NY Times article you posted is from February of last year.

L.A. Times
March 3, 2008
Flip-flopping on public financing

They are each trying to maintain a financial edge over the other.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...,5382351.story

Originally Posted by L.A. Times 3 Mar 2008

Obama too experienced what might be called a contribution conversion. Last year, when he was still an underdog to Clinton, a spokesman for his campaign reacted positively to a proposal by McCain that he would accept federal financing in the general election if the Democratic nominee did. But with his new front-runner status -- and facing the prospect of raising more private money than McCain in a general election -- Obama has begun to waver. Asked in the last Democratic debate if he was waffling on a promise to accept public financing, he dodged, saying that, if nominated, he wants to "sit down with John McCain and make sure that we have a system that is fair for both sides." That sounds like the "old politics" that Obama inveighs against.

Both candidates should get over their buyer's remorse. What they gain by abandoning public financing, they may lose in credibility.