On Obama and Public Financing

I have been in favor of public financing of political campaigns for some time. I supported the "Just $6" movement--for just six dollars a voter we could finance all campaigns. Of course, we also need to require TV and radio stations to air political content for free as a requirement for using our free air space.

Having said that, I would also point out that that Barack Obama has gone the public route by a different way. George McGovern tried it in 1972--instead of 25 donors giving a million dollars apiece, he asked for a million voters to give $25 apiece. I was a member of the "McGovern Million Member Club." Now Obama uses the internet to raise money from small contributors and raises unprecedented millions in an incredibly short time. Both were ways to keep the influence of fat cats out of it--fat cats who will later come around asking for favors as a return on their investment.

This request for a return is showing this week as Congress guts the Fourth Amendment to let fatcat telecoms get off scot-free from accountability for their law-breaking in enabling Bush to spy on Americans in violation of every law of God and man.

Back to the subject: Now that Obama has said he won't take public financing with its limits on spending, the Republicans are crying foul, and the media are giving them a loud outlet for their whining. But that same media won't tell you that the Democrats are suing McCain for breaking the law on public financing. He put up public financing as collateral to get loans for his primary campaigns. When he got the money, he declared he wouldn't be taking the public financing, after all. Yet the media are utterly silent on that point.

I'd like to know why.

Of course. The media are McCain sycophants all down the line.

Now, just to point out a couple of things: The general election campaign does not officially start until after the party conventions. So we are still technically in the primary season, so there is no law relevant to the general election in effect yet, anyway.

Just remember.