Round two in the DNC vs. McCain campaign finance about. The RNC established a "Victory Committee" fund with the goal of raising $120 million (Obama has raised $230 million so far) and thus the DNC "can't let John McCain and the RNC get away with it." So, they've sued the FEC to try and force them into an investigation of whether McCain broke the law by withdrawing from public financing.

The DNC has no case, it's based on the allegation that McCain "used the prospect of $6 million in federal matching funds as collateral" for a loan, even though the lender has already unequivocally stated he did no such thing. Now for the funny part, the FEC can't act on the complaint because they lack a quorum, 4 of the 6 seats are vacant. Why are they vacant? The Democratic controlled Senate "has stalled nominees for those posts."

LOL! While their candidates are shooting themselves in the foot and knocking each other around, the Dems are trying to win by default with an FEC complaint but can't because of their own obstruction, so they're suing based on a premise that's already been proven wrong.

Looking forward to the next 4 years of Democratic 'leadership' are you?

Steve-

That's not very becoming of Pubs to make excuses. The Dems would have to shoot both feet first and even then they'd could limp their way into the White House. Granted the DNC is not chaired by Einstein, but Barnum and Bailey could candidate a clown in the aftermath of Bush's current second term disaster and still win the big top. You're worried about the wrong set of numbers. Here: parts of California the gas is over $4 dollars a gallon now, and I just paid $3.45 in Vegas (3.65 for premium).

I think that if McCain sticks to public funding then Obama should also honor his own pledge to only use the restrictive procedures of public campaign funding .

But honestly it gives me a little bit of satisfaction that McCain now has to wrestle with the complex regulations he helped create.

In February 2007, I proposed a novel way to preserve the strength of the public financing system in the 2008 election. My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election. My proposal followed announcements by some presidential candidates that they would forgo public financing so they could raise unlimited funds in the general election. The Federal Election Commission ruled the proposal legal, and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.

Obama

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Originally Posted by BABRAM

Steve-

That's not very becoming of Pubs to make excuses. The Dems would have to shoot both feet first and even then they'd could limp their way into the White House. Granted the DNC is not chaired by Einstein, but Barnum and Bailey could candidate a clown in the aftermath of Bush's current second term disaster and still win the big top. You're worried about the wrong set of numbers. Here: parts of California the gas is over $4 dollars a gallon now, and I just paid $3.45 in Vegas (3.65 for premium).

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Bobby, it ain't an excuse - I just think it's hilarious that their own obstruction is preventing them from carrying out their nefarious plan. I've been getting the DNC e-mails since Kerry ran for president and it's been amusing to watch Howard Dean and Tom McMahon snarl and growl in throwing out smears that have no teeth. They tied their own hands on this one, lol.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

I think that if McCain sticks to public funding then Obama should also honor his own pledge to only use the restrictive procedures of public campaign funding .

But honestly it gives me a little bit of satisfaction that McCain now has to wrestle with the complex regulations he helped create.

In February 2007, I proposed a novel way to preserve the strength of the public financing system in the 2008 election. My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election. My proposal followed announcements by some presidential candidates that they would forgo public financing so they could raise unlimited funds in the general election. The Federal Election Commission ruled the proposal legal, and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.

Obama

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That was McCain's pitch as well, but that $230 million is too much of an incentive to keep the agreement. McCain does take a ding or two for opting out, but since the pledge was not used as collateral he's within the law. Back when it was announced he qualified it was readily acknowledged that he could opt out. Now that the Democratic war chests are overflowing they want to hamstring McCain.

Spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said at the time, "This isn't a sign of desperation, it's a sign of prudence and should be interpreted as such." I can accept that.

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

Bobby, it ain't an excuse - I just think it's hilarious that their own obstruction is preventing them from carrying out their nefarious plan. I've been getting the DNC e-mails since Kerry ran for president and it's been amusing to watch Howard Dean and Tom McMahon snarl and growl in throwing out smears that have no teeth. They tied their own hands on this one, lol.

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More like a purr. The DNC has been catnapping on McCain for the most part and probably will continue doing so until their nomination is sorted out. McCain actually tied his own hands and now the DNC just wants to gag the old cantankerous politician and keep him hanging like a piñata until the party begins.

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Originally Posted by BABRAM

More like a purr. The DNC has been catnapping on McCain for the most part and probably will continue doing so until their nomination is sorted out. McCain actually tied his own hands and now the DNC just wants to gag the old cantankerous politician and keep him hanging like a pinata until the party begins.

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Hey, I don't blame either Obama or McCain for begging out of public financing - in their position they'd be fools not to. Unfortunately, politicians can't keep their mouths shut and make pledges they later regret. But the Dems 'purr' is still hilarious, this is the best they've come up with so far beyond "100 year" and "don't know economics" quotes taken out of context, an affair that wasn't and a guy 4 years older than him calling him too old to be president.

McCain is currently in a statistical heat for the general election and that's with the focus of the Democratic nominees splitting attention on each other. That doesn't bode well for the Republicans, if they haven't figured that out yet. BTW when both statements of McCain's are in essence true of a his position, one by his own admission and the other in theory, trust that the Democrats are just toying for now. I'm going to work. ;)

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That doesn't bode well for the Republicans

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Keep telling yourself that Bobby. You do remember the Gallup poll a few weeks ago that said 28 percent of Clinton voters would vote for McCain if Obama wins the nomination, and 19 percent of Obama supporters would vote for McCain if Clinton wins the nomination. McCain is not only in a dead heat he's still gaining, so add some disgruntled Dems and that puts him over the top. ;)

True enough Bobby . It is a hard road McCain has to travel to win this .However AP confirms that the biggest uniter of the Republican base has been the Democrat campaign. If they show up in Nov. and McCain picks off some Reagan Dems then McCain stands a chance.
RealClearPolitics - AP - Politics - Apr 17, 2008 - AP-Yahoo poll shows McCain winning back unhappy Republicans

More on spending this campaign:

The Dems want the FEC to investigate McCain . However the FEC is short staffed due to Democrat blocking of White House nominees. 2 of 6 seats on the FEC are currently filled .

Evita's fundraiser with Elton John at Radio City Music Hall (where he ranted about American misogeny ) could well have been an illegal event because Elton s not an American . But little things like legality has never hampered the Clintoon's before .

Obama has been bragging in Pa. that he has never accepted contributions from Oil Companies . WhooooooP!! None of the other candidates have either because it is illegal to do so. Obama has not shied away from using Oil Execs however . Two of his biggest fund raisers are Oil Execs. George Kaiser, chairman of Kaiser-Francis Oil Co. , and Robert Cavnar, president and CEO of Milagro Exploration LLC .Together they have bundled a couple of hundred grand for the Obama campaign . Nothing illegal about that .

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

Keep telling yourself that Bobby. You do remember the Gallup poll a few weeks ago that said 28 percent of Clinton voters would vote for McCain if Obama wins the nomination, and 19 percent of Obama supporters would vote for McCain if Clinton wins the nomination. McCain is not only in a dead heat he's still gaining, so add some disgruntled Dems and that puts him over the top. ;)

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Steve-

I took college business math in a Texas college almost two decades and I'm almost certain math is still taught in the Texas schools. You're equation does not put McCain over the top, but rather a distant second. This is not a bias deduction or "keep telling yourself Bobby" on my part, but rather analysis based on indicators and projection.

On The Road To 2008: Obama Leads Popular Vote, Turnout Hugely Favors Democrats


I'll be gracious here. Lets say, hypothetically the Dems give up a hefty twenty percent swing to McCain after one of the two Dems candidate loses nomination. Did you realize that still wouldn't be enough? The Dems have almost doubled the popular turnout in the primaries and have added to to it since Super Tuesday, February. In fact evaluation included the total Pubs vs Dems in primaries before McCain wrapped up the nomination. Sure the general election will provide a larger turnout, but it does so for both parties. The conservatives are simply not nuts about supporting McCain regardless of some prodigal Pubs returning to the asylum, and his share of first time new voters is meager. His hope is in the electoral count gathered from larger states, but he will be fortunate to get a split and that won't be enough. :cool:

Bobby , you still have to do electoral college math and not popular vote.I honestly think Obama is the weaker electoral college candidate because I do not think he can convent too many of the Bush red states to blue. McCain on the other hand can pick off some of the Kerry states . The Republicans may have stumbled on their strongest candidate by having a centist run. Believe it or not Obama is the weakest in the bluest of blue stares. The problem is that the States he has done strongest in have been red states in the last 8 years . It is unlikely he can carry those in Nov.

Clinton's long-shot bid for the nomination depends on convincing superdelegates that this math is correct.

Tom-

McCain would have a better outcome, a better chance, by aiming for states heavy in the electoral college count, I've mentioned that twice now. But your dreaming if you think the current mathematical trend could continue by popular count as already fact using the primaries and that somehow translates into a electoral win for McCain. He's not even close in California or New York. He has a shot at Texas and maybe Ohio. Realistically that only happens in tighter races like when Gore won the popular and Bush the electoral, therefore giving Bush the presidency. Your argument for red and blue states is legit, but I'm certain if even Kerry ran again today, knowing how Bush's second term disaster has turned out, that he (Kerry) would indeed pick up more electoral count. Besides both Clinton and Obama are much stronger candidates than Kerry.

The Clinton campaign will make the case to the super delegates that they can turn the following States from the Bush electoral map :Ohio (20), Florida (27), Iowa (7), New Mexico (5), Nevada (5), Colorado (9), and possibly Arizona (11), Virginia (13), West Virginia (5), Arkansas (6) and Missouri (11). Obama is a much weaker candidate in all of these states ;particular in Ohio, Florida. Missouri, Arkansas, and West Virginia. McCain takes Arizona . The Democrats have most likely blown it in Fla, and Michigan.

The States McCain will be targeting are Colorado , New Mexico , Iowa and Nevada, and blue states in which McCain is competitive: Michigan (18), Pennsylvania (21), New Jersey (15) Wisconsin (10), Minnesota (10), Oregon (7), and New Hampshire (4).

Btw ;Marist polling org. has McCain currently leading in NY by 2% but you are right about NY . I will be shocked if he wins here. However ;if he keeps it competitve here in the bluest of blue states ,then there is a good chance he can pick off enough of the above target states .
Rasmussin identifies from their polling data the following states as Toss-Up: Colorado (9), Nevada (5), New Hampshire (4), and Ohio (20).

I'm not saying that McCain won't be running from an underdog position . Clearly the Democrats are beating him in fund raising snd in recruiting new voters (if they show... young voters are notoriously unreliable). The issues appear to favor the Democrats (economic downturn being the biggest). And it is rare for the party in power for 2 terms to retain the Presidency . I'm just saying it will be much more competitve than you think.

McCain's campaign manager indicated he will take public funds for the general election while relying "heavily on the well-funded Republican National Committee" and free media.

Meanwhile, Howard Dean "wants the superdelegates to begin "voting" now," another toothless effort by the DNC.