[speechlesstx]

Forget the Obama/Hillary question for a moment, the DNC has been attacking John McCain for some time now. For weeks now Howard Dean has been warning of McCain, "he's promising nothing more than a third Bush term." Now after the NY Times implied McCain had an affair with a lobbyist (they've now admitted their own inappropriate behavior) they are going for the kill by filing a complaint over his effort to withdraw from the matching funds program.

McCain said "We're doing exactly what Howard Dean did in a previous election and what the FEC ruled in the case of Congressman Gephardt."

Joe Sandler, General Counsel for the DNC said in a DNC email, "But that's a lie -- John McCain isn't doing what Governor Dean and Congressman Gephardt did at all." They offer as proof his letter from the FEC (pdf) approving his withdrawal. All that proves is the FEC approval, it does not tell us anything about the events of the roughly 7 weeks from the date of his request or other events leading up FEC approval. Is Dean showing his hypocrisy? I think so:

In March 2003, Dean Committed To Taking Matching Funds, Said He Would Attack Any Opponent Who Opted Out Of System: “It Will Be A Huge Issue … -The Associated Press, 3/7/03

“Howard Dean on Saturday became the first Democrat to opt out of the presidential public financing system in 30 years, striking a severe blow to the Watergate-era program. -The New York Times, 11/9/03

What did his opponents say?

· Lieberman Spokesman Craig Smith: “It’s a shame that Howard Dean has broken his word and abandoned his earlier pledge never to bypass the public financing system …” (Ronald Brownstein, “Dean Won’t Accept Public Financing,” Los Angeles Times, 11/9/03)

· John Edwards: “It sends exactly the wrong signal to voters in this country …” (Jim Drinkard and Jill Lawrence, “Dems Decry Dean Move,” USA Today, 11/10/03)

· Gephardt: “You’ve got to … stay with what you believe in and think is right.” (Jim Drinkard and Jill Lawrence, “Dems Decry Dean Move,” USA Today, 11/10/03)

Howard Dean and the DNC are lying, even in their complaint. The complaint states:

there is no possibility he will obtain such approval because he has already violated a key condition for being let out of the matching funds program: he has pledged matching funds as collateral for a loan to his campaign.

As I pointed out yesterday, the bank that furnished his loan said "the loan terms specifically excluded from the collateral any potential share of public matching funds McCain was entitled to receive."

"The bank does not now have, nor did it ever receive from [McCain's campaign] committee, a security interest in any certification of matching funds"

Case closed, the DNC is wrong. McCain notified the FEC of his intentions just as Dean did. His problem is there aren't enough commission members to hold a vote to release him from his request, but the DNC and Dean are outright lying.

Is that what politics has come to in this country? Are the Dems afraid to run against a well-financed Republican? Do these people not know about the internet and what we can find out there to remind us of their past? Do they even care, or is winning everything?

[BABRAM]

Dean, Gephardt, etc... IMO, are rolling in the mud with one "Bill Clinton." There is this lingering Democratic sneakiness that started in the late 1980's. Edwards though, sincerely for the most part, I think is on the up and up. What I found interesting is that in last nights debate Obama chose not to go after McCain, with exception to Republicans in general perhaps once, maybe twice. Perhaps he will on follow-up today. Obama will, of course, provided he gets the nomination, debate McCain on schedule and both sides will run general election ads. Obama's campaign success is making the Clinton regime, in general the DNC, re-think their politics as usual nastiness, fund raising issues, etc... But let's not fool ourselves here, the Republicans attempt cut-throat silly campaign measures trying to keep up with the DNC. One recent speaker trying to hit upon Barack Obama's middle name being "Hussein," followed up by McCain not being aware of the actions. Whatever? Like we are naïve to the ploy. So what that his middle name is Hussein. His first name "Barack," in Hebrew spelled Barak, translates to "lightening." He's not even of the Muslim religion. Or for another example: the NY Times, old news, giving legs to the idea that John McCain stuck his tongue down a lobbyist throat is rather "no news," in my opinion. I have enough reasons not to support John McCain based on pressing issues.

[NeedKarma]

More stuff to know about McCain:
Things You Should Know About Senator John McCain « Lighthouse Patriot Journal

[RickJ]

Sites like that are abundant. There's no shortage of them about any candidate. Unfortunately the majority of them are bent.

[NeedKarma]

Sites like that are abundant. There's no shortage of them about any candidate. Unfortunately the majority of them are bent.

Agreed. But if it's about Democrats or Liberals you can bet Speech finds them and posts them. :D

[RickJ]

Haha, I confess that I would too if I were not an Administrator here ;)

It's nearing time for me to break out one of my favorite avatars :D

[NeedKarma]

Sorry, dude, just lost a little respect for you if you would spend your day, every day, attacking another group.

[RickJ]

I wouldn't go that far.

I admit too that every one of them has things they believe, things they've done and things they plan to do that they'd prefer the public not know.

Since a write-in will never win, all we can do is pick from who we think is best... from the options none of which are perfect.

[speechlesstx]

But let's not fool ourselves here, the Republicans attempt cut-throat silly campaign measures trying to keep up with the DNC. One recent speaker trying to hit upon Barack Obama's middle name being "Hussein," followed up by McCain not being aware of the actions.

Bobby, no doubt it's going to get uglier before it gets better... if it gets better. McCain apologized for Cunningham's remarks, which in turn irritated Cunningham.

[tomder55]

As Cunningham correctly pointed out there was no issue when Jon Stewart called him during the Academy Awards Iraq Hussein Osama. Lol

Look ; I think the Dems are hypocrites on this issue for sure . But McCain set himself up to this by his high and mighty attitude about campaign finance reform. He "reached across the aisle " to come up with his mostly unconstitutional McCain-Feingold Law ;and now he is reaping what he sowed.

It would almost serve him right if Obama were to forgo public financing restrictions while he were forced to comply with them to the letter of the law. The fact that so many of the candidates have bowed out accepting public financing just proves how flawed the law really is.

[speechlesstx]

Agreed. But if it's about Democrats or Liberals you can bet Speech finds them and posts them. :D

You're a riot NK. Yep, I'm a conservative and proud of it. I make no bones about the fact that I think a Democrat, virtually any of the current crop of Democrats, would only make things worse for this country. But, I have also recently defended Obama several times over the National Anthem/Pledge/he's secretly a Muslim non-stories. If someone is attacked unfairly it's wrong regardless of who the victim may be. It's a shame you don't appear to have the same attitude.

With that said let me dispute your attack on me. I didn't have to "find" anything to inspire this post, it came to me this morning, right in my inbox addressed to me from Joe Sandler, General Counsel for the DNC. I like to see the things people are saying that don't necessarily make the news you see, and when Sandler said "But that's a lie" I thought it appropriate to discover the truth. Don't you?

Steve --

I'm Joe Sandler, General Counsel for the DNC. Yesterday we filed a complaint with the FEC after John McCain decided to break the law by ignoring the rules laid out as part of the federal matching funds program.

I don't know if you saw the news, but the press covered the complaint all day. John McCain himself directly responded to Governor Dean at a press conference, saying "We're doing exactly what Howard Dean did in a previous election and what the FEC ruled in the case of Congressman Gephardt."

But that's a lie -- John McCain isn't doing what Governor Dean and Congressman Gephardt did at all.

Governor Dean and Congressman Gephardt followed the law and were granted written permission by the FEC to withdraw from the federal matching funds program.

To prove it, we have a copy of the letter Governor Dean received from the FEC in 2003 granting him permission to drop out. If McCain is doing "exactly what Howard Dean did," he'll have no trouble producing a letter of his own.

But you and I know McCain's lying -- he doesn't have a letter like that from the FEC. Not only has he refused to get permission, he's been warned by FEC Chairman David Mason that he can't unilaterally drop out of the program. That's why we filed the complaint in the first place, and it's why tens of thousands of Americans like you signed your support.

Read Governor Dean's letter from the FEC, and sign your support for our complaint right here:

The Democratic Party | Holding John McCain Accountable

John McCain abused the system to keep his campaign afloat until he could raise more money from special interests and lobbyists. Taxpayers don't want their money to be used by Washington politicians to help raise more money from lobbyists -- is this McCain's idea of ethics and reform?

Thanks to you, this "maverick reformer" is feeling the pressure of his own hypocrisy. From staffing his campaign with a team of lobbyists to breaking campaign finance laws, his total lack of integrity has never been more clear.

Keep it up,

Joe Sandler
General Counsel
Democratic National Committee

[speechlesstx]

McCain did set himself up for criticism, but that doesn't justify the DNC's actions here.

[BABRAM]

As Cunningham correctly pointed out there was no issue when Jon Stewart called him during the Academy Awards Iraq Hussein Osama. lol

Both Cunningham and Stewart are comedians. :rolleyes:

Look ; I think the Dems are hypocrites on this issue for sure . But McCain set himself up to this by his high and mighty attitude about campaign finance reform. He "reached across the aisle " to come up with his mostly unconstitutional McCain-Feingold Law ;and now he is reaping what he sowed.

It would almost serve him right if Obama were to forgo public financing restrictions while he were forced to comply with them to the letter of the law. The fact that so many of the candidates have bowed out accepting public financing just proves how flawed the law really is.

I think somehow this whole thing got stirred-up by the Clinton's when they found themselves on the short side of campaign funding. Hillary loaned five million USD of her bucks to that silly smear campaign and flyers trumpeting a Universal Health Care that has questionable efficiency. Not that I favor Universal Health Care plans generally, but if the US eventually ends up with it, I'd prefer Obama's plan. As for campaign funds, idealistically I'd prefer that all time consumed and money spent in general election campaigns, should be equal. But to Obama's credit he has the most money received and has proven to remain thus far within a campaign budget. In a minuscule way that at least compliments Obama's ability on economics.