Legal Commentary

The Obama Rules For Independent Expenditures

By Big Tent Democrat

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

Let me start with this statement - that all politicians are, by definition, shameless hypocrites. And I expect that most of them will do whatever they are allowed to get away with in terms of hypocrisy. And all credit to the Obama campaign for exploiting the Obama Rules to the hilt.

Here, from the conservative publication, the NY Sun, comes the latest on the Obama Rules:

Senator Clinton's campaign is charging Senator Obama with hypocrisy for denouncing independently funded advertising campaigns which supported his opponents in Iowa but saying little about similar efforts being mounted now on his behalf in Ohio. . . . The Clinton campaign's salvo against Mr. Obama came in response to what the New York senator's aides said was a plan by a supermarket union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on pro-Obama television advertising in Ohio between now and the March 4 primary. A spokeswoman for the UFCW, Jill Cashen, confirmed late last night that group funded by union members will roll out TV ads across Ohio tomorrow which underscore the Illinois senator's commitment to universal health care and other issues. . . .[MORE]

And in one of the most laughable of political conventions, the Obama campaign said:

A spokesman for Mr. Obama said the Illinois senator has consistently urged independent groups to steer clear of the presidential race. "While Senator Clinton has benefited from more than $5 million in spending from outside groups and said nothing, Senator Obama has long said that he would prefer those who want to support him do it directly through the campaign," the spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said.

Well, that makes it all better of course. I admit that I have a personal peeve against sanctimonious outrage about campaign finance purity. It is truly the issue of the phony. Anyone and everyone knows that no one honors the spirit of any of the campaign finance laws and/or lobbying restrictions and whatnot. 527s anyone? You want to get money out of the system? then get money out of the system - go for full public financing of campaigns. The rest of it is just a joke.

Barack Obama is benefitting greatly from outside expenditures and it saddens him greatly. Riiiiight. He is all that is just and good. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is perversing our great and wonderful political finance system by benefitting from outside expenditures. She is Evil Incarnate.

By the Obama Rules anyway.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 25, 2008 (boomark / email).