So yesterday, Obama decided to forgo public financing for the general election. The first time ever for a president. Basically, by doing so he's saying he thinks he can easily and less restrictively raise more than the roughly $85M that the government would provide.
Conceptually, I'm pretty annoyed by this. I largely believe that all the money involved politics is part of the problem and this just feeds into that. I know that many (somewhere over 1M donors) and giving less than than $250 a piece. So it's not necessarily a smaller group of politically connected corporations and individuals, but more of an upper middle class grass-roots movement that are more true believers. But still, this will just further damage public financing, although the possible positive outcome it might lead to actual reforms to improve the system. Ideally a bill that actually forces broadcast stations free airtime to candidates (preferably for even minor party candidates, but that will never happen).
In the end, it's not a deal breaker for me (not with the importance of supreme court appointments being so prominent in the recent habeas corpus case that was narrowly, and correctly, decided by a 5-4 margin (Suck it Scalia!)), but it's disappointing. Especially if there are no positive changes as a result.
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1 comment:
Suck it scalia, man that's funny
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