Your political dare of the day
Elizabeth Bumiller reports in the New York Times that John McCain has come up with an interesting way of defusing Barack Obama’s financial advantage: Senator John McCain?s presidential campaign said Thursday that it stood by a year-old pledge made with Senator Barack Obama that each would accept public financing for the general election if the ...
Elizabeth Bumiller reports in the New York Times that John McCain has come up with an interesting way of defusing Barack Obama's financial advantage: Senator John McCain?s presidential campaign said Thursday that it stood by a year-old pledge made with Senator Barack Obama that each would accept public financing for the general election if the nominee of the opposing party did the same. But Mr. Obama?s campaign refused to reaffirm its earlier commitment. The McCain campaign?s latest stand on the issue was first reported Thursday by The Financial Times. On Tuesday, one of Mr. McCain?s advisers told The New York Times that the campaign had decided to forgo public financing in the general election, an awkward admission for a senator who has made campaign finance reform a central part of his political persona. That adviser was speaking on the assumption that Mr. Obama, who has broken all records in political fund-raising and is currently drawing more than $1 million a day, would find a way to retreat from the pledge in order to outspend his opponent in the fall by far. Under public-financing rules, the nominees are restricted to spending about $85 million each for the two-month general election campaign, far less than what Mr. Obama might be able to raise on his own. On Thursday, in an effort by the McCain campaign to speak with one voice and put the onus for abandoning the system on Mr. Obama, several McCain advisers called on him to make good on his pledge. Mr. Obama was the candidate who proposed the pledge in the first place, in February 2007, a time when he was not raising the prodigious sums he is now. Mr. McCain, co-author of the McCain-Feingold act of 2002, which placed new restrictions on campaign financing, was the only other candidate to take Mr. Obama up on his pledge. At first blush, I think this is a double-edged sword for both candidates. For McCain, proposing this reminds everyone of McCain-Feingold and potentially neutralizes Obama's fundraising power. On the other hand, McCain-Feingold hasn't really worked out as envisaged, and it's a major sore point with conervatives. For Obama, accepting McCain's proposal would remind everyone that it was Obama who came up with the idea in the first place. It would also allow him to blunt McCain's attempt to woo back independents who have shown a liking for Obama. On the other hand, Obama's fundraising capabilities are quite prodigious. Furthermore, accepting now leaves him open to charges of taking the nomination for granted. If you're Obama, do you accept the dare?
Elizabeth Bumiller reports in the New York Times that John McCain has come up with an interesting way of defusing Barack Obama’s financial advantage:
Senator John McCain?s presidential campaign said Thursday that it stood by a year-old pledge made with Senator Barack Obama that each would accept public financing for the general election if the nominee of the opposing party did the same. But Mr. Obama?s campaign refused to reaffirm its earlier commitment. The McCain campaign?s latest stand on the issue was first reported Thursday by The Financial Times. On Tuesday, one of Mr. McCain?s advisers told The New York Times that the campaign had decided to forgo public financing in the general election, an awkward admission for a senator who has made campaign finance reform a central part of his political persona. That adviser was speaking on the assumption that Mr. Obama, who has broken all records in political fund-raising and is currently drawing more than $1 million a day, would find a way to retreat from the pledge in order to outspend his opponent in the fall by far. Under public-financing rules, the nominees are restricted to spending about $85 million each for the two-month general election campaign, far less than what Mr. Obama might be able to raise on his own. On Thursday, in an effort by the McCain campaign to speak with one voice and put the onus for abandoning the system on Mr. Obama, several McCain advisers called on him to make good on his pledge. Mr. Obama was the candidate who proposed the pledge in the first place, in February 2007, a time when he was not raising the prodigious sums he is now. Mr. McCain, co-author of the McCain-Feingold act of 2002, which placed new restrictions on campaign financing, was the only other candidate to take Mr. Obama up on his pledge.
At first blush, I think this is a double-edged sword for both candidates. For McCain, proposing this reminds everyone of McCain-Feingold and potentially neutralizes Obama’s fundraising power. On the other hand, McCain-Feingold hasn’t really worked out as envisaged, and it’s a major sore point with conervatives. For Obama, accepting McCain’s proposal would remind everyone that it was Obama who came up with the idea in the first place. It would also allow him to blunt McCain’s attempt to woo back independents who have shown a liking for Obama. On the other hand, Obama’s fundraising capabilities are quite prodigious. Furthermore, accepting now leaves him open to charges of taking the nomination for granted. If you’re Obama, do you accept the dare?
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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