Posted on 02/04/2008 7:57:51 PM PST by STARWISE
With the Republican presidential nomination within reach, John McCain is reshaping his campaign to press on without public financing that could limit his spring spending, senior advisers say.
The Arizona senator’s rejection of the presidential public financing program he once defended is just the latest evidence of how ineffective the post-Watergate reform has become in an era of multimillion-dollar candidacies.
Under the public financing program, McCain could spend only about $54 million on all the primaries and caucuses — a sum Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton had spent before the first voters caucused in Iowa on Jan. 3.
Additionally, he faced a series of individual state spending caps — a system that Democrat John Edwards’ recently departed campaign demonstrated as meaningless because it is so fraught with loopholes and set-asides.
Consider this: For 2008, spending in Iowa was limited to about $1.5 million. Edwards spent $3.2 million on television alone to capture second place there and didn’t even come close to violating the federal spending cap rules.
Asked how much influence the spending caps had on campaign strategy, Edwards adviser Joe Trippi said: “Pretty much none.”
*snip*
According to a report released Monday by the Center for Responsive Politics, this year’s presidential field raised and spent more money last year than in each election from 1976 through 2000. The totals: $583 million raised, $481 million spent.
A major reason for that is candidates are increasingly ducking the public financing system to avoid limits on spending. President Bush was the first to do that in 2000. This cycle, a candidate was hardly considered serious unless he or she had done so.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
He could donate the funds. /pipe dream.
Well, i got my answer. Question is, who will be donating to McCain?
do mccain pesos count?
I got like a meeelion of them....
I thought McCain was already doing the public funding thing. There was a thread a couple of days ago that said he signed up for that (or whatever you do) last fall when his campaign was broke, and that he was committed now. Can you just opt in and out as your fortunes go?
Maybe McAztlan can get the money from George Soros
Senator McCain’s Liberal Record
1. Amnesty = McCain / Kennedy (D)
2. Censorship = McCain / Feingold (D)
3. Gas Tax Increase = McCain / Lieberman (D)
4. McCain’s Proposed Democrat Ticket = Kerry / McCain (D)
5. Turncoats Who Asked to Switch Parties: McCain / Jeffords (D)
6. McCain’s American Conservative Union Rank= 47th / 100 = RINO
7. New York Times (D) Endorsed: McCain
8. Opposed Bush Tax Cuts = McCain + (All Ds)
9. McCain wants to keep the Death Tax
10. McCain wants to raise Social Security Taxes
11. McCain / ACLU (D) is Pro-Terrorist Rights
12. McCain/Kennedy(D)/Edwards(D) Tobacco=Trial Lawyers Dream Act
Why vote Democrat when you can have a real liberal:
John McCain?
Top Ten Reasons to Vote For McCain
1. Amnistía Si! Vota Para McCain!
2. Shut Up and Vote McCain / Feingold!
3. $4.00 Gasoline, here we come!
4. Clinton / McCain: The NY Times’ Ticket!
5. RINOs 4 McCain!
6. More Payroll & Death Taxes!
7. Gitmo Detainees Agree: Vote McCain!
8. Kill Conservatism: Vote Liberal, Vote McCain!
9. He Can’t Possibly Stab You in the Back Next!
10. He’ll find out who really stole the strawberries! – Vote Captain Queeg McCain!
This asshat will not get a dime from a real conservative, and the mushy middle a**holes who decide to vote for him the weekend before the election are sure not going to give him any money, or any support either, after they’ve elected him and gone back to watching American Idol...
As a liberal RAT this RINO is, do you think he cares. No rule is written that liberals have to obey.
Not sure i’d be willing to give him any money, unless it were a choice between him and Hillary.
I thought it was kinda puny and
lowclass of him to travel to
Mass. to campaign today, Romney’s
state. Doesn’t seem to hold that
much voting power overall, other
than feeding McNutsy’s petty
vindictiveness.
I saw that on Foxnews today. They remarked on it as to why he’d want to campaign there with Romney having such a commanding lead in the polls there. I’m with you there, i thought he was just trying to stick it to Romney. He is quite the vindictive jerk, isn’t he.
He’s got THAT Oscar, for sure. I
pray he’s not our ultimate candidate.
Every day, I find him more and more
distasteful.
Me too, the more i’m seeing him lately, the less I’m liking, especially after that stunt he pulled in FL.
Initially, I thought for sure I was mistaken when I heard Foxnews reporter mention McCain was campaigning in MA, especially when they showed what a huge lead Romney has in that state. I thought, how stupid and what a jerk.
He’s F...ing us all once more by placing himself in this race.
He is unelectable as a Presidential candidate.
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