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Comments

• [1] j from nyc February 19, 2008 - 12:45AM

  perhaps when all the airwaves go digital after '09, we can hold digital town halls so that anyone can watch them at the same time, that questions could be taken from both the audience at the location plus the ones sent in, then the primary season itself wouldn't have to be so long an torturous.

  oh yeah, and there wouldn't be so many obnoxious commercials on the p-u-b-l-i-c- airwaves that the networks and media companies seem to be so fond of making so much money off of - that the candidates have to pay for - that they have to spend SO much time raising money for -that they have to do campaign opposition research for - yada, yada, yada..

  
  
• [2] Johnny S from Cranford, NJ February 19, 2008 - 09:06AM

  Obama said that if he was the nominee he would negotiate with McCain on public financing. Recently he has said he would hold those negotiations. He did not promise to use public financing as far as I see.

  
  
• [3] Ryeu from Brooklyn, NY February 19, 2008 - 09:33AM

  I believe you have that wrong. He accepted an oath not to take money above a certain amount. They both accepted it. Now Obaha is backing out.

  
  
• [4] Albert from Greenwich, CT February 19, 2008 - 10:02AM

  Sen McCain wants public financing since his house was not enough collateral for the loan he needed to keep his campaign afloat.

  http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/16/112830/081

  What Sen. Obama put in writing was.

  “If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.”

  This quote can be fouund on many News service Websites. Johnny S is correct.

  
  
• [5] Philip Turner from Manhattan February 19, 2008 - 10:10AM

  Brian Lehrer Show:

  McCain is gaming the system himself, even while he's claiming Obama has gone back on a pledge he indicated would be contingent on forging an agreement with the Republican campaign. This article from TPM Media is relevant.

  http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/mccain_campaign_banked_on_taxp.php

  McCain Campaign Banked on Taxpayer-Funded Bailout

  By Paul Kiel - February 18, 2008, 5:15PM

  As The Washington Post reported on Saturday, John McCain's campaign struck a canny deal with a bank in December. If his campaign tanked, public funds would be there to bail him out. But if he emerged as the nominee, there'd be no need for public financing, since the contributions would come flowing.

  It's an arrangement that no one has ever tried before. And it appears that McCain, who has built his reputation on campaign finance reform, was gaming the system. Or as a campaign finance expert who preferred to remain anonymous told me, referring to the prominent role that lobbyists have as advisers to his campaign, "This places McCain’s grandstanding on public financing in a new light. True reformers believe public financing is a way to replace the lobbyists’ influence, not a slush fund that the lobbyists use to pay off campaign debts."

  ...

  
  
• [6] Albert from Greenwich, CT February 19, 2008 - 10:17AM

  Since the Clinton campaign is making a big deal out of this, are they suggesting that Sen. Obama will be the Dem nominee, as Sen. McCain seems to be suggesting. Remember everyone, this does not matter until the general election. Read the sentence explaining the Topic at the top of the page.

  
  
• [7] BORED February 19, 2008 - 10:20AM

  Why do i feel that latino members of the media have a bias against B Obama

  
  
• [8] rick from brooklyn February 19, 2008 - 10:25AM

  this 85 million cap would ONLY apply to the last two months of the campaign. also would not apply to 527s and the DNC. another thing is that this so called pledge also included several caveats about public financing beyond the matching funds and cap.