Back in February, the Washington Post said that Barack Obama was starting to “waffle” on public financing, which he had pledged to take if the Republican candidate did so as well. McCain said he was game, but because his fundraising had been going so well, Obama suggested he was starting to have second thoughts.
Well, Obama’s not waffling anymore. Now he’s more or less coming out and saying that his public pledges meant nothing.
The Post said his previous commitment was “unequivocal.”
Now he says, “We have created a parallel public financing system where the American people decide if they want to support a campaign they can get on the Internet and finance it, and they will have as much access and influence over the course and direction of our campaign that has traditionally been reserved for the wealthy and the powerful.”
Obama had the audacity to announce his breaking of his public financing pledge before a $2,300 per head fundraising dinner. Really, when are the members of the press going to call horsepuckey on this?
By a “parallel public financing system,” Obama means that he is getting a lot of money from private donors. If this is “public”, then every other candidate who has ever run for office has used a “parallel public financing system” too.
Come on, Senator. Don’t tell me words don’t matter.