McCain Wants to Run on Campaign Finance
Sen. John McCain is going after Sen. Barack Obama over a promise to run publicly-financed general election campaigns:
John McCain is accusing Barack Obama of backing away from a promise to participate in a public financing program that would force him to turn off his free-flowing spigot of campaign cash, foreshadowing a likely flash point if the two are pitted in a general election battle for the presidency.
Obama’s campaign has denied making the promise, and Obama on Thursday said he’d work with McCain to reach an agreement on financing.
But that didn’t satisfy McCain, whose campaign signaled it wasn’t ready to let the issue drop.
“We believe it will be very instructive to voters to see whether or not Obama reaffirms the commitment he has already made,” McCain campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said Friday.
Whether Obama’s promise is accurate or not I can see McCain latching onto this like a pit bull in the same fashion he used the misleading time tables issue against Mitt Romney.
About the only people who care about public financing of campaigns are so-called “good government” wonks. This issue is no where on voters’ radars. Sure, it’s part of McCain’s brand as a reformer, but it doesn’t put Obama on the defensive. The Illinois Senator can shrug it off by countering that he’ll focus on issues that actually affect the American people: health care; the economy; and the Iraq War. While Obama will look more engaged with voters McCain will appear more abstract and aloof.
To make matters worse for McCain talking about public financing of campaigns will irritate conservative critics. It not only brings up the disagreement many have with him on his namesake first amendment restriction legislation, but many conservatives consider public financing as campaign socialism.
Why bother with an issue that will gain him little advantage when there’s an issue sitting right in front of him begging for a strong, passionate approach? For the life of me I can’t understand why McCain hasn’t taken up the Berkeley-Marines issue. Some straight talk in defense of U.S. Marines would galvanize conservatives and create a wedge between the anti-war/military Left and independents and law-and-order types Sens. Clinton and Obama want in November.
“McCain to Hammer Obama on Financing”
UPDATE: McCain went after Obama over earmarks and transparency. That’s a much better issue. He needs to forget campaign finance and sink his teeth deep on this. [via Robert Bluey]
You speak of the Berkeley-Marines issue, he could also refer to the Toledo, OH-National Guards issue.