2008 John Edwards Accepts Public Financing
posted by on September 28 at 11:15 AM
His campaign is portraying the move as a principled stand, and a way of challenging Hillary Clinton to walk her talk on public financing of presidential campaigns.
Today, Sen. Edwards announced that he will accept public financing and matching funds for his presidential campaign. Edwards is taking a principled stand on this issue – leading the way because he believes elections should be about ideas, not about money. And no one has better ideas for how to change America than John Edwards. Just this weekend, Sen. Hillary Clinton voiced her support for public financing… John Edwards is challenging her to prove that she means what she says.
But most political observers are taking away a different message, that Edwards is in trouble:
John Edwards’ decision to accept public matching funds to finance his campaign is a political blow but it’s probably also the only lifeline he has to stay in the race.The simple fact is that Edwards was never going to keep pace with the Democratic front-runner, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, or the upstart campaign of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
He's done.
Edwards is taking a principled stand on this issue – leading the way because he believes elections should be about ideas, not about money... Just this weekend, Sen. Hillary Clinton voiced her support for public financing… John Edwards is challenging her to prove that she means what she says.
It's easy to start taking principled stands when you're circling the drain.
He'll make a great Secretary of Education in the new Gore/Obama presidency.
And no one has better ideas for how to change America than John Edwards.
What are these "better ideas?" Things like dusting off 1970s style school busing?
(I had some more links, but DAMN SPAM FILTERS.)
If these are the better ideas, what are the worse ones?
quoting the note: If this was such a good idea -- politically and financially -- everyone would be doing it.
bye, bye john. maybe he should run for senate again from NC? i bet he'd give liddy dole a good run for her money next year.
How do Hillary and Obama answer questions about public financing from here on out? If they say they support it, then they get asked to walk the walk. Give JE credit, he's making do with what he has.
@ 6, the spending limits on public financed campaigns are too low to compete in all the TV and radio markets candidates need, to compete simultaneously in all the early primary states. so unless everyone is participating, it's campaign suicide to do so. there's no need when you're raking in piles of dough (see obama, hillary and dean '04) to self-limit your ability to get your message out to as many people as possible. another downside of public financing is that if edwards does get the nomination, he is prohibited from spending money until the democratic convention convenes on august 25, 2008. so conceivably, the dems could have a nominee (edwards) who cannot by law respond to attacks that the republican nominee (for example romney or guiliani - if they don't accept public financing) would be pounding him with between march 08 - august 08. that's a pretty unapealing position to be in.
sure our campaign financing is a broken and f'd up system, but until everyone is required to participate, no one will unless they are seriously running out of $$ and don't see any other options.
participate in public financed campaigns that is.
Reality to Will in Seattle @3:
* Al Gore is not running for president.
* There is not going to be a February 2008 ST2 vote.
* There is no Santa Claus.
* Jesus is dead.
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