Once upon a time, candidate Obama promised to participate in the federal campaign finance program in a sop to free speech restrictionists. Of course, he reneged as soon as he could, claiming that since the system is “broken” it was his right to collect as much money as he could from willing donors.
Fast-forward to today, and it looks like President Obama has long forgotten his former aversion to privately financed campaigns:
[The President] can also raise large contributions for the Democratic National Committee — topping out at $30,800 per donor rather than the $5,000 limit on contributions to candidates — that are helping finance the party’s broader efforts to help Democrats up and down the ballot. During the last three months, the committee has already transferred funds totaling more than $1.3 million to Democratic organizations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the party’s filings.
I don’t begrudge any candidate for choosing a free(r) market approach to campaign finance. What’s galling in Obama’s case, though, is that once again we have an example of how brazenly opportunistic he is when it comes to basic principles. Whether it’s promising people they can keep their health insurance after Obamacare or campaigning as a post-partisan then saying Republicans want folks to drink dirty water, the man seems incapable of keeping his word.
The joke on some politicians is a truth applied to the president: you know he’s lying when his lips are moving.
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