Obama Equates his Public Financing Lie to the Declaration of Independence

You have to give the Obama campaign points for hutzpah. Granted Obama’s decision to bypass public financing after he signed a pledge to take it is probably smart politics.  However, his web site is now marketting that broken promise as a declaration of, “Independence from a broken system”.  I suppose stating ‘I lied, but please send me money anyways’ would not be that effective a fundraiser, but it certainly would be more honest than pretending that this was some sort of noble decision. Referencing the Declaration of Independence to cover up this old school political maneuver is clever and shady.

Graphic on entry page at BarackObama.com

Tags: campaign finance, declaration of independence, honesty, independence, public funding

4 comments June 24th, 2008

Broken Contract, Broken Word, No Problem for Obama

Senator Obama’s opt-out of public financing came as no surprise. It was a politically expediant move. However, the switch is disconcerting, not just because he broke his word or changed his mind; it’s troubling because he signed a pledge. When most Americans sign a ‘pledge’ it’s considered a legally binding contract. Yet this was a ‘pledge’ and not a contract? So it should be noted that a pledge from Senator Obama is a non-binding agreement. Signature, no signature, this is different than changing on a position, he promised to do ‘x’ signed off on it then did ‘y’. Politically it was most likely the right thing to do, he will have much more money this way. However, he revealed to the American people in the process that a promise, a pledge, and his word are negotiable.

Tags: broken word, campaign finance, contract, dishonest, honesty, oath, public funding, signed

3 comments June 22nd, 2008