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There is nothing illegal or immoral about being a tremendous fund raiser; and as politics is almost as serious as baseball, good management means exploiting every rule of the game.
...to say that this isn't a fair fight is nonsense. Obama is raising a lot more money than McCain because he has convinced a lot more people with money to back him. There is nothing the least bit unfair about that. [Ken Blanchard, "If Obama [...] Buys the White House, Then He Earned It," South Dakota Politics, 2008.10.20].
Even good conservatives can appreciate good management skills. Barack Obama has management cred bigger than George Bush's MBA: in spite of name, skin color, and thinner résumé than most candidates in the field, Obama has run a disciplined, focused campaign that beat the Clinton machine and now may beat a Republican war hero. Obama's campaign has proven his qualifications, says Blanchard:
When Obama began his campaign, he was surely one of the least qualified candidates to pursue the presidency in living memory. That didn't stop a large part of the Democratic core from attaching themselves to him. But it precisely that fact that puts an end to questions about his qualifications. In the end, the only qualification for the presidency that matters is winning it. Obama has shown beyond a reasonable doubt that he is as qualified as McCain, or Clinton, or Bush, or Gore, or anyone else who has come close [Blanchard, 2008.10.20].
Again, you don't have to take my word for it: even South Dakota's conservatives will tell you Obama's fundraising is a sign of success. Obama has inspired more people to give more money to support his vision for America. If money talks, Obama's millions of individual donors are shouting.
When Obama began his campaign, he was surely one of the least qualified candidates to pursue the presidency in living memory. That didn't stop a large part of the Democratic core from attaching themselves to him. But it precisely that fact that puts an end to questions about his qualifications. In the end, the only qualification for the presidency that matters is winning it.
ReplyDeleteIf "personality" is the sole qualification for the job of President of the United States, then we are in more trouble than I thought.
There are a lot of donations from qeustionable sources in the Obama campaign. I don't think it's all from the little guys like he says.
ReplyDeleteIf this country is in such dire straights, then how the heck can someone raise $150 million in ONE MONTH! ! ! ! ! ! Where is the money coming from? Maybe the people donating to these illicit campaigns (both parties) should put that money to homeless shelters, food pantries, and to part of the national debt. Put the money to a worthwhile use. How can ANYONE who says they are going to represent the middle class say it with a straight face when they have a campaign account worth almost a half a billion dollars?
ReplyDeleteDo the candidates have to have a listing of all of their campaign contributors available to the public? If so, where can you find it at? BOTH PARTIES.
Penny, there I can help you. I highly recommend OpenSecrets.org. As far as I can tell, it is nonpartisan and provides just the facts. You can search by candidate, donor, ZIP code, even employer.
ReplyDeleteThe Huffington Post is a liberal website, but they also offer a good campaign finance tool, FundRace, which includes a cool map feature. Take your pick!
Obama's spending is obscene. Period.
ReplyDeleteOh, and he is not qualified. A community organizer (trouble maker - think Acorn), state senator, and first term US Senator, most of which he spent campaigning. Yeah, right, he has the experience - NOT! He talks well and buys votes - that does not equate with experience and qualifications.