John Kerry: Obama's Public Financing Decision Will Enable Him To Avoid My Fate

[Hope And Change]

John Kerry: Obama's Public Financing Decision Will Enable Him To Avoid My Fate


By Greg Sargent and Eric Kleefeld - June 19, 2008, 3:05PM

We like this one. To amplify its message that opting out of public financing was necessary to combat the onslaught of outside 527 ad spending that's likely to hit Obama in the months ahead, the Obama campaign has turned to the perfect messenger: John Kerry.

On a conference call with reporters moments ago, Kerry insisted that the decision was necessary if Obama is to avoid succumbing under a barrage of such spending, as he did.

"You know, the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth hadn't appeared in July of my year as a funded group," Kerry said. "And they were funded in August, which was the time I was tied to campaign finance reform and didn't have the money to respond. And it had an obvious, profound impact. So I think in order to control your campaign and your message, it is essential to be able to respond to those and be free to respond to them."

Kerry's fate at the hands of the Swift Boat Vets, of course, continues to haunt Dems. So he's just the person to make this case and to make John McCain's refusal to forcefully rein in the outside groups on his side look that much more ominous.


http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/kerry.php

[FrenchieCat]

1. True!

[flpoljunkie]

41. Though, we must hold Obama to his promise to make public financing reform a high priority if he wins

[madura]

48. i dont understand the wording, public financing - its Obama who is publicly financed

with as much as 90% of his donors giving under a 100.
just how much more public cna you get?

sour grapes from the heftie donors whose asses are being handed to them by the peasants.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I'm so glad to see Kerry

go to bat for Obama. ALL Democratic leaders should be doing this, as many are.

[ProSense]

3. Exactly. This is why McCain is so scared.

He knows he can't compete with Obama's fundraising, and he was counting on the lying Repub 527s to do his dirty work.

Kerry has said this many times.

[blm]

4. Terry McAuliffe scheduled convention in July - unbelievable. DNC was supposed to fill in that gap

that Kerry's hands were tied financially, but McAuliffe was hamhanded as usual and never provided proper backup throughout August, even after Kerry's fiery speech to the Firefighters Convention on August 19 where he called them out for their lies and CHALLENGED BUSH to debate their services publicly instead of hiding behind the swifts.

Now - a DNC doing its job would've been all over that furthering Kerry's remarks - - but that DNC did not. And didn't spend the money they had to spend that Kerry did not that August.

Obama did the right thing - and McCain knows it.

[Schema Thing]

7. hmmm, who was it again that this Terry McAuliffe fellow supports?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. Kerry is redeeming himself and learning from his mistakes.

I still say he won!!

[ray of light]

8. Not only learning from mistakes, but HELPING Obama avoid the same mistakes

[blm]

15. Obama has a huge leg up with a DNC run properly the last 4 yrs for ALL Dems

Kerry's biggest problem in 2004 wasn't getting votes - he got those - it was the Terry McAuliffe stewardship of the DNC for four years that made sure many state party infrastructures were so collapsed by 2002 and 2004 that Dem candidates couldn't get their votes in those states counted and in many cases even allowed and cast.

All Dems need to give a huge nod to Dean's stewardship of the DNC - a THOUSAND PERCENT IMPROVEMENT over the previous DNC chairs.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

32. AMEN!!! n/t

[ray of light]

9. And also..STANDING UP FOR OBAMA and AGAINST swiftboating.

NOBODY but NOBODY will take Obama down while Kerry is out there standing firm and outspoken. John Kerry has forced the Democratic party to STAND BY THEIR GUY in a way that they did not do for him in 2004.

Good for him, good for Obama, and GREAT for US!

[MBS]

12. Amen to that! n/t

[PresidentObama]

6. Kerry admitting to his mistakes, and learning from them. Class act, and he's right.

Obama needs Kerry in his administration in some capacity!!

[w13rd0]

11. There are tons of great people that we'd like to see...

...in an Obama administration, but the truth is, important allies in the House and Senate will be paramount to Obama advancing our agenda into law. And Kerry is pretty well positioned to step into such a position in the Senate.

[blm]

22. You're right - Kerry wants investigations of Bush WH with a strong Senate majority for Dems.

And THIS time he'll have a Dem president cooperating with those investigations instead of the one who spent the 90s siding with BushInc and his cronies on the coverups.

[democrattotheend]

13. I think he'd make a terrific Secretary of State

Or Defense, but I read that he is more interested in State.

[PresidentObama]

16. It'd be a great conclusion to a great career.

[ecstatic]

17. I hope so. He deserves it nt

[beachmom]

30. Actually, that was based on an anonymous source, so who knows.

After Obama & Kerry got this KBR tax loophole closed:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/19/101941/440/132/537863#c125

I'm back to wanting Kerry to stay in the Senate. Of course, SoS would be great, too, but I am beginning to get stuck on the idea of him being a great senator getting all the legislation through for Obama. That sounds very attractive to me.

[karynnj]

25. Or as a very powerful 5th term Senator

who has done far more than some other Senators who trumpet everything they did anything on as theirs.

[tedoll78]

10. Okay, My Obama..

I've been spurred to make another donation today. It'll just be a few extra hours at work. :)

[MBS]

14. Audio is great

Whole first section is Kerry taking McCain to task on the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. He's GREAT on this, especially when he skewers McCain's recent, politics-driven flip-flop on this issue.
Next topic is the midwestern floods.
This really seems to be the whole conference call, not just snippets. Serious questions, deep detailed answers. Highly recommended.

[Radical Activist]

18. I wonder if Obama would pick Kerry as VP

or maybe Secretary of State. Kerry has been one of his most important backers from before day one.

[PresidentObama]

19. He deserves either position. n/t

[TheDonkey]

20. I'd like to see Kerry as SoS

this is why Biden as VP makes sense to me. Whatever happens I hope Kerry is a big part of Obama's administration. He's a great mind.

[Unbowed]

31. Or Attorney General. n/t

[YvonneCa]

34. Wouldn't that be...

...a great choice?

[Radical Activist]

44. He'd be an excellent vp choice

I think there are others who would do more to help him win.

[TheDonkey]

21. Excellent audio link from Kerry. A must listen to.

[uponit7771]

23. McSame spent private fund ALREADY in his campaign, I don't blame Obama. If McSame opted out then it

...would be different story

[politicasista]

24. K&R

Kick for Kerry. Kick for Obama for learning from the mistakes of the past. :kick:

[democracy1st]

26. that was a outstanding decision

[bunnies]

27. Good. Good. Good.

Kerry is dead on!

[Arkana]

28. Thanks to Senator Kerry for laying it out plain as day.

There's no incentive for Obama to accept public financing--the money would come from the same people (taxpayers), and he would just be getting less of it.

Had he opted out the media would have been all over him for being naive, stupid, etc., etc...they would have predicted doom for his campaign. Since McCain has already made it clear that he won't control Republican 527s, they'd do all his dirty work and Obama would be severely hamstrung.

His campaign can still be "publicly" financed--that is, heavily dependent on small donors like us.

[Starry Messenger]

29. Yay!

for Kerry!

[YvonneCa]

35. Ditto...

... :)

[JI7]

33. exactly, the swift boat vets popped up at a time when Kerry was restricted in spending

they came out earlier not long after he won the nomination but they responded and it was over. remember the stuff about jane fonda, plot to kill senators , etc.

this is also why Republicans delayed their convention until much later than usual. it gave them more free time to spend on attacks while the Dem didn't get to.

[nsd]

36. Kerry has been just awesome this year.

Much respect.

[blm]

42. He knows it takes an entire TEAM to pull off a win, not just a star quarterback. Offensive lines are

CRUCIAL. Other top Dem lawmakers were NOT there for Kerry when he was the nominee, and the most wellknown Dems were very publicly supporting Bush and defending his decisions on terrorism and Iraq war at the very time Kerry was attacking those strategies. Especially Bill Clinton throughout his summer2004 Defense of Bush book tour.

Kerry in 2004 was like Kenny Anderson leading the Bengals - excellent quarterback with a front line that failed him too often.

[TexasObserver]

37. this political cartoon supports Kerry's view of this

[Hope And Change]

38. Kick!

[Raine]

39. CORRECT and thank goodness

that Obama is not going to allow himself to be swiftboated!

[JustAnotherGen]

40. Thank You Senator Kerry

k/r

Never this way pass again.

[ProSense]

43. With this move, Obama just

shook up the political establishment.

[barack the house]

45. EXACTLY not taking tax dollars allows Obama to raise big. KEEP GOING OBAMA.

:WOOHOO: :BOUNCE:

[barack the house]

46. Send him all your email support they are trying to knock his campaign down.

[barack the house]

47. WE GOTTA stick strong with obama on this.