Obama Exaggerates Progress on Bundlers

[Alamom]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/
ABC News Blogs

Obama Exaggerates Progress on Bundlers
July 23, 2007 8:33 PM

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: During Monday's Democratic presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., seemed to exaggerate the legislative progress he has made on disclosure of "bundlers," those individuals who aggregate their influence with the candidate they support by collecting $2,300 checks from a wide network of wealthy friends and associates.

When former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel alleged that Obama had 134 bundlers, Obama responded by telling Gravel that the reason he knows how many bundlers are raising money for him is "because I helped push through a law this past session to disclose that."

Earlier this year, Obama sponsored an amendment in the Senate requiring lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they bundle. Obama's amendment would not, however, require candidates to release the names of their bundlers. What's more, although Obama's amendment was agreed to in the Senate by unanimous consent, the measure never become law as Obama seemed to suggest.

Gravel and the rest of the public know how many bundlers Obama has not because of a "law" that the Illinois Democrat has "pushed through" but because Obama voluntarily discloses that information.

[Kagemusha]

1. I note this blog doesn't explain why it never became law.

Or whose fault that is. Pretty obviously not Obama's. IMHO, this is a measure that should be law.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Yeah, that's a real gotcha

Gravel and the rest of the public know how many bundlers Obama has not because of a "law" that the Illinois Democrat has "pushed through" but because Obama voluntarily discloses that information.

Which isn't the first time he has gone beyond what the law calls for in the area of ethics (paying full price for private jet flights) and disclosure (releasing earmarks). As a Hillary supporter, do you really want to have this conversation?