Video: Important Announcement from Barack (Update: McCain whines)

[ProSense]

Video: Important Announcement from Barack

By Sam Graham-Felsen - Jun 19th, 2008 at 8:59 am EDT

The campaign sent out this email this morning...

Friend --

Barack Obama recorded a video message with an important announcement that he wanted you to hear first:

(Video http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gG5SPm">An Important Campaign Announcement from Barack Obama)

We have made a crucial decision that will impact how we compete in the general election, and it's important that you understand the decision, its implications, and the challenge ahead.

Please take a moment to watch the video.

Thank you,

Obama for America

McCain's been chumped:

McCain camp responds: 'Typical politician'

McCain campaign communications director Jill Hazelbaker puts out a statement on Obama's opting out of pubic financing:

Today, Barack Obama has revealed himself to be just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama.

The true test of a candidate for President is whether he will stand on principle and keep his word to the American people. Barack Obama has failed that test today, and his reversal of his promise to participate in the public finance system undermines his call for a new type of politics.

Barack Obama is now the first presidential candidate since Watergate to run a campaign entirely on private funds. This decision will have far-reaching and extraordinary consequences that will weaken and undermine the public financing system.

The conventional wisdom is that voters don't care about stuff like this. More narrowly, the spin war is about whether Obama can convince us that the spirit of his fundraising matches the goal of public financing: Not relying on favor-seeking donors; and that breaking his commitment last year isn't that big a deal.

[ProSense]

1. Obama Opts Out: What Happens Now

Obama Opts Out: What Happens Now

19 Jun 2008 09:21 am

(1) Does John McCain try to turn Obama's decision into a cri de coeur? The media will not help him; instead of focusing on Obama's circumstance-based decision to go back on his implied promise, they'll probably take Obama's side. It's true that voters generally don't pay attention to this type of thing, but if McCain puts it front and center on his mantle, will they?

(2) The potential money gap in the general election is huge -- Obama could raise as much as $300m, and the McCain campaign/RNC budget team doesn't anticipating spending more than $150m.

(3) The McCain campaign did not expect Obama to announce his decision this early, and so they were caught unawares.

(4) How will the "reform" community react?

[ErinBerin84]

2. haha

"Does John McCain try to turn Obama's decision into a cri de coeur? The media will not help him; instead of focusing on Obama's circumstance-based decision to go back on his implied promise, they'll probably take Obama's side."


Where is this Obama media bias I keep hearing about on this issue today? All I've heard is the MSM whining parroted from the McCain campaign. Does he seriously think that the media will not try to cover for McCain on this one?

[blondeatlast]

3. "SEE! I'm not Bush III; I'm not, I'm not! why are you laughing--stop that!"

Expect McCain to cave within the day, hopefully before tomorrow's news dump.

[ProSense]

4. Whoa, McCain was trying to game Obama

Via TPM Election Centeral:

In the past couple of weeks, our campaign counsels met and it was immediately clear that McCain's campaign had no interest in the possibility of an agreement. When asked about the RNC's months of raising and spending for the general election, McCain's campaign could only offer its expectation that the Obama campaign would probably, sooner or later, catch up. And shortly thereafter, Senator McCain signaled to the 527s that they were free to run wild, without objection.

McCain just got dissed for trying to play politics, but he's certain to try to spin this as a flip flop