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McCain Exceeds Public Spending Cap
Just a refresher that John McCain's tangle with the FEC has yet to be resolved:
Sen. John McCain has officially broken the limits imposed by the presidential public financing system, reports filed last night show.McCain has now spent $58.4 million on his primary effort. Those who have committed to public financing can spend no more than $54 million on their primary bid.
So has McCain broken the law? The answer is far from simple.
Remember that the FEC chairman has written McCain's campaign to tell them that McCain has not withdrawn from the public funding system, because the FEC hasn't approved his request to withdraw -- and can't approve it until there are four commissioners. To which McCain's lawyers have replied, nuh uh.
For now, the McCain campaign will continue to spend away. Whether this will come back to haunt him somewhere down the line (assuming the FEC is functioning again someday)... well, who knows.
Josh
Zachary
This gets Obama off the hook for using public financing! Hoooooraaaay!
March 21, 2008 6:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
What I meant to say: Obama is no longer obligated to play the "you pledged to use public financing" game with McCain. We can spend spend spend. We'll see how the GOP likes to be on the other end of it.
March 21, 2008 6:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, he did not spend any of his campaign funds on his latest photo-op to the mideast and London. We, the taxpayers, picked up the tab on that one.
March 21, 2008 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
No problem. Rules only apply to the Democrat Party. Remember?
March 21, 2008 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, with support like this McCain's over-reaching ambitions are sure to be short lived:
(prepare yourselves - it's not pretty)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaP9eiWuX3s&eurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/21/mccain-girls-music-video_n_92832.html
March 21, 2008 9:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain must be pretty thankful for the "speech and debate" clause right about now, since he's one of the GOP senators preventing the FEC from having enough commissioners to render a judgement on his possibly-criminal action. Normally that would be called obstruction of justice, or at least an actionable conflict or interest, but it's OK because he's a straight-shooting maverick senator.
(And no, you can't back out of public financing after using your matching funds as security for a loan...)
March 21, 2008 9:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Preview of a McConfused presidency. Four more years of ignoring the rule of law! Sign me up! I want my government to bend me over for four more! I haven't had enough yet.
March 22, 2008 4:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
While I think McCain's actions are two-faced, whether the public thinks so in light of the separate pledge about public financing for the General Election remains to be seen. Those who say this automatically lets Obama off the hook for his pledge should remember that important distinction. The dispute McCain has with the FEC, are strictly speaking, only concerning the Republican Primary.
March 23, 2008 4:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know! McCain should tell the FEC to go take a hike, because he was born in Panama!
March 23, 2008 11:06 PM | Reply | Permalink