Warning: main(/home/b4v/public_html/wp-content/themes/blixed/above.php) [function.main]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/b4v/public_html/wp-content/themes/blixed/single.php on line 5
Warning: main() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/b4v/public_html/wp-content/themes/blixed/above.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/b4v/public_html/wp-content/themes/blixed/single.php on line 5
The only problem is, in 2003 Howard Dean, during his presidential campaign, did the exact same thing. Time Magazine’s The Page blog posts a McCain backgrounder on Howard Dean’s hypocrisy.
As I understand it, the DNC press release covers that:
The McCain campaign has incorrectly stated that McCain is doing what Dean did when he withdrew from public financing in his presidential bid, but they have the facts wrong. Dean did not use the promise of matching funds as collateral for a loan. Dean withdrew before the FEC determined eligibility for funds, unlike McCain. And he spent millions of dollars to get his name on the ballot after withdrawing, unlike McCain, who had free ballot access in many states because he pledged to accept matching funds.
So the grounds of the complaint are more about the circumstances to do with his loan, which he secured on the very thing that he needed to get the loan to qualify for.
Which is, as I understand it, against the rules.
2.
Kahn | February 24th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
“free ballot access in many states because he pledged to accept matching funds.”
Can you explain that?
3.
congressive | February 24th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
So, let’s see… McCain gets big private money since he won, but would have stuck taxpayers with the bill had he lost?
Now you know Why Huck hasn’t left the race yet. He thinks he sees the miracle on the horizon…
4.
Arctic Fox | February 25th, 2008 at 12:01 am
For Kahn:
Explaining it in depth is quite difficult, as each state writes it’s own rules - an article on that topic is available here.
In brief, though, somebody using matched funds may use the public purse to pay for signatures in order to be on the ballot, whereas those not using the matched funds scheme must use their own money.
Since the issue is whether McCain qualified for the matching funds scheme owing to the fact he took out a loan using the matching funds as collateral even though at the time he took out the loan he didn’t qualify for those funds, requiring as he did the money he got as the loan to qualify. (yes, it’s complicated)
But this is diverting the issue, which is whether he and Howard Dean did the same thing. It appears not, since Dean financed things personally while McCain got a loan on funds he didn’t actually have yet. Which if nothing else is collateral fraud.
5.
Yakki.PsD | February 25th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Right. Dean used his own funds and didn’t take the matching funds or the gimme state ballot fees paid.
This is apples and oranges. Dean was following the rules. But I don’t expect we’ll here that come from the GOP supported websites.
6.
Christian Wright | February 25th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Senator McCain used his FEC certification for at least one other purpose. Qualifying for the presidential primary ballot in Ohio is a complex process, requiring a candidate to gather over 100 signatures in each of the state’s 18 districts, using separate petitions for each county within the district, which must be filed with local election boards around the state. Additionally, the candidate must gather still more signatures statewide, all under some very complicated rules and local interpretations. Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and most of the presidential campaigns went through this process, at considerable time and expense. With a filing date of January 3, this was done by these campaigns at precisely the moment McCain was desperately borrowing to keep his campaign afloat, lacking money and resources to organize and gather signatures to be placed on the Ohio ballot.
But Ohio has an alternative means of getting on the ballot – you can simply present your FEC matching funds authorization to the Secretary of State, and go straight to the ballot, without petitioning. And this is what Senator McCain did. Does this amount to use of the matching funds certification locking Senator McCain into the system (not to mention a possible fraud on the state of Ohio)? Again, it is an interesting legal question to which I don’t know the answer, but it is not one that the McCain campaign – or more importantly, the FEC – can simply brush aside.
7.
Christian Wright | February 25th, 2008 at 7:28 am
The McCain campaign has incorrectly stated that McCain is doing what Dean did when he withdrew from public financing in his presidential bid, but they have the facts wrong. Dean did not use the promise of matching funds as collateral for a loan. Dean withdrew before the FEC determined eligibility for funds, unlike McCain. And he spent millions of dollars to get his name on the ballot after withdrawing, unlike McCain, who had free ballot access in many states because he pledged to accept matching funds.
8.
InDa | February 25th, 2008 at 11:48 am
“The only problem is, in 2003 Howard Dean, during his presidential campaign, did the exact same thing.”
The exact same thing? hardly…Do a little fact checking once in a while and you may get it right one of these times.. Dean actually adhered to the rules while it appears McCain has not.
8 Comments
1. Arctic Fox | February 24th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
As I understand it, the DNC press release covers that:
So the grounds of the complaint are more about the circumstances to do with his loan, which he secured on the very thing that he needed to get the loan to qualify for.
Which is, as I understand it, against the rules.
2. Kahn | February 24th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
“free ballot access in many states because he pledged to accept matching funds.”
Can you explain that?
3. congressive | February 24th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
So, let’s see… McCain gets big private money since he won, but would have stuck taxpayers with the bill had he lost?
Now you know Why Huck hasn’t left the race yet. He thinks he sees the miracle on the horizon…
4. Arctic Fox | February 25th, 2008 at 12:01 am
For Kahn:
Explaining it in depth is quite difficult, as each state writes it’s own rules - an article on that topic is available here.
In brief, though, somebody using matched funds may use the public purse to pay for signatures in order to be on the ballot, whereas those not using the matched funds scheme must use their own money.
Since the issue is whether McCain qualified for the matching funds scheme owing to the fact he took out a loan using the matching funds as collateral even though at the time he took out the loan he didn’t qualify for those funds, requiring as he did the money he got as the loan to qualify. (yes, it’s complicated)
But this is diverting the issue, which is whether he and Howard Dean did the same thing. It appears not, since Dean financed things personally while McCain got a loan on funds he didn’t actually have yet. Which if nothing else is collateral fraud.
5. Yakki.PsD | February 25th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Right. Dean used his own funds and didn’t take the matching funds or the gimme state ballot fees paid.
This is apples and oranges. Dean was following the rules. But I don’t expect we’ll here that come from the GOP supported websites.
6. Christian Wright | February 25th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Senator McCain used his FEC certification for at least one other purpose. Qualifying for the presidential primary ballot in Ohio is a complex process, requiring a candidate to gather over 100 signatures in each of the state’s 18 districts, using separate petitions for each county within the district, which must be filed with local election boards around the state. Additionally, the candidate must gather still more signatures statewide, all under some very complicated rules and local interpretations. Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and most of the presidential campaigns went through this process, at considerable time and expense. With a filing date of January 3, this was done by these campaigns at precisely the moment McCain was desperately borrowing to keep his campaign afloat, lacking money and resources to organize and gather signatures to be placed on the Ohio ballot.
But Ohio has an alternative means of getting on the ballot – you can simply present your FEC matching funds authorization to the Secretary of State, and go straight to the ballot, without petitioning. And this is what Senator McCain did. Does this amount to use of the matching funds certification locking Senator McCain into the system (not to mention a possible fraud on the state of Ohio)? Again, it is an interesting legal question to which I don’t know the answer, but it is not one that the McCain campaign – or more importantly, the FEC – can simply brush aside.
7. Christian Wright | February 25th, 2008 at 7:28 am
The McCain campaign has incorrectly stated that McCain is doing what Dean did when he withdrew from public financing in his presidential bid, but they have the facts wrong. Dean did not use the promise of matching funds as collateral for a loan. Dean withdrew before the FEC determined eligibility for funds, unlike McCain. And he spent millions of dollars to get his name on the ballot after withdrawing, unlike McCain, who had free ballot access in many states because he pledged to accept matching funds.
8. InDa | February 25th, 2008 at 11:48 am
“The only problem is, in 2003 Howard Dean, during his presidential campaign, did the exact same thing.”
The exact same thing? hardly…Do a little fact checking once in a while and you may get it right one of these times.. Dean actually adhered to the rules while it appears McCain has not.