Obama backs down on pledge...

[AcesFull]

If both guys are hypocrites regarding campaign financing, I guess we're left with no choice but to look at their major platform differences to make our decisions, right? I just can't see how this dustup about campaign contributions is going to sway many people.

I prefer to look at records. Empty promises from inexperienced candidates don't hold much sway with me. Ditto for party platforms.

[rockmom]

My original post contained two links - one to opensecrets.org and the other to the Washington Post article. The following passage suggested to me that you clicked on only the WP link.

 

 

Obviously, I could not object to you posting material from opensecrets.org because I had done the same in the post to which you responded.

 

 

Well, I found it on my own. I went to the article first, and as you know, it was quite lengthy. I was curious from there and went searching on my own, forgetting that other part of your post.

 

At the very minimum, I would hope that convinces you I am not adverse to doing legwork on my own.

[rockmom]

So, I've been perusing the lists of donors. I began with the $2300 or greater list. Now, I have a question. I notice several donations from individuals who list their employer as some of those on what is apparently the corporate donor list that AcesFull posted. Are those individual donors (some of whom have donated multiple times), included in the totals listed for the entities they represent?

[rockmom]

OK..I did a search of only people who listed Goldman Sachs as their employer....the total for that search is ~$405K....is that included in the $571K listed in AcesFull's post? :confused:

[Habib]

OK..I did a search of only people who listed Goldman Sachs as their employer....the total for that search is ~$405K....is that included in the $571K listed in AcesFull's post? :confused:

 

Yes. And their PAC.

[rockmom]

Yes. And their PAC.

 

 

So, is it logical to say that the majority of the funds listed for Goldman Sachs is donated by individuals, not the PAC?

[Habib]

So, is it logical to say that the majority of the funds listed for Goldman Sachs is donated by individuals, not the PAC?

 

Yes. PACs are limited to $5,000 per candidate.

[the mathemagician]

Yes. PACs are limited to $5,000 per candidate.

 

 

 

Precisely.

[nWo]

I would say that any candidate that has at least 1.5 million donors has a campaign that is publicly financed. I just made my donation for the first time and will continue to do so until the November election. This is the first time I've ever donated to any presidential candidate.

[Hearsay]

I'm from the give-as-much-money-as-you-want-defend-George-Soros crowd, so I find this whole situation frothed with humour.

[AcesFull]

So, is it logical to say that the majority of the funds listed for Goldman Sachs is donated by individuals, not the PAC?

All money ultimately comes from individuals, so trying to distinguish donations in this way is pointless. If Goldman Sachs asks its employees to throw donations into a hat for Obama, to whom is Obama likely to be beholden, the individual $200 donor or to Goldman Sachs for bundling more than a $500,000 in donations?

 

When Obama claims not to accept money from special interest groups he is lying.

 

I agree with Heresay. I also find it entertaining to watch people try to justify the donations that Obama accepts as somehow more pure than those accepted by McCain.

 

McCain is dealing with the monster he helped create with McCain-Feingold. I have no sympathy for him in this area. But Obama is just being flat our dishonest and childish in trying to play the ,"My donor is better than your donor" card.