Category | Op Ed

Obama’s rejection of public funds calls into question his image as reformer

Published on July 8, 2008 by The Sentinel

    Take your pick: Sen. Barack Obama’s change of position on public
campaign financing makes him (1) a flip-flopper; (2) a formidable
fundraiser; (3) a calculating politician; (4) all of the above. If you
said (4), you win, but there’s no reason to celebrate.

    The Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic nominee for president made a 180-degree turn by reneging on a promise to accept public financing for the general election. This represents a decision to rely on private fundraising and forgo spending restrictions. The change was based on the discovery that he could raise more money through the Internet than the $84 million the government would give him.

    The senator has already raked in about $265 million through April, a record amount, and some Democrats think $500 million more is not out of the question for the general election. Formidable indeed.

    Which brings us to the calculating part. Again, the shoe fits. The senator wants to portray himself as a reformer, but he also wants to win. He reckons that the public won’t care where the money comes from, and that any harm to his campaign will be far outweighed by the benefit of having more money than Sen. John McCain, the expected Republican nominee.

    In his own defense, Sen. Obama argues that raising small donations via the Internet accomplishes the same objective as the campaign financing law because it is truly “public” money that comes in small amounts. He also says that he will need more money to fight a two-front war against both Sen. McCain and the so-called 527 groups that operate independently and helped to sink Democrat John Kerry’s campaign in 2004.

    There is some truth in this, but only up to a point. About 55 percent of the senator’s contributions so far have been from large donors (those who give $200 or more), not small ones, according to figures from the Center for Responsive Politics. Also, pro-Obama 527 groups will wage their own campaigns to rebut smear tactics, while also attacking Sen. McCain.

    The public financing law was a reform that grew out of the Watergate scandals of the 1970s. Although far from perfect, it has done much to clean up campaign financing and level the playing field between the major party candidates in the general election.

    Sen. Obama’s decision to abandon public financing calls into question his reputation as a reformer. The law, however, was written decades before the Internet age and badly needs updating. Whether he wins the election or not, Obama should do his utmost to overhaul the political finance system to dispel the notion that victory is determined by which candidate has the biggest wallet.