Kerry joins Dean in skipping public funds

[CMT]

John Kerry has opted out of public funding for his white house bid, and will take out a personal loan to help fund his white house bid...

http://www.msnbc.com/news/993724.asp?0cv=CB10

[La_Serpiente]

1. I don't really care if he opts out or not

I mean, taking down Bush will take MONEY!!! No doubt about that. However, if he really wanted to set an example for himself, he should cap his spending for the primary.

He could present himself as a distinction to Howard Dean by using that tactic.

[virtualobserver]

2. this is about winning........

Kerry should do whatever it takes to beat Dean, just as Dean should do whatever it takes to beat Bush, as should Kerry.

[Le Taz Hot]

5. Interesting

"Kerry should do whatever it takes to beat Dean . . ." And here I thought the enemy was Bush.

[sandnsea]

8. For those who want real change

beating Dean is as important as beating Bush. I'm tired of muddle=of-the=road candidates and Presidents. We can do better than that and I appreciate Kerry being willing to put his money where his mouth is for the little people in this country.

[w4rma]

9. Kerry is worthless. He is divisive and the negative tactics he is using

against another Democrat will result in his loss to Bush that will make Dukakis's loss look good. He is intentionally trying to set Democrats upon one another. If I wanted to see Democrat bashing I'd go watch Rush Limbaugh.

[sandnsea]

10. No, that would be Howard Dean

From day one. Starting by challenging all the other Democrats to stay within public campaign financing so the 'rich' ones, like Edwards and Kerry, couldn't take advantage of poor Howard. Creating a divisive issue where none existed. Then ignoring his own ethical challenge just a few months later because the wind changed. Howard Dean isn't going to look as good as Michael Dukakis if he manages to win and go up against Bush, he would be the biggest embarrassment this party has ever seen.

[Instant Karma]

19. I really like Senator Kerry.

Between this and his campaign staff shake-up, I believe we will see an improvement in his polling for the primaries.

[Le Taz Hot]

21. And what if one of the usual suspects held ANOTHER

perpetual Dean bashing post and only one person showed up to play -- they'd have to play with themselves.

[mitchum]

25. Uh...there is a primary beforehand...

but you already know that. Don't forget,rushing ahead and anointing a candidate is something that only smug, half-insane Kerry supporters do

[JI7]

3. kerry did put a cap on primary spending

john kerry has put a cap on how much he would spend in the primary. i can't think of the exact number but it's the maximum allowed for those who take public funds.

[Padraig18]

4. He did?

Is there a link where we can check that out? Thanks! :hi:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. First sentence of the article linked in the thread.

...he plans to keep his spending to the $45 million limit for the primaries — if he can raise that amount.

[virtualobserver]

22. does that mean that if he does not "raise" it......

he will spend unlimited amounts of his personal funds.

I'm not opposed to the use of personal funds, but Kerry always seems to rely on that in the end.

Lack of voter support is a bitch.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

24. Yes.

A Kerry campaign aide said, "He wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't willing and able to spend enough money to go over the amount he would have received in public financing."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/14/elec04.prez.kerry.money/index.html

[killbotfactory]

7. He bashes Dean for being politically expedient...

And then does the politically expedient thing to do against Dean.

Good job, Kerry.

[virtualobserver]

23. isn't that the Kerry Doctrine......

political expediency.

[Demobrat]

11. Deep pockets or small donations? Take your pick.

Dean opts out because he believes what his supporters have told him, that they have got his back in the fight against Bush. Kerry opts out so he can use his own personal funds against Dean. So what do we want? A pres with lots of little supporters, or a pres with lots of money? Hmmm......one to conjure with.

[CMT]

12. I agree with your point

Dean is not going to loan his campaign millions of dollars but is going to depend on his supporters to bankroll his effort. Kerry apparently (if this story is correct) is going to write a personal check. Still I agree with him opting out of public money because if Kerry is the nominee, he, like Dean, will be able to answer Bush ads in the spring and early summer before the democratic convention.

[Demobrat]

15. I actually don't have a problem with anybody opting out

for any reason. Bush opted out first and will bury anybody who can't. That's the reality.

[sandnsea]

13. So people can borrow money

Borrow $100 to send to Howard. Howard is so out of touch that he doesn't understand that people can't even borrow $100 to buy their medication or food, let alone send it to Howard. Kerry puts his money where his mouth is. I appreciate that.

[Demobrat]

17. Well in that case he'll lose.

And you won't have anything to worry about, will you?

[diamondsoul]

14. Damn! Just damn.*sigh*

I like Kerry a lot, and this is disappointing, but then with the Dean thing, I'm not sure he has much choice.

He does, but I'm not sure he could pull ahead if he didn't forgo public funding. Ok, now I'm shutting up before I turn this into a flame-fest. I feel sick, and I hold one man responsible.(it isn't John Kerry)

[sandnsea]

16. It disappointed me too

I really would have preferred he didn't do this. *sigh*

[CMT]

18. that man who should be held responsible is GW Bush

who will have $200 million to spend distorting democrats in the spring until the GOP convention in September and if these Democrats didn't opt out of public funds we wouldn't be able to answer the smears the Rove machine will launch. The difference is that most of the money Bush will raise will be from corporations and fat cats. The money Dean raises will be smaller donations largely from ordinary people.

[babzilla]

20. Kerry thought it was a good idea in '96

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2003/11/10/6575/0432/1

Blaming the other guy - this is the same smokescreen that Kerry raised in 1996. He accused Weld of breaking the cap upon which the two of them agreed after extensive, gentlemanly, and detailed negotiations. The agreement was done very carefully by lawyers from both sides. He had no proof that Weld would break the cap, and Weld had not broken the cap, but Kerry said he had to break the cap to pre-empt Weld breaking the cap. (No wonder he voted for Bush's pre-emptive war.) Here's a final analysis of the Weld-Kerry flap from the Boston Globe:
"In the last days of his reelection campaign, Sen. John F. Kerry blasted Gov. William F. Weld for violating the spending cap the two men agreed to in August - a cap hailed across the nation as a political model.

"But federal campaign spending reports released yesterday indicate that the only clear violation of the cap was Kerry's, as he poured $ 1.7 million of his own money into his campaign to keep pace with Weld's advertising barrage.

"The cap limited the political use of personal funds to $ 500,000. Weld, whose fund-raising outpaced Kerry's for much of the campaign, only tapped his personal fortune for $ 120,000 before election day, though he kicked in an additional $ 150,000 after the election to allow some staffers to receive paychecks through the end of November.

"The post-election finance reports filed yesterday indicate that Kerry, who gained his wealth from his 1995 marriage to heiress Teresa Heinz, needed to use personal assets in order to keep pace with Weld in the final months of the campaign.

"Had he not used his own money, Kerry's campaign could not have aired television commercials in the final crucial days of the campaign, a time when Weld was flooding the airwaves with his ads.

. . .

"In overall spending, Kerry, relying on his personal assets and early cushion in campaign funds, outdid Weld, $ 8.4 million to $ 7.6 million.

"The spending cap limited the two campaigns to $ 6.9 million in spending from July 1 on. Both candidates, according to the federal reports, adhered to that limit, with Weld spending $ 6.6 million and Kerry $ 6.3 million in period covered by the cap."

-- Frank Phillips, Report: Kerry spent $1.7m on election. Boston Globe (Dec 6 1996), A38