Obama Faces Questions On Fundraising Decision

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

(CHICAGO) Barack Obama will host a press conference today that is certain to be dominated by questions about his decision to opt out of public financing in the general election. John McCain has been after Obama since he announced his decision yesterday, accusing him of flip-flopping on an issue that he has championed for over a year now.

A major sticking point between the campaigns is whether Obama actively pursued negotiations with McCain about ground rules for financing the campaigns. Both candidates had agreed to discuss the issue once the nominations were settled. In a debate in Cleveland last February, Obama said, "At the point where I'm the nominee, at the point where it's appropriate, I will sit down with John McCain and make sure that we have a system that woks for everybody."

Although neither candidate met, campaign attorney's Trevor Potter (McCain) and Bob Bauer (Obama) met on June 6th, where the two discussed public financing among other issues. Bauer said he came away from the meeting with the sense that Potter was not prepared to talk about campaign finance. He went back to the Obama campaign and suggested that continued conversations would be senseless.

Potter, on the other hand, argues that the June 6th meeting was not a negotiation but rather a preparatory conversation that would lead to further discussion. Potter said he was "shocked" when he heard of Obama's decision yesterday, and surprised that the Obama campaign did not actively pursue formal negotiations.

Obama will also likely be pressed on the timing of his decision and whether his consideration of the pledge was genuine.

However, before he tackles questions on financing, Obama will host a roundtable discussion with seventeen Democratic governors. Noteworthy participants are Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who is rumored to be a contender for vice president, and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a long time Clinton supporter.

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by aj4321-2009 June 20, 2008 6:24 PM EDT: McCain changes his positions by the hour.

He might still change his postion and deny public funding. Just Wait.

McCain == Super Flip-flopper; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 June 20, 2008 6:12 PM EDT: There were no Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, the War Monger Republicans wanted to pin the United States into perpetual war to maintain power and to divert Federal Treasury Funds to the Private Sector.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 June 20, 2008 4:54 PM EDT: GOP/EXXONMobil; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 June 20, 2008 4:53 PM EDT: The Republican Party has been reduced a Private Oil Company.; Reply to this comment


by rowdywicca June 20, 2008 3:19 PM EDT: We all know why Obama rejected public financing, he''s already bought and sold. He had to do it to get elected.

Then he runs around touting how he hates big money influence, but he seems to love it, as long as the big money checks are coming to him, and he can write big money checks to buy support!

Disgusting bastward!; Reply to this comment


by caliguy55 June 20, 2008 2:49 PM EDT: But off-shore drilling is just the latest apparent shift in views. Perhaps most glaringly, in May 2001, McCain said of the Bush tax cuts, %u201CI cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle class Americans who most need tax relief." In October 2007, McCain promised, %u201CI will not let the Democrats roll back the Bush tax cuts," and he''s making an issue out of Sen. Barack Obama''s desire to repeal the same tax cuts McCain opposed. Parenthetically, compared to the flip-flops by McCain on numerous, significant issues of the day, this change by Sen. Obama is meaningless. Anyone, who thinks McCain is a reformer better take a hard look at the numerous conflicting statements he has made over the past few months. Anyone who thinks McCain is honest and has integrity, should go back to the early 90s to study the "Keating Five" scandal, which almost landed him in prison. Further, as Obama stated, the Republicans have learned to circumvent public financing restrictions through the use of 527 organizations and the like. Sure, the Republicans will scream long and loud about this meaningless "news". But, my checkbook is open, and my pen is ready, to make more contributions to Obama''s run for the Presidency, which he will win by a landslide come November.; Reply to this comment


by memekiller June 20, 2008 2:44 PM EDT: Washington must be terrified by Obama''s very democratic means of raising money from small donors rather than lobbyists. This makes him accountable to us, not Big Money, which is what is most feared. But he can only hope to do it if he opts out of McCain''s campaign finance system laws McCain is violating, and legally raises money from the plebes to answer McCain''s corporate finance 527s.; Reply to this comment


by meghtz June 20, 2008 12:32 PM EDT: Since Obama has rejected public financing he has shown who his real backers are. You must have a means to be indentified not so for those who forego public financing.; Reply to this comment


by doctorvandermast June 20, 2008 11:53 AM EDT: If Obama had accepted public financing, he would have been portrayed as an impractical, naive, too ideological, unfit to do what is necessary as commander-in-chief. The phrase we had heard bandied about in discussions about this was "unlilateral disarmament."

Plus the Obama Internet fundraising is the best solution yet to the real problem. He won''t start out his presidency having to reward special interests so they will give again in four years.

Instead he will be working for me.; Reply to this comment