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No Clinton Tax Disclosure: No Debate
John McCain and Hillary Clinton are both on the attack against Democratic Presidential Frontrunner Barack Obama. McCain is trying to twist Obama's arm to make good on a supposed public financing pledge his campaign says they made. Hillary Clinton is trying like a sideshow performer trying to pull a locomotive with her teeth to stop Obama's steamrolling momentum by getting him off the campaign trail and into a debate.
Obama is clearly not gullible enough to give into either McCain or Hillary's weaknesses to give them a chance to come up for air. For McCain and the Republicans, there is an enormous money gap. They take one look at the combination of voter excitement and turnout, their conjoined connection to an extremely unpopular president, and an unprecedented fundraising boom to boot and want to scrape out any advantage that they can.
Hillary on the other hand faces much of the same negatives, an electrifying opponent who looks more and more unstoppable, connection to the old battled Clinton years, and a well-publicized lag in fundraising. She's gone negative in her most recent attack ads, trying to prod Obama into a debate by essentially calling him chicken.
The best way for Senator Obama to act as a lion tamer with a whip and chair to fight back the McCain/Clinton attacks is to get louder about calling for their public tax disclosures now. Only Obama has made full income tax returns public. Clinton who faces serious legitimate questions after pumping $5 million of her own money into her sinking campaign, particularly with the skeletons of the Clinton past lurking. McCain has his own problem too considering his connection to the Keating Five in the 80's.
Obama should put both McCain and Hillary's feet to the fire and ask them to put up or shut up. The New York Times makes a great case today for calling on the two senators to do exactly that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/opinion/15fri1.html?ref=opinion
Comments (8)
What skeletons would those be? What "legitimate" questions are there about her loaning her campaign money? That is not against the rules.
February 16, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
We have an interest in knowing where the money comes from that a candidate lives on. If it's her own money raised in the clear, fine. No problem. But at present we don't know. It's very odd that she's trying to say that she'll only let us know if she gets the nomination. Now why do you suppose she says that?
February 16, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
* Obama should ignore or dismiss Clintons attack. It is weak and reaks of desperation.
* He should refuse McCain's offer. McCain can't raise money. Obama can.
JUST SAY NO!!!!
And if they complain, I agree with you totally, he should respond with the tax return question.
February 16, 2008 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
You know, I agree with you for the most part. But if I were Obama, I would actually use the debates to say it more clearly and directly ask Clinton.. "Why won't you release your tax returns? What are you afraid of?" I would go on the offensive if I were him. Use the debates to highlight the big points. And use her weakness as his best offense - take all of her criticisms and use it against her. Healthcare? She failed the first time - miserably. Special interests? She gets the most from lobbyist. Iraq? She voted for the war and labelled Iran a terrorist nation (which is what Bush does now, call all his enemies terrorists). The economy? Bloomberg agrees with his plan and no other candidates and actually praised him for it as well as the former Fed Chairman. Change? The Clintons were great for the 90s, but this is a new era, needing fresh ideas. This is not the Netscape age, this is the Google age.
He should let his opening and closing remark reflect his soaring message of hope - but let the fine points of the debate highlight his difference with Hillary. That is the one criticism I do have of Obama - he needs to fight a little more, get more agitated about their attacks. Show his anger about it.
February 16, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
What about McCains' sneakiness with regard to public financing in the primaries?
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=02&year=2008&base_name=john_mccain_has_an_exit_strate
"But whatever the FEC eventually decides, McCain's ju-jitsu move on the public financing system, effectively evading the choice between public financing and unlimited spending that the law intends, should surely end whatever credibility he has as a reformer of the political process."
It's a fair issue to raise, is it not?
Furthermore, I recall Kerry getting slammed by 527 groups. Any word from McCain on how it can be a fair fight with all of that money in 527s ready to pounce?
I think Obama should raise the issue of 527s and swiftboating. I don't think you can trust the RNC with sleazy smears.
February 16, 2008 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
First,
I think McCain's point is very simple yet effective. Obama made a public and written pledge that if he were the nominee to forego contributions and rely on public financing if the Republican nominee did the same. His affirmative answer as you can see below is unequivocal. Nothing about the agreement being contingent on 527's or anything of the like.
Now frankly, I think it was a pretty stupid pledge to make, but clearly, he felt that his new brand of politics and his attempts to cast Hillary Clinton as a slave to the special interests and politics as usual compelled him to take it.
Second,
Were he to backtrack and break and reverse himself from that unequivocal position, would that not sort of undermine his argument that his new brand of politics, which is fundamentally based on the corrupting influence of money in politics and holding politicians accountable, and giving the people a leader they can trust?
Just wondering, would love for someone to respond.
http://www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org/templates/media/MDNPresidentialQuestionnaire.pdf
Question I-B:
If you are nominated for President in 2008 and your major opponents agree to forgo private funding in the general election campaign, will you participate in the presidential public financing system?
OBAMA: Yes. I have been a long-time advocate for public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests.
He goes on to actually highlight this pledge as as one of his very own proposals....
I proposed a novel way to preserve the strength of the public financing system in the 2008 election. My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election. My proposal followed announcements by some presidential candidates that they would forgo public financing so they could raise unlimited funds in the general election. The Federal Election Commission ruled the proposal legal, and Senator John McCain (r-AZ) has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.
February 16, 2008 10:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is there an online petition to get Clinton to release her tax returns? Anywhere?
Her refusal makes it seem as though she is hiding something embarrassing, possibly multiple things.
Voters and superdelegates deserve to know NOW if the Clinton tax returns contain scandals that the Republicans can use against her, or scandals that would make even conscientious Democrats withdraw their support.
Clinton's refusal to release the returns also raises the specter of yet ANOTHER secretive presidency, where the public's legitimate right-to-know is considered a nuisance to be ignored and squelched.
There is no legitimate reason for her to not make her tax returns public. It is both an insult to voters and a gigantic red flag.
February 17, 2008 7:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the petition you're looking for.
http://beertap.wordpress.com
The article on the petition is there.
March 9, 2008 1:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
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