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So does Obama accept money from oil companies or not?
He's running a commercial in PA. right now in which he states that he doesn't take any money from oil companies.
The Clinton campaign has called him on it:http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/28/834887.aspx
If he's parsing words here, I'm going to be really pissed off. I'm a big Obama supporter, so if anyone can shed light on this, I'd appreciate it.
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Comments (11)
This came up about Exelon in Illinois as well.
He does take individual contributions from people who work for certain companies. There was a diary today at DailyKos from someone who works for an insurance company but donates to Obama. Does that mean Obama takes money from insurance companies?
Even the workers at Exelon had voiced concerns with some of their company's policies.
If we're going to say Obama can't take any money from anyone connected with any industry -- what does that mean? Lobbyists, industry itself: that says, "I'm buying your vote." But if it's individuals, this could get severely complicated.
I live in Illinois. I've tracked Obama's career from the very beginning. Please take my word for it: this is the cleanest God damn politician I've ever seen. And I needed convincing. As I said, I'm from Chicago. I know about dirty politics.
March 29, 2008 6:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is parsing words. Vote for Cheney.
March 29, 2008 6:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
This came up about Exelon, too. He had taken money from employees. Employees who were not exactly happy with Exelon.
The line is difficult. He does not take lobbyist money or institutional money of any kind. He does take some money from individuals. There was a diary today at DailyKos from an employee of an insurance company who donated to Obama. At what point do we tell anyone who works for any industry, that their donation is not their personal business but on behalf of the company they work for? I'll admit it's a difficult question.
Frankly, Hillary's one to talk about the money she takes from industries and lobbyists. So she can nitpick all she wants, but the Clintons' campaign finances have been unsavory all of their careers.
I live in Chicago and have followed Obama's entire political career. Believe me, he's the cleanest politician I've ever seen, and that's no easy accomplishment in Chicago. I'm not saying he's perfect. No one is. But where is the line between what an individual can do and how tied are they to the company their work for?
When you donate, you say who you work for. Anything can be spun concerning these numbers.
In terms of the energy bill, much about it was odious, but no other bill was going to get passed. There were significant increases on taxes of oil companies, research money into alternative fuels, etc. These are the devilish bargains Congress has to make.
I assure you, it's not Clintonian parsing. Or I wouldn't support him.
March 29, 2008 6:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since you are such an expert, maybe you could recreate those years of schedules and and all that correspondence that are missing from his state senate career.
March 30, 2008 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
since the conservative watchdog group, Judicial Watch, has earned so much credibility at TPM (when they attacK Hillary- 20 posts), here's the result of their search into Obama's state senate records.
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/judicial-watch-obama-intended-to-leave-no-paper-trail-2008-03-26.html
March 30, 2008 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. I just read the statement from Hillary's campaign, saying he "takes money from Exxon and Mobil". Now THAT's what I call Clintonian parsing! Individuals who work for those industries, some of whom are lower income workers at those companies. That's how Hillary equates taking money from lobbyists "because they're just people, too."
If you fall for that, I have a bridge to sell you....
March 29, 2008 7:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Earlier poster has it right. He takes individual donations, and we all (or most) work for someone. I work for a non profit. Does he take money from non-profits? If you make the leap, yes.
He takes no money from registered lobbyists.
It is Clintonian parsing, just like their attack on his saying he was a professor - which University of Chicago who employed him shot down.
March 29, 2008 7:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
In order to donate money to a political campaign, you have to identify your employer and occupation. The donation is them "tagged" as being from one of several fields: technology, power, etc. (I don't really know the fields but they are listed somewhere.) So donations made by the CEO of Exelon (as an individual) and the janitor at the Exelon headquaters would all go into one big category. There are some bundlers connected to the oil industry who have collected money for Obama, according to MSNBC, but thanks to legislation that Obama either sponsored or supported, the identity of the people whose money they are 'bundling' has to be made public as well as straightforward donations.
If this is accurate (has Obama come out with a response?), this is a CLASSIC example of why it is so damaging to have Hillary still in the race (and therefore why people are calling for her to get out). He puts out an ad (that I don't believe even mentions her); rather than tending to her own campaign, she puts out this total misstatement; and there are going to be some voters who aren't paying a lot of attention but hear *her* statement who will remember it come general election time and conclude that Obama is in the pocket to the oil interests and/or that he lies. If she would run a clean campaign, she could stay as long as she wants with no protest, but everytime she comes out with perhaps technically correct but substantively lying statements about him, she's hurting the party's candidate and the party's chances.
March 29, 2008 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. It's Hillary's way of manipulating the facts. My best friend's husband works in the defense industry, and when he gives money, it looks like money from the defense industry. But it's not. It's from him.
March 29, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
He doesn't take PAC money, period. The FEC and organizations like the CRP do classify donations based on the vocation of the donor, but these are individual donations, not lobbyist money. He's telling the truth and on this point Clinton's campaign is lying, lying, lying.
March 30, 2008 5:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's ad is BS. It maybe true in fact but false in spirit.
March 30, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
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