Notes On McCain's Illegal Spending Problem & Obama's VP

Posted by Ashish on 06.25.2008

McCain might be breaking the law, plus a hint at Obama's VP...

-- After John McCain's attacks on Obama last week for not accepting public financing, many wondered why the Obama campaign didn't bring up the fairly obvious fact that McCain is currently breaking the law with his spending and financing. Well, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe finally brought it up today. He showed the press a state election document in which McCain attested that he'd be taking public financing. The document had McCain's signature on it. McCain used a vow to take public financing as a way of securing a loan from a bank to fund his broke campaign last year, but then ended up not going forward with public financing in the primaries. Basically, he told the bank what it wanted to hear, that he'd be able to pay the loan back using public financing, but then took the money, didn't opt into public financing, raised private money, etc. The big issue here is that if McCain opted into public financing in the primaries, which the signed document with his signature says he did, he CANNOT spend ANY money on the general election until after the Republican convention in September. Of course, he already is, and thus may have broken the law. The DNC has already filed a lawsuit over this and it will be up to the FEC to sort it out.

-- Plouffe also hinted at Obama's VP pick, saying he doesn't think the ability to carry a state will be factored in and that the main factors considered will be the ability to be President and be a partner to Obama in governing. He noted that the last two Vice Presidents, Al Gore and Dick Cheney, weren't picked to win a particular state.