E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
President Obama's re-election campaign made an about-face late Monday in its opposition to super PACs, encouraging donors to send their unlimited contributions to one such group founded by a former administration spokesman.
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina emailed supporters to formally endorse contributions to Priorities USA, the Democratic super PAC founded by Bill Burton, a former White House deputy press secretary.
"With so much at stake, we can't allow for two sets of rules in this election whereby the Republican nominee is the beneficiary of unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm," Messina wrote on the campaign's blog. "Therefore, the campaign has decided to do what we can, consistent with the law, to support Priorities USA in its effort to counter the weight of the GOP Super PAC."
The decision represents a stark reversal for Obama, who has been among the most vocal critics of these outside political spending groups since the Supreme Court's 2010 ruling that paved the way for the rise of super PACs.
NYT: Obama returns cash tied to Mexico 'casino czar'
Obama has led Democrats in opposition to these groups, especially at the height of 2010's congressional elections. Republican-aligned groups like American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS took advantage of the new rules to great effect, spending tens of millions of dollars against Democrats during that election.
"And thanks to a Supreme Court decision called Citizens United, they are being helped along this year by special interest groups that are spending unlimited amounts of money on attack ads … without ever disclosing who’s behind all these attack ads," Obama said of Republicans and super PACs that fall. "Now, that’s not just a threat to Democrats — that’s a threat to our democracy."
The president expressed his alarm as recently as Sunday in an interview with TODAY's Matt Lauer: "One of the worries we have obviously in the next campaign is that there are so many of these so-called super PACs, these independent expenditures that are gonna be out there," he said in a pre-Super Bowl interview.
'Smell test'
Moreover, after Priorities USA had launched, the White House continued to encourage it to abide by a stricter set of rules and disclose its donors. As recently as last week, Senate Democrats had announced their intention to investigate these groups, with New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) arguing that the notion that groups like these don't coordinate a failure of the "smell test."
The Obama campaign's reversal, though, is a testament to the effectiveness of these groups. Restore Our Future, a super PAC established on behalf of Mitt Romney, has raised tens of millions of dollars already and spent some of that war chest with great effectiveness against Romney's rivals in the Republican primary.
Messina's statement Monday evening said that senior campaign officials, along with some White House and cabinet officials, would attend events and solicit donations for Priorities USA. Those actions are permitted under federal election laws, though Priorities USA is barred from coordinating formally with the Obama campaign. (Messina said that Obama, Vice President Biden and the first lady would not participate in this effort.)
"As has become evident in the past month, the only enthusiasm in the Republican Party is among oil company billionaires and investment bankers on Wall Street looking to defeat President Obama," Burton said by email in reaction to the decision. "We’re committed to providing a balance to Karl Rove and the Koch brothers who have pledged more than half a billion dollars to their effort."
According to a filing this month with the Federal Election Commission, Priorities USA Action had managed to raise about $1.2 million in the second half of 2011, leaving it with about $1.5 million in the bank at the end of the year.
With the heft of the Obama campaign behind its efforts, though, Priorities USA could see its bank accounts swell, giving the group millions to spend on behalf of the president — and agains his eventual Republican challenger — over the course of the next nine months.
Leave a Comment:
obama is a slave to wall street.
You are a little mis-informed. Obama is a puppett to the labor unions. The Dems always state the Dems are for labor. He is in the pockets of the union bosses. Look where most of the bailout money went to - unionized business to save the jobs they still had. Very little went to create jobs. A small amout of the bail out money went to businesses that later failed.
Obama's recent pole numbers are giving him some troublesome concern ....."LOL"
He (President Obama) may not agree that the SuperPacs are a good idea.... but the Republican/Tea Party groups seemed to think they were. They made sure it became the 'law of the land' (by the activist judges of the US Supreme Court, 5 appointed by Republicans & 4 by Democrats)...... Now they don't want to play by the rules promoted by them? So let's revisit the whole question and remove SuperPacs.... I'm sure the President would go along with that. It's not flip-flopping...it's dealing with reality.
It's selling out on an earlier commitment he made is it not??
When the Supreme Court allowed Super Pacs, all they did was make it a more level playing field, as the Democrats have been getting illegal "super pack" like funding from SEIU and all the other Unions for many, many years... no difference between a Union and a corporation...
A Union is not a "person" either...I know, because I'm an IBEW member and they contribute to candidates I'm against all the time, with membership $$, which was illegal up until the Super Pac ruling.
After Obama saw how the Super Pacs can influence an election without putting the candidate in jeopardy, then he liked them. The Super PACs are not restricted in their negative advertising by the election regulations because they are not a part of the political party heirarchy. They are independnt entities. Therefore, they can use misleading advertising to attack their candidate's opponent. This was brought out after Gingrich accused Romney for false advertising. Romney responded that it wasn't his people who had paid for that advertising.
Do the people complaining that Obama is "just evening the playing field" believe that the Democratic base is going to vote against him because of Republican advertising? Do you think that the undecided voters are so stupid that they will vote Republican because of their unlimited SuperPAC advertising dollars, or that they are just stupid enough to vote Democrat because of the counter-SuperPAC advertising dollars?
The solution to all this crying about SuperPAC money is to just ignore the advertising, which is always just partisan crap, let them waste their money, vote your conscience, and allow everyone else to do the same.
the "leveling of the playing field" was done when the courts allowed the Super Pacs!
The SEIU and other Unions have been illegally contributing to the Democratic party for years in "super pac" fashion...
This just gives the Republican a fairer playing field!
I know, because I'm an IBEW member and they have been making illegal contributions to Democrats for many many years!
A Union is also not a "person"....
SuperPacs should be illegal, and campaign spending should be strictly regulated. However that will never happen, and everyone must play by the same rules. Today elections are won and lost on spending. It's the same with business. It's all about who spends more. It has precious little to do with ethics, honesty or even ability. Obama has the ability to gather almost unlimited amounts of money. Why should he depend on ethics when nobody else does. I mean, be real. The GOP has one guy who doesn't care about the poor and likes to fire people (in a day when most Americans are struggling), and another who cheats on his wives, was censured by Congress and was forced to resign from Congress because of ethical violations yet they are considered viable candidates because they can buy an election. Only a fool wouldn't match them dollar for dollar, dirty trick for dirty trick. That's politics.
GridReaper, "Birth Certificate"? Really? Even Trump, idiot that he is, has given up on that one.
Don't play dumb, Ed
Bottom line - Obama said he'd not participate in Super Pacs. The statement was an attempt to set himself apart from other candidates. Super Pacs were certainly legal and being used by cnadidates when he made the statement. Obama was setting his integrity apart from others.
Unfortunately - this is another statement he failed to deliver upon. He flip flopped again. If he didn't mean it - he shouldn't have said it to begin with.
Super PACs are the brain child of the republican party, and it was passed by a judicial system composed of a majority of right wing justices. They were convinced that they would gain an advantage with the support of cooperate America. The democrats were against this idea and tried to stop it. Now that the republicans see that President Obama can play as well as they do, they now want to criticize him. That is a perfect example of hypocrisy. I say good for the president. As for those of you who are complaining, my advice to you is, be careful what you ask for in the future. Your unenlightened decision making process has placed our government up for sell to the one percentiles. As you can see, stupid actions generally create unwanted results.
There is no difference between the Republican super pacs and the Democrat Union $$ they have been collecting for many many years!
Unions for many, many years have been illegally contributing membership $$ without their consent, I know, I have been an IBEW member for many years...
As the Republican primary season has unfolded, the number of Americans who call themselves Democrats has fallen to a record low. Now, 35.9% of Americans consider themselves Republicans while 32.5% are Democrats. Just a couple of months ago, there were slightly more Democrats than Republicans.
To all those that said and feel the President's campaign is hypocritical for changing it's position on super PACS- remember that they are legal if immoral. They were approved by a majority of the conservative-laden Supreme Court and will most likely be outlawed after this years election because of public uproar. Had they never been introduced by the Bush operatives years ago, this would not be an issue today.
Democrats have been taking contributions, illegally, for years from Unions in this same "super pac" fashion, but when Republicans now can get equal ground, it's "bad and immoral"?
Give me a break!!!!
Unions aren't "a person" either!
I know, because my union, IBEW, has been giving membership $$ away every since I can remember!
There's nothing wrong with super pac money....or the amount of it .....
The more we see and get to know about our candidates , the better .....
But I do think that a portion of that money should go to a good charity .....10 or 15% ....
That way all of those giving , will really get some reward from their donations , even if the candidate that they are supporting looses , some good charity has won .....
Obama is a pig, time for a luau.
I see public school has had ill effects on common sense and critical thought.
This is such a double standard...the Democrats yelled and screamed with the 2010 court decision on Super Pacs, while they were taking "super pack" like $$ from SEIU and the other Unions..who give membership $$ without their permission, I know, because I'm in the IBEW and they do to!
This is what a bad joke this political system is..the Democrats want to set everything up so they have total control...
Unions arent' "a person" either!
Does this spineless turd ever stand for anything without changing his mind when its politically convenient??
Obama remembered how he reneged on his promise to accept public funds against McCain so there is absolutely no surprise here. Also not a surprise because Obama will say or do anything to stay in office another four years because he knows the will of the American citizens will be crushed so severely that we won't be able to oppose his doctrine of big government and centralized control of our lives because only the elite can take care of themselves.
This President is the same one who wrote in his Health Care proposal, that while the majority of God Fearing people, would either have to join his Health Care program and pay more taxes, or pay a penalty and pay more taxes. All except for his favorite group of God Fearing people.
(Since Liberal's in this Country automatically believe anybody who disagrees with them is either ignorant, racist or worst.) I invite the open minded Liberals to read his proposal, and when you discover that he has a slight discriminatory preference for a certain religious group. Whom are neither bad or good, but are his personal favorite group of individuals and thus must be treated differently by him and us, regardless of the Constitution. Maybe you will realize the Great Experiment failed, because you were deceived !
The word he used in his proposal is called Dhimmitude. Now the paragraph below is a commentary. However, I believe once you razor sharp Liberals have found it to be in his Health Bill you will all be running out to convert, no doubt. (Islam not Republican, I'm a conservative not delusional.)
ObamaCare allows the establishment of Dhimmitude and Sharia Muslim diktat in the United States . Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase ObamaCare insurance, and also from the penalty tax for being uninsured. Islam considers insurance to be "gambling", "risk-taking", and "usury" and is thus banned. Muslims are specifically granted exemption based on this.
Once this gets out in the General Public, I am sure it will help heal the wounds and ease the tensions between those who follow Islam, and those who have fought to protect the rights of All Americans
Kind of like when Cashes Clay change his name to Muhammed Ali during the Viet Nam war draft time , claiming it was against his religion , but he was still prosecuted for it .
@liitleI56
Why I'm bothering to respond to such an easily disproved pack of lies and idiocy I don't know but ...
A. The President didn't write the Affordable Health Care Act you pinhead. Two versions were written,one in the House and one in the Senate and then a final version was negotiated and voted into law.
B. "Dhimmitude" or as it's also known "dhimmis"? Are you fricking kidding?
A theory born in the fevered and demented mind of known Muslim-baiting hate monger of the far Jewish Right Bat Ye'or. Which she then said was first made known to her by assassinated former Lebanese president elect Bachir Gemayel. How convenient.
The woman had been discredited everywhere except by the most rabid anti-Muslim corners of the world and the narrow minded fools and mouth-breathers that listen to them. I'm guessing an idiot like yourself was turned on to her ravings by Glen Beck.
C. The charge of Muslims being exempt from participating in the Affordable Health Care Acts requirements due to their religion.
Yeah,right. The only religious groups that the bill provides any redress for not participating on religious grounds are the same groups that under Title 26 >Subtitle A>Chapter 2--subsection g are also excluded from Social Security payroll taxes. There is NO Muslim group that has ever asked to be exempted from such,the groups that do are Anabaptist groups---the Mennonites,Amish and Hutterites,to name a few. These groups,as you may well know (or then again given the tripe you offered up here you may well NOT know...) are also exempted from military service. Which Muslims most definitely are NOT.
I would say that you should be ashamed of yourself for posting such ugly lies,but you're such a pitiful,pathetic fool that you probably believe the idiocy you posted here.
I won't bother branding you a ignorant or racist. You did that all by yourself when you posted this trash in the first place.
It is time that we realize that this is not the country of the rich, by the rich for the rich.
If you can not support a family on minimum wage that means it is modern day slavery.
Our minimum wages would be considered great or super pay in many countries around the world...
Your comment shows your ignorance, bigben. So you believe that US workers should be happy with minimum wage jobs so the corporate execs can give themselves millions more in bonuses? You're pathetic.
Scum, spent 5 trillion and you idiots still by into the there lies.
Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha... Democrats seriously putting money into a super pac. Not possible when the largest percentage of you are on social programs and putting most of the taxpayers dollars into casinos. And I am an independent who just doesn't care for social waste.
The grass is always "browner" on the other side.....until you're hungry...
I say, use the law to the fullest, until the law is changed. Hopefully, Obama also works towards campaign reform, and doesnt just make more promises he doesnt fully keep.
I support Ron Paul first. If its not Ron Paul that gets the republican Nomination, then Im supporting Obama.
I will NEVER support any of the rest of the conservative party. I support Ron for his LIBERTARIAN stance. He is the only right winger who actually supports liberty. Unlike the rest of the conservatives who have Bibles shoved in their butts, and an theocratic agenda on their lips.
If only Obama would support real freedom, then he would have my support now. But hes not much better than the right from what hes done so far. Especially with rights and freedoms.
Only Ron Paul is talking about undoing the Patriot act, and bringing due process back. Only Ron Paul is talking ending the useless war on drugs thats costing billion in taxes, and thousands of lives needlessly lost. Only Ron Paul is talking ending the wars NOW, and actually closing Gitmo. Unlike Obama who lied about doing it, and has dragged his feet for 3 years+.
Support Ron Paul, the only true Libertarian.
I think everybody loves Ron , but his age is surely hampering him ....
We'll have to see how he does in the coming weeks ahead ....
Hopefully he can get a post in a new administration ....
I wish he would run as an independent, it would make it much easier for lefties and moderates to support him. ANY connection to the GOP is like poison. He would be doing a lot better if he was never a conservative, and always ran as a libertarian.
For the record, I support everything Obama is doing socially. Its long overdue. So is fixing the free corporate ride, and corporate welfare. I just dont support his foreign policy at all. And I dont like hos failure to undo the patriot act, and get rid of the Police state. Thats too me is far more important than any other issue. Its why I support Ron Paul. Its the only reason why.
F4E.....The only problem with that you know , is the divided vote then ....
The danger in Obama winning from the divided voting ....
F4E.....For the record, I support everything Obama is doing socially. Its long overdue.
I have to disagree ....
When it comes time to begin bringing our debt down from the sweat of the tax payers....
And when those tax payers see the difficulty in doing so ...
You'll have to let me know if you feel the same ....
All the more reason to tax more, and pay off the debt. I say tax the hell out of everyone, especially the rich. Until its paid off in full. The idea of passing the debt on to the next generation is BS. Its not their debt, ITS YOURS.
I think its far better spending tax dollars on People in America, then rebuilding another country. You look at spending, and its easy top see which party is spending what and where. They BOTH tax and spend the same amounts, they just spend in different places. GOP is full of crap when they say they are conservatives. They spend more then the left does, all on war, and military, and trips to the moon..
the point I disagree with you, Freedom, is that republicans lower taxes on the wealthy and spend. They do not tax and spend.
Obama flip flops more than a fish....God help us if he gets re-elected.
Checks in the mail! Please it would have to be a cold day in hell the day I send any money to any of these two Obama or Romney.
Oh, wait.. social program dollars into Casinos; Casino owners putting money into Republican Super Pacs. How could we have possibly missed the irony that the current Administration and the remaining members of the welfare providing party are actually giving up the money that is going into the Super PAC that is against them?
Guess you haven't been watching the news... the murdering, drug smuggling Casino owners (from Chicago and Mexico) have been giving directly to Obama!!!
All that money. Lots and lots of money. The first thing I think about is our nations debt and how the money raised could make a start at paying back some to it. Hey, Obama already had a big war chest with gobs and gobs of money given by unions and Soros and other billionaires as well as the "little people" who give to help his campaign. It is a free country and both parties can raise all the money they want for their candidates. Don't get on your high horse dems! Don't lecture on "fairness" when there is nothing fair about the class warfare waged by the president. He is the one who wanted a billion dollar war chest. Now he has it and when that is countered by the conservatives to make it a fair fight and get our candidates message out there. We might as well just burn the money for all the good it will do. In fact, it will probably do damage to all parties.
America is now the most corrupt country in the developed world. We are suffocating in special interest money and the best ideas, the best policy no longer matters. Absolutely tragic.
Ahh... A walk down memory lane..
It's like teapublicans pretend that anything that happened more than 15 minutes ago, really didn't exist at all..
"WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans on Thursday stood fast in blocking legislation requiring special interest groups running campaign ads to identify their donors.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/23/senate-republicans-block-campaign-finance-disclosure/#ixzz1lgZzmnzs""