First They Steal My Vote...Now They Want My Money

Oh, the nerve.

Obama's campaign manager sent me this email yesterday:

Dawn --

Barack announced an important decision for our campaign today.

I want to add a little context to the video message you received earlier (a video of Barack asking me for moolah - which is a little like asking your wife for sex after telling her she looks fat) announcing that we will not participate in the public financing system for the general election.

Even though we stood to receive more than $80 million in taxpayer funding for our campaign, the system has been so gamed and exploited by our opponents that it is effectively broken. (Grrr...the hypocrisy of the Obama campaign using the words GAMED and EXPLOITED...words they elevated to a whole new rotten level of meaning...makes me want to scream.)

John McCain, the Republican National Committee, and their allies in so-called 527 groups that raise and spend unlimited contributions are dedicated to manipulating this broken system to raise as much money as possible -- and they've proven that they're very good at it. (Yea, Dave, and another thing the RNC is really good at is OPPOSITIONAL RESEARCH. If I were you, I'd start looking for a job. NOW.)

A top McCain adviser told MSNBC earlier this month, "now that we're in the general election, the RNC money counts, the DNC money counts. So the truth is today, John McCain has more cash on hand and more money than Barack Obama does." (And more character, honesty, and integrity. Oh, and John will have a little more dough once he gets my check.)

In April alone, they raised nearly $45 million. That's more than our campaign and the Democratic National Committee combined. And that doesn't include the plans of 527 groups like the one called "Freedom's Watch," which has said it will spend as much as $250 million under Karl Rove's direction to attack and defeat Barack Obama. (You mean the way the media and the DNC ganged up to attack and defeat Hillary Clinton?)

To compete, Barack has put his faith in ordinary people giving only what they can afford. That's been the strategy of this campaign from the beginning, and more than 1,500,000 supporters like you have gotten us this far. (Not to mention a Syrian slum lord.)

We have a historic opportunity to prove that a movement of ordinary people has the power to change the way political campaigns are funded. And we have a clear goal as we begin this new challenge: 50,000 people declaring their independence by making a donation before July 4th.

You can help take on John McCain and the RNC by making your first donation today.

A previous donor is standing by to match your gift and double your impact. You can even exchange a personal note with them about why you've chosen to support Barack.

Declare your independence from our broken system. (I did. It is called leaving the Democratic Party. And, puleease! I saw what happened in Texas, Davey. You are part of why this system is broken. Scram.)

Make a matching donation today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/match

Opting out of public matching funds was an extremely difficult decision, (as difficult as Obama forcing out Alice Palmer and all his competition on the ballot for U.S. Senate based on technicalities so he could run unopposed?) and frankly we are at a disadvantage when it comes to raising money. Unlike John McCain, this campaign has never accepted donations from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs.

While McCain has built his fundraising strategy around high-dollar donors giving huge checks to the RNC, you are creating a new model for publicly financed campaigns.

Thank you for your support and for taking on the masters of a broken system, (of which Obama and his campaign are master manipulators)

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America