Obama rejects public financing for campaign; McCain attacks decision

Early in the primary season, Obama had said he would use public financing if his Republican opponent did. But that was before the presumptive Democratic nominee harnessed the Internet and became a fund-raising powerhouse.

His likely Republican opponent,  John McCain, has been in the forefront of campaign finance reform and has taken steps to accept public funds in the general election. He immediately attacked Obama's decision.

"Today, Barack Obama has revealed himself to be just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama," McCain's communications director, Jill Hazelbaker, said in a statement.

"The true test of a candidate for president is whether he will stand on principle and keep his word to the American people. Barack Obama has failed that test today, and his reversal of his promise to participate in the public finance system undermines his call for a new type of politics,"

Republican National Committee Chairman Robert M. Duncan repeated that theme: "Clearly, Barack Obama is just another politician who is willing to do whatever benefits his own personal agenda.”

Obama's move also was criticized by Joan Claybrook, president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. In a statement, she said:

"Obama has been a champion of ethics reforms and campaign finance reform… . Now that he has decided to opt out of public funding, it will be more difficult for him to show that he has not abandoned the concept and will champion clean elections and ensure that Congress passes much-needed reforms immediately."

Obama blamed the McCain campaign for making it impossible to stay in the public financing system, which began in the 1970s when Congress passed laws designed to limit the power of private funds in shaping electoral politics.

"John McCain's campaign and the Republican National Committee are fueled by contributions from Washington lobbyists and special-interest PACs. And we’ve already seen that he’s not going to stop the smears and attacks from his allies running so-called 527 groups, who will spend millions and millions of dollars in unlimited donations," Obama said.

He insisted his campaign still represented a new type of politics, even if privately financed.

"You've already changed the way campaigns are funded because you know that's the only way we can truly change how Washington works," Obama said. "And that's the path we will continue in this general election.

"I'm asking you to try to do something that's never been done before. Declare our independence from a broken system, and run the type of campaign that reflects the grass-roots values that  have already changed our politics and brought us this far," he said.

The Obama campaign turned the Internet into an electoral cash register, raising more than $265 million, a record, by the end of April. Of that, $10 million was earmarked for the general election.

McCain trails in fund-raising, taking in $115 million by the end of May. But the Republican National Committee has more resources than its Democratic counterpart.

McCain and Obama declined public financing during the primary season. But McCain has been in a dispute with the Federal Election Commission, whose chairman earlier this year said the Republican candidate needed commission approval to decline the funds.

The FEC has not had a quorum to act, however, because four of its six seats have been vacant.

 michael.muskal@latimes.com