Love that you beat Jonathan by six seconds.

This was obvious in coming, given his fundraising prowess and supporters' energy. It's for the better. We need public financing in this country, but as long as the system is broken, there's no point playing into its hands. Shame the attack dogs and spin machines won't see it that way, but perhaps one last sordid election is just what we need to kennel those dogs and move on.

 Rare words of praise, heh.

yup a real progressive that Obama and now he will suck all the money out of the down ticket races too. Yup such a great move.

Obama says a bunch of nonsense about John McCain when he can just say "No one is raising more money than me. I am raising money so fast that 84 million dollars is nothing to me."

under changing circumstances. Rather that than an ideologue afraid to adapt.

Kudos on killing the troll diary this morning, as well.

-chris

Good news. I have mixed feelings about state subsidy of elections, partially because people who pay for their parties seem to have much more involvement.

My only regret is that, as a non US citizen, I can't make a personal donation and add to the million plus of small donors who have made Obama's financing such a radical success

McCain and the GOP have already made it very clear that they intend to pour money into his campaign through every crack in the campaign finance laws. Obama taking public financing would be unilateral disarmament on his part. And it would seriously dishearten supporters like me who would have been shut out of the process to a great extent going forward.

Until we get a public financing system that works, and dismantle the 527 system, the person with the most donors should be the one with the advantage.

We can't let a few millionares and billionares contribute to stealing our elections anymore.

The time for "Funding of the people, by the people and for the people" has finally come. Let's face it we will never get money out of politics in America. Now Obama has set the stage for all political funding in this Country. Just think, for the first time in modern history "The people" can and will out donate the "Special interests"! All polititians will soon find themselves beholding, not to Private wealthy donors but to their constituents! Imagine that!!! Times, they are a changin..

The headlines on the NY Times website is "Obama forgoes funds in first for major candidate".  The article goes on to say that no other major candidate has opted out since the funds were created in 1976.  But, if I'm not mistaken, George Bush opted out in both 2000 and 2004.

Does anyone else have this memory?  Not a big deal I guess, but it does show that the public financing mechanism that exists today is outdated.

The problem is that Obama pledged to take public funds.

http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7Bfb3 c17e2-cdd1-4df6-92be-bd4429893665%7D/MDN NATIONALRELEASE.PDF

As for 527's, There is a 527 that annoys everybody whether it is Swiftboaters or MoveOn.   I prefer freedom of speech. Money doesn't win elections. Ask Ron Paul.

This is why I liked when Hillary Clinton, in essance, said she would do anything to beat the Republican including opting out of Public Financing, which she would have certainly done as well if she were the nominee.

It was a mistake for Obama to take that sort of pledge, and he'll get some short term flack for taking it back, but this is absolutely the right decision. The RNC and Republican 527's will be out in full force. Expect some kind of swiftboat campaign to come along, if not more than one. Obama has to fight back against rediculous rumors of the likes no Presidential candidate has faced in modern history.

Want campaign finance reform, that lets get real campaign finance reform. Don't expect our candidate to be nice and bow while he or she is taking it in both ends, one from the RNC, the other from Interest groups.

He made the 'pledge' so far back that he wasn't even in the contention for the nomination at that point. Things have changed since then, and I agree with Halperin that it would have been idiotic to stick with it.

You mean the public financing system that would have made Obama pay for his own flights but allows McCain to use his wife's private jet for free?

So now obama is against Public Financing after promising to use it if McCain agreed. And you guys see this as a virtue?

He said he would do it, this is an about face and seems hypocritical.

I hope I can still say when a Democrat goes against their own word, that it's hypocritical and opportunistic in my eyes.

To me, the problem is his is the campaign of Words needing to Matter, because he doesn't have much of a record.

So pardon me for being one of the few to say so, but I do see it as an opportunistic About Face and if Obama does too many of these he can't win.