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June 20, 2008

MoveOn.org closing its 527 "Voter Fund"

MoveOn.org asked its members in an email this afternoon whether they support closing the organization's 527 group "forever".

The move is inspired by recent actions taken by Obama for America and the DNC to stop accepting special interest donations for lobbyists and PACs.

MoveOn's Eli Pariser writes in the email:

"Using a lot of the tools and techniques developed by the progressive movement--as well as a visionary approach to leadership--Obama's brought millions of new people into the process. And, following in the footsteps of Howard Dean, ActBlue, and other innovators, he's adopted a new way of funding a campaign--relying on a donor base of millions rather than contributions by lobbyists and special interests....

"While MoveOn Political Action has always been funded exclusively by small donors like you, we've held open the MoveOn.org Voter Fund--a separate "527" organization--which can raise money from big donors. We haven't actually taken any big-money checks since 2004, when MoveOn members matched big contributors to educate voters about George Bush's policies. But in light of the new politics offered by Barack Obama, I've come to believe it's time to close the 527 forever--and to challenge organizations on the right to do the same thing.

"That means that we won't raise any money for our election work from foundations, or even individuals who want to give over $5,000. It's an all-in commitment to the small-donor way of doing things. But the time is right to take the leap."

The email asks for members to give input before MoveOn signs the final paperwork.

Posted by hpadam at 5:26 PM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2008

New Obama Ad

In his first TV ad of the general election, Barack Obama highlights his biography. Ben Smith on his Blog at Politico identifies 'responsibility' as the ad's main theme.

The ad will air in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia.

Posted by hpadam at 4:58 PM | Comments (2)

Obama Forgoes Public Financing

Barack Obama just released a video announcement via email declaring the campaign's "independence" from the "broken system" of presidential campaign financing as it exists today.

This means the campaign will not accept almost $80 million in funds from the public financing system.

If Obama had accepted the funding, the campaign would be limited to spending only that amount of money for the remaining to months of the election (officially what we call the general election).

By not accepting the funding, Obama is now allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money for the general election.

This move no doubt sends a "bring it on" message to the McCain campaign, which is believed to be unable to compete financially with the Obama campaign without accepting public financing.

Posted by hpadam at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2008

EPB Fiber Optics... I can't wait!

I'm very excited about EPB's fiber-to-the-home initiative. It's going to bring truly high-speed internet services to Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Of course I want faster internet, but the real benefit is having a true high-speed citywide network.

And if anyone doubts the need for improved service, check out the video below...

...or read this FAQ.

Even though it seems EPB is moving pretty quickly towards it's plan for a unique FTTH network in Chattanooga, they've still got a couple hurdles to overcome. The cable industry and Comcast are suing to stop EPB from providing improved, necessary service that Comcast isn't willing to provide.

But for anyone whose anticipating the FTTH network as much as me, you'll probably enjoy this lengthy description of a Veriozon FioS subscriber's installation.

Posted by hpadam at 11:17 AM | Comments (2)

June 9, 2008

Free "Obama '08" Stickers

I received an email from MoveOn.org today with an offer for a free Obama '08 bumper sticker. And since I was over at the Hamilton County Democratic Party office the other day, and people kept calling and stopping by looking for stickers, which they don't have, I thought it would be good to pass the offer along.

Just go to:
https://pol.moveon.org/obamastickers/?id=12817-3149860-h1KVCc&t=4

Enjoy!

Posted by hpadam at 1:57 PM | Comments (2)