While he is typically more accessible to the press than his rivals on the campaign trail, Sen. McCain said Wednesday that his fundraisers will remain closed to the media.

“It’s because the people who are…raising the money request that. And I will continue to be accessible, and the most accessible campaign in history to the media,” McCain told reporters today, but not before bringing up Obama’s infamous “bitter” comments, which the Democrat originally uttered at a private fundraiser of his own. “I’d also like to say I do not say in my, during fundraisers comments like the people in Pennsylvania being bitter and angry and turn against their religion and the Constitution because of their economic conditions. I say the same thing in fundraisers and closed events as I do in open events.”

But Bloomberg’s Hans Nichols pushed for proof of this consistent message asking, “are we just supposed to take your word for it?”

“If you want to. If you want to. You don’t have to,” McCain shot back.

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/05/29/mccain-fundraisers-to-remain-closed-to-press/

Therefore, the challenge now to McCain is to open the fundraising doors. So yes, again, that is the accusation that Obama’s camp will now make as this topic arises– “I did it, why don’t you do it?”

That’s the contrast, that’s the explicit challenge they want to make.

Obama can play the “political expediency” card here and get points. Additionally, in the process, he will flush out the tons of lobbyists in McCain’s campaign.

His likely opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), closes his fundraisers to the press. Beginning last night, Obama will open all of his fundraisers

McCain’s had both open and closed fundraisers. So has Obama…

In the Haight, stencils of Barack Obama’s smiling face are decorating the sidewalk. But in real life, he is turning up in more lucrative venues: The candidate will be around here on April 6, at a series of events that includes three $2,300-a-head maximum-strength fundraisers: Sara and Sohaib Abbasi are throwing a luncheon in Atherton; he’ll zip up to Nancy and Bob Farese’s house in Kentfield in mid-afternoon; and proceed from there to Ann and Gordon Getty’s in San Francisco. (There’s also a mere $1,000-a-person do at the home of Carolyn Davis and Alex Mehran that night.)

Your trusty party-animal-by-proxy has tried to infiltrate these events, but transparency seems to be fogged up. No media eyes allowed on the collection kettles; when the gifts are big, the press is barred.

This is, of course, during the era of the “bitter” types clinging to their religion and guns gaffe.

So let me get this straight… both candidates have had private fundraisers closed to the press. But now presto, Obama promises to open his, while accusing McCain of nefarious deeds that he himself has emulated.

I guess that holier-than-thou “transparency” only holds value during the general and not the primary, eh? But the burning question is, if he were so *for* complete transparency, why wait until now to start? And are we supposed to forget he was “for it” yesterday before he was “against it” today?

I’d call it a dual-use illusion based on political expediency, myself. All meant to falsely elevate BHO to a pedestal, aided by banking on the voters’ short term memories.

(Politico) Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is moving on two fronts to make transparency a linchpin of his campaign, opening his fundraisers to reporters and clamping down on the Democratic National Committee’s fundraising from Washington insiders.

The moves, announced on his second full day as the party’s de facto presidential nominee, are designed to drive a campaign message of change versus more of the same, aides said.

His likely opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), closes his fundraisers to the press. Beginning last night, Obama will open all of his fundraisers to at least a pool reporter, who will share the information with the rest of the press corps.

Beginning Thursday, the DNC will no longer accept checks from federal lobbyists or political action committees, mirroring the strict standard Obama adopted for his presidential campaign.
…

As McCain said, “This is, indeed, a change election.”

Someone turned Arthur’s rock over again.

‘Speaking skills alone do not good Presidents make.’

Indeed. And as we have learned in 7-1/2 painful years neither does their utter absence.

True… but it is how you inspire people to get out and vote.

Not all of us.

Personally, I’m more interested and inspired by character, vision, ability, and principle.

Sure worked with the BHO crowd, having a free concert “open” for him.

That’s a great idea.

Let’s have a free concert as an opening act for McCain.

Maybe the band that we choose can play the Soviet national anthem as the opening song.

I haven’t heard that tune since Obie’s concert day.

Too bad we are so easily swayed by such stuff over substance. But you are entirely correct that people are drawn to the magnetic visuals and energy.

For some it’s all about the speechifying.

For the rest of us, it’s all about the substance.

Speaking skills alone do not good Presidents make.

True… but it is how you inspire people to get out and vote.

For the rest of us, it’s all about the substance.

Speaking skills alone do not good Presidents make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aMDJP4VxY4&eurl=http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

A glimpse of what the future holds?

The winds of change are blowing in America. When strong winds blow the great oak tree bends and sways in the wind but never breaks.

Went to the BHO school of flowery speech for bait-and-switch misrepresentation, eh Errol? Guess you’ve never lived in Florida where those oaks break, and/or are uprooted easily from that “soil of certainty”, crashing in roofs during hurricanes. Duh….

America must recapture the dream and vision of the pilgrim fathers, knowing that all things are possible to them that believe.

As long as you’re not “too rich” or “too successful”. Progressives can’t have that. So keep your “dreams” within their guidelines, please.

Thus shall your “winds of change” go. And when you’ve woken up some time in the future, and found yourself in a US socialist republic, I shall remind you that you asked for this “change”….

Doug, about your

But that’s not all, McCain cannot boast of a robust small-dollar internet fund-raising operation that Obama can, which also contrasts Obama as more populist based.

For a “populist based” guy, he sure didn’t win the popular vote with any impressive amount. In fact, depending on how you count and estimate votes, about half the scenarios have Clinton ahead.

He’s a super delegates creation… not a populist one.

Obama is now sucking up Clinton’s fundraising machine to confront McCain. McCain’s fund-raising has badly trailed practically all his Dem. counterparts. Now it’s much worse for McCain.

So this ‘fundraiser transparency’ move is certain to flush out McCain’s lobby pool.

But that’s not all, McCain cannot boast of a robust small-dollar internet fund-raising operation that Obama can, which also contrasts Obama as more populist based.

Obama’s fund-raising advantage makes it increasingly unlikely that he will back away from a “pledge” he made last year to accept public financing for the GE even if McCain does– as he may legally need to. The goal is to win; playing on an even field when you don’t need to is a poor strategy.

Public Citizen and other groups have also identified over 70 McCain ‘bundlers,’ who were, until recently, lobbyists, working for his campaign while lobbying, compared with 14 Obama lobbyist bundlers, none of whom are actively lobbying. That’s another contrast. It’ll be this month’s deja vu from last month:

Sen. John McCain said today that his campaign will do a better job scrutinizing the people who work for it, given the resignation of two officials who had ties to a firm representing Myanmar’s military junta….

“People will be thoroughly, more thoroughly, vetted and we’ll make sure that that is the case.”

He specifically referred to the two people who were tied to Myanmar–Doug Davenport, a regional campaign director for Mid-Atlantic states, and Doug Goodyear, who was slated to run the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., this summer.

“We found out that these two individuals had represented that country and so they left. We will vet everyone very seriously to make sure there’s not a repetition,” McCain told reporters.

The prime targets this time:

Phil Graham, Charlie Black, and Rick Davis.

This will be the MSM contrast, if McCain doesn’t open the fundraising doors– yet if he does, he will need to decide whether to lose White house faces at his fundraisers.

It’s very probable by the Fall Obama may be able to outspend McCain so drastically– perhaps 4-1– that McCain won’t have to money to mold his own image, or Obama’s, while Obama will have the advantage to define McCain.

Interesting.