Obama Moves to Clean Up DNC Money Machine

He's already shown he knows how to spend

(NEWSER) - Republicans not used to worrying about money are sweating pennies, given John McCain's relatively inept fundraising in the face of an unprecedented Democratic war chest. Barack Obama, by conservative estimates, will have $300 million to McCain’s federal cap of $85 million for the general-election campaign, Politico reports—and with that kind of money, Obama could force McCain to play defense in traditionally red states. More»

But it paves way for new standard in political fundraising system

(NEWSER) - The huge success of Barack Obama’s Internet fundraising campaign has sparked concerns about the regulation of campaign finance. Some worry that the faceless system allows for easy abuse, particularly in light of donations from anonymous or clearly fake names such as "Osama bin Laden," the Washington Post reports. Dangerous or not, though, Obama’s fundraising has likely become a model for future campaigns. More»

Defends use of same tactic used against him in 2000

(NEWSER) - John McCain defended his use of robocalls on Fox News Sunday, arguing his attacks on Barack Obama are different from the slanderous calls that targeted him during the 2000 primaries, Politico reports. “These are legitimate and truthful and they are far different than the phone calls that were made about my family,” he said. On other talk shows:

• Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told This Week with George Stephanopoulos that Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama “eliminated the experience argument."

McCain benefited from fewer fictitious donors, Times discovers

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama received some $40,000 from obviously fictitious donors, the New York Times reports. After poring over both candidates’ records, the Times found some 3,000 donations to Obama from more than a dozen people with obviously falsified names —like “Test Person” from “Some Place, UT.” McCain had such donors as well, but far fewer than Obama. More»

State's newfound battleground status sparks funding fervor

(NEWSER) - With their home state up for grabs for the first time in decades, Virginians—particularly Democrats from the northern part of the state—are pouring money into the presidential race, the Washington Post reports. Thus far, locals have given a record $25.3 million to various candidates throughout the election cycle; that's twice as much as they anted up in 2004. More»