Why Obama? Reason 1

Why do I support Barack Obama for President?

Let me count the ways.

REASON 1: He doesn't take PAC money.

This is not necessarily the most important reason I support Barack Obama for President, but it's certainly a key one. When Obama became a Presidential candidate, he pledged not to take money from political action committees. This single action—stance? position?—sets Senator Obama apart from most people who have run for President in my lifetime. Hell, it sets him apart from most people who have run for office in my lifetime.

Why is his decision to eschew money from political action committees so significant? PACs are popular whipping boys, although there are certainly well-intentioned PACs. Not all of them exist solely to rip off the unsuspecting public. Yes, there are PACs that use their money to keep the insurance industry private and rich, at the expense of the ill and under- or uninsured. But there are also PACs that support teachers, those who dedicate their lives to educating our children.

Why shouldn't Presidential candidates, who rely on money to fuel their campaigns in primaries across the country, take money from those groups that support them? Because they will then owe those groups something. Remember, there's no free lunch. Big money begets big demands. If one woman donates $25 to a candidate, she may expect the candidate to act according to stances taken and promises made, but she's unlikely to wield power to pressure the candidate to act a certain way. A political action committee, on the other hand is likely to do exactly that.

In all fairness to Senator Clinton, according to FactCheck.org, only 1.1 percent of her money comes from PACs and lobbyists. But she didn't take the pledge. And she did take this money. She has even taken money in the past from key groups within the health insurance industry (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/12/nyregion/12donate.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)*. Some might say that it's because she's learned how to talk to them, and I have no doubt that she's very knowledgeable about this subject. My fear, though, is a fear I have about her stance on other issues: she's gotten too good at modifying her position in order to find common ground with her opposition. I don't want her getting chummy with the insurance industry. What are they going to ask in return for their support?

But I digress. This is about Barack Obama's pledge not to take money from PACs, and his sticking to that pledge. In case you've heard or read things that suggest he hasn't stuck to this pledge, check out what FactCheck.org (http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/pac-ing_heat.htm) has to say about this. This Web site gives me agita sometimes, but it really does cut through a lot of the rhetoric, and it holds both candidates' feet to the fire.

Obama's pledge was a watershed moment in American politics. This is a bold man who is not afraid to defy the established rules of politics. But that's just one reason to vote for him. Stay tuned for the next one.

Mary McClellan
May 3, 2008


* From the NY Times, July 12, 2006:
...As [Hillary Clinton] runs for re-election to the Senate from New York this year and lays the groundwork for a possible presidential bid in 2008, Mrs. Clinton is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from doctors, hospitals, drug manufacturers and insurers. Nationwide, she is the No. 2 recipient of donations from the industry, trailing only Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a member of the Republican leadership.