Green Party Pres. candidate, Jill Stein, claims Dems are holding up public campaign funds.

[No Elephants]

Note: The lead says Obama and Romney combined have $1 billion. That refers to money they collected and reported publicly so far, possibly as of the end of last month. In all likelihood, they will have a billion each or more by the time all is said and done. Obama alone had .75 billion last time.

President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney have little need for public funding for their campaigns, given that, together, they have about $1 billion behind them. But Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, could use a little help: She had raised only $283,000 as of the end of July.

Her campaign officials, however, say they are having trouble getting the public funding fast enough to pay the campaign debts. They have been quick to find a culprit and allege a minor conspiracy by Democrats on the Federal Election Commission, hinting that the commissioners are seeking to limit Stein’s ability to peel off liberals who would otherwise support Obama.

<snip>

“You have staff who have been diligent in working with us, but it’s unclear whether the commissioners themselves want to see this money released,” he said. “You have an election administration that is bipartisan — it’s not nonpartisan.”

<snip>

On Thursday, Reps. David E. Price (D-N.C.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) will introduce a bill that would overhaul public funding for the presidential campaigns and create a new system for Congress. The proposal and several competing measures from other Democrats would match small donations five to one with federal money in an attempt to boost the power of small donors.

Republicans tend to be headed in the opposite direction, advocating that the system be scrapped entirely. The GOP-led House approved such a step late last year and Republicans have introduced several measures that would end public funding for the parties’ conventions.

In the meantime, money for the program is piling up. Taxpayers fill its coffers by checking a box on their tax returns to contribute $3 to the fund. It now has $231.7 million. (The money is kept at the Treasury Department, not the election commission.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/minor-candidates-are-main-focus-of-federal-election-funding-program/2012/09/19/0f2c5524-01c0-11e2-b260-32f4a8db9b7e_story.html



Stein's campaign had announced on July 1 that she had qualified for federal funds.

According to Weintraub, the Commission has been verifying each of the donations she claimed to determine if indeed it qualifies for federal matching funds.

I have no doubt that the Commission has no doubt been proceeding "with all due and deliberate speed."

Meanwhile, good luck on buying ads or anything else with that "standard form letter.


In other news, early voting, employed in a number of states, either already started or will start tomorrow.



Good on Price and Van Hollen, but how the new bill, if it ever passes, is administered by the Commission is the be all and end all. Even 100X as much, delivered too late would be worthless, as a practical matter.



.

[Enthusiast]

1. I have a solution.

I want to propose a new law. It would be very simple:

No candidate or office holder can accept money or gifts, for any reason, at any time, for any reason, except for their salary.

[No Elephants]

2. You'd have to Congress a helluva lot to pass that law!

Legislation doesn't grow on trees, you know, young man!

[No Elephants]

3. Sorry. That was supposed to say, "You'd have to pay Congress a helluva lot to pass that law...."

Left out "pay," the most critical word.

:banghead:

This is why I don't do stand up.