Backing Obama...without his blessing

[illinoisprogressive]

Supporters of Senator Barack Obama’s Democratic presidential primary campaign have formed one of the first independent organizations dedicated to supporting a 2008 presidential hopeful, overlooking their candidate’s past criticisms of the legal status of such groups.

Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, is one of many senators who have criticized the groups — known as 527s, after a section of the tax code—because they allow donors to make unlimited contributions, sometimes without disclosure until after an election, thereby sidestepping campaign finance laws.

The new organization, Vote Hope 2008, was founded by Steve Phillips, a San Francisco lawyer who is the son-in-law of two of the biggest Democratic donors, the California bankers Herb and Marion Sandler. The Sandlers were among the biggest contributors to Democratic 527 groups during the 2004 election.

A spokesman for Mr. Obama said the senator did not approve. “Obama thinks that candidates should be accountable for the campaigns they run, the donations they receive and the money they spend,” the spokesman, Bill Burton, said. “It is our hope that anyone who supports Obama does so directly through his campaign.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/22/backing-obama-without-a-blessing/

[babylonsister]

1. Hmmm.... perhaps what I heard this a.m. is part of the reason:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1159254&mesg_id=1159254

[secretdj]

2. Support group better morally than a slime unit

The anti-Hillary 527 group is subtlety called "Stop Her Now".