DNC will no longer take $ from lobbyists or PACs, will now be purely people powered

[BurtWorm]

According to the latest e-mail from Howard Dean:


As of this month, the Democratic National Committee no longer accepts donations from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs.

We're joining the campaign of our presumptive nominee, Barack Obama, in setting a new standard for a people-powered politics.

Unlike John McCain and the Republican National Committee, we will not allow Washington lobbyists or PACs to control our campaigns, manipulate our candidates, or drown out the views of the American people.

But we face a crucial financial reporting deadline on Monday night, which will be the first test of the financial consequences of this decision.

Please make a donation of $25 now to show that our party is at its best when it's powered by ordinary people giving whatever they can afford:

https://donate.barackobama.com/DNCdeadline

Your support of our 50-state strategy has helped create the opportunity for Barack Obama to run a true 50-state campaign -- but we need your help.

We have our work cut out for us.

John McCain and the Republican National Committee had a three-month head start on the general election, and they raised nearly $45 million last month alone.

Over the past three years, we've worked tirelessly to build our party from the ground up in all 50 states.

Now, for the first time in a generation, a presidential campaign is putting staff in all 50 states so Democrats across the country can compete in races up and down the ballot.

And that campaign, and the national party supporting it, are refusing contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs.

We'll need unprecedented resources to build our operation in every state -- and we'll need them at the same time we're cutting ourselves off from a major fundraising source campaigns usually rely on.

It's essential that we get started now.

...


Refusing contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs was a risky decision, but it was the right thing to do.

Just a couple of years ago, many people thought it would be impossible to expand the political map and compete in all 50 states. But because of you and the millions of supporters like you across the country, it's happening right now.

At this moment, we have a historic opportunity to prove that a movement of ordinary people has the power to do what few thought possible: change the way political campaigns are funded.

John McCain and the Republican National Committee are running their campaign the old-fashioned way -- and they're already raising huge sums of money thanks to John McCain's three-month head start.

People will be watching our June fundraising numbers closely to see if we can pull this off. We need your help before the financial reporting deadline on Monday to show them we can do it.

[saracat]

1. They never really did because they never got much.State parties will still take

corporate and PAC money though.They buy all the tables at state events!

[undeterred]

2. I believe in donating directly to candidates I believe in.

The only organizations I trust to give money to candidates I don't know are Progressive Democrats of America and Feingold's Progrssive Patriots Fund.

I don't contribute to the DNC.

[Selatius]

3. Yet somehow, Democratic leaders are now carrying the water of telecom companies and Bush-Cheney.

I think there are other ways to buy politicians that they are not telling us.

[ClassWarrior]

4. Gotta start somewhere, tho.

I see this as a hopeful sign.

NGU.