Obama Buys 1/2 Hour National TV Timeslot.

Senator Obama is going to do a 1/2 hour primetime show on major
networks simultaneously. Scheduled for October 29th. See this link:
blogs.abcnews.com...

The article states that Senator Obama does NOT accept public funding.
I guess I'm confused by this, because there have been several news
reports over the campaign cycle describing how he's broken monthly
records for public fund-raising. Maybe I'm misunderstanding something?

Anyway, it will be interesting to hear/see what he will say. With the
economy heading in the direction it's going, a cozy 1/2 hour fireside
chat won't cut it. I hope those who are for McCain won't get too angry
at having Obama pre-empt their favorite prime time show that evening.
-cwm

reply to post by carewemust


How much is a half an hour's worth of TV time anyway? It has to be way up there otherwise anyone could afford to buy that much time. Something like $200,000 per minute? Just guessing here! LOL I dunno about anyone else, but I don't see any harm in candidates having air time. 15 to 30 minutes each wouldn't be bad. Just on their own though. No debate. No slamming any other candidate.

The article states that Senator Obama does NOT accept public funding. I guess I'm confused by this, because there have been several news reports over the campaign cycle describing how he's broken monthly
records for public fund-raising. Maybe I'm misunderstanding something?

Have you ever noticed that little box asking if you want to contribute $3 to the campaign fund when you file your tax return? This is what they are talking about when the say public funding. They are limited to what is in the pool and are bound by rules and not allowed to spend over the specified limit. Something like 86 million, I don't remember. Obama had originally said that he would take the public money and then backed out. Now he is not bound by the rules and can spend as much money as he likes on his campaign, essentially by buying votes.

Thanks for the reply and explaining that Public Funding is really money
donated by the taxpayers at filing time. I suppose Obama chose not
to accept these monies (and the limits of use that come with them)
when he saw how much money folks were sending in from all over
the world at his website.

I read in the article that 1/2 of primetime will cost $500,000. I suppose
that's $500G per channel. A politician who can afford it must feel very
good about being able to take their time and lay out their strategy
without having to look at timing-lights and listen to buzzers, moderators
tell them that time is up.

Ross Perot bought 1/2 hour of time just before the election to lay out
his case. I don't remember the year, but I clearly remember him
sitting at a table and pointing at charts with his pen. A real cereberal
guy he was. I wonder if Ross is still active in the business or political
world? He hasn't said a word (that I know of) during this election
cycle, or during the current financial crises.