This is the email I got. I have already signed the petition to suppor the
effort.
Check out what Dr. Dean is doing. You can say what you want about him.
In the past four years he has organized a grass roots national group that
is working to garner support for Democrats to change this GOP infestation.
Note: forwarded message attached.
---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.--- Begin Message ---
John McCain claims he has done exactly the same thing Governor Dean did when he
ran for president. He's wrong. To prove it, we released Governor Dean's 2003
FEC letter. Read the letter, then invite your friends and family to sign in
support of our FEC complaint.
http://www.democrats.org/invite/McCainBusted
Melinda --
I'm Joe Sandler, General Counsel for the DNC. Yesterday we filed a complaint
with the FEC after John McCain decided to break the law by ignoring the rules
laid out as part of the federal matching funds program.
I don't know if you saw the news, but the press covered the complaint all day.
John McCain himself directly responded to Governor Dean at a press conference,
saying "We're doing exactly what Howard Dean did in a previous election and
what the FEC ruled in the case of Congressman Gephardt."
But that's a lie -- John McCain isn't doing what Governor Dean and Congressman
Gephardt did at all.
Governor Dean and Congressman Gephardt followed the law and were granted
written permission by the FEC to withdraw from the federal matching funds
program.
To prove it, we have a copy of the letter Governor Dean received from the FEC
in 2003 granting him permission to drop out. If McCain is doing "exactly what
Howard Dean did," he'll have no trouble producing a letter of his own.
But you and I know McCain's lying -- he doesn't have a letter like that from
the FEC. Not only has he refused to get permission, he's been warned by FEC
Chairman David Mason that he can't unilaterally drop out of the program.
That's why we filed the complaint in the first place, and it's why tens of
thousands of Americans like you signed your support.
Read Governor Dean's letter from the FEC, and sign your support for our
complaint right here:
http://www.democrats.org/invite/McCainBusted
John McCain abused the system to keep his campaign afloat until he could raise
more money from special interests and lobbyists. Taxpayers don't want their
money to be used by Washington politicians to help raise more money from
lobbyists -- is this McCain's idea of ethics and reform?
Thanks to you, this "maverick reformer" is feeling the pressure of his own
hypocrisy. From staffing his campaign with a team of lobbyists to breaking
campaign finance laws, his total lack of integrity has never been more clear.
Keep it up,
Joe Sandler
General Counsel
Democratic National Committee
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: John McCain is breaking the law
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:50:11 PM
From: Howard Dean
To: Joe Sandler
Dear Joe,
There was a lot of talk last week about John McCain's blatant hypocrisy on
ethics and integrity in Washington.
Here we go again.
McCain is now breaking the law by ignoring the campaign spending restrictions
for the Republican primary that came when he asked for federal matching funds
-- funds he used as collateral on a loan that helped keep his campaign going.
But now that the lobbyist and special interest money has started pouring into
his campaign, he's trying to back out of the promise he made just a few months
ago. They're feeding so much cash into his bank account, this "reformer" wants
nothing to do with federal campaign finance laws anymore.
That's why today, we're filing a formal complaint with the Federal Election
Commission demanding that John McCain be held to the campaign finance laws.
Trying to back out shows a total lack of integrity and honesty -- he made a
deal with the American people to to abide by the law, and in return, he was
guaranteed taxpayer money that he used to back a loan.
Joe, I'd like you to add your name in support of our complaint, and ask as many
people as you can to sign on. American taxpayers made a deal with John McCain
-- now that he's flush with lobbyist cash, he wants to pretend that it never
happened.
Sign on right now:
http://www.democrats.org/McCainBusted
Here's the background on the situation.
A few months ago, John McCain applied for and was approved to receive federal
matching funds. Because he couldn't find enough people to fund his campaign, he
was also forced to apply for a $4 million line of credit, which he secured by
using the federal matching funds as collateral.
By taking the federal funding, he agreed to spend no more than $57 million
until the Republican convention. But so far, his campaign has spent at least
$49 million -- leaving him with less than $10 million to campaign with through
September.
Now that he's won the nomination and has the support of the Republican lobbyist
and special interest machine, he's trying to ignore that the whole thing ever
happened. He recently wrote a letter to the FEC telling them that he was
backing out, even though the FEC is very clear that any request to withdraw
from the agreement must be approved; you can't just change your mind and take
it back -- legally, you have to be given permission.
McCain isn't asking because he knows he'll never be granted permission, and he
doesn't want to have to accept the funding restrictions he agreed to when he
used the money as collateral for a loan. He's ripping a page right from George
Bush's playbook: ignoring the laws when they aren't convenient and hoping no
one will notice.
Stand up and show him that hundreds of thousands of people have noticed -- he
can't change the rules in the middle of the game because he doesn't like how
things are going for him:
http://www.democrats.org/McCainBusted
Using government programs when it's politically convenient and breaking the
rules when it's not ... remind you of anyone?
Just like George Bush, John McCain thinks he's above the law. McCain poses as a
reformer, but seems to think reforms apply to everyone but him.
Time to send him a message.
Howard Dean
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