McCain Fundraiser Downsized in His Own Home State

Image from Chaos Digest

There are a couple of things about this story that made me want to post an excerpt and link here. First of all, it's telling (and amusing) that a big John McCain fundraiser would have to be downsized for lack of interest in his own state. Second, that George W. Bush is obviously not a very good draw for fundraising.

But the thing that jumps out at me here is the very reason I believe so strongly in Barack Obama's campaign. The White House, which is fielding questions about this event , quite predictably and naturally lies about the reasons for its downsizing. Everybody, including the reporter, knows the real reasons, but the White House has to come up with bogus spin anyway.

We are so used to this sort of behavior from the White House and politics in general, we generally just shrug and say, "that's politics." Naive as it may seem, I really believe that Barack Obama offers an alternative to that sort of matter-of-course lying and acceptance ritual. Sure, eventually he could become a standard-issue politician. But he sure doesn't seem like it just yet, and at least holds out more promise in this area than either John McCain or Hillary Clinton.

[Excerpt]

Poor ticket sales, expected protests scuttle Bush-McCain fundraiser at Phoenix Convention Center

A Tuesday fundraiser headlined by President Bush for U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is being moved out of the Phoenix Convention Center.

Sources familiar with the situation said the Bush-McCain event was not selling enough tickets to fill the Convention Center space, and that there were concerns about more anti-war protesters showing up outside the venue than attending the fundraiser inside.

Another source said there were concerns about the media covering the event. . .

Read more at: Phoenix Business Journal

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link