Gop Files Complaint Over Obama Visit To Grandmother

[Fidei Defensor]

[url="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/11/03/california_gop_files_fec_compl.html"]http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail..._fec_compl.html[/url]

Perhaps the most ill-timed press release of the 2008 campaign arrived shortly after 1:30 p.m. today, sent by the Republican National Committee.

The release forwarded word that the California Republican Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, in part because of a visit Sen. Barack Obama made to his dying grandmother.

"Obama for America violated federal law by converting its campaign funds to Senator Obama's personal use," the release stated. "Senator Obama recently traveled to Hawaii to visit his sick grandmother. This was the right thing for any grandson to do -- at his own expense -- but it was not travel that his campaign may fund."

At issue was whether the trip should have been paid for with campaign funds, based on the law that forbids candidates from using such funds to pay for personal travel. The Obama campaign said the trip had been vetted with lawyers beforehand and was allowable. The Republicans argued that, because Obama did not campaign during the quick journey to Hawaii, it should not have been a campaign expense.

But filing the complaint today now seems to have been ill-advised, if not legally, then certainly politically.

Obama and his sister released a statement this afternoon announcing that their grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died peacefully after a battle with cancer.

[Lounge Daddy]

Oh man...

[kamiller42]

If Palin did it, democrat criticism would be justified. Because a state GOP party does it, it is scandalous. What a joke.

[philothea]

[quote name='kamiller42' post='1692680' date='Nov 3 2008, 09:54 PM']If Palin did it, democrat criticism would be justified. Because a state GOP party does it, it is scandalous. What a joke.[/quote]
Er, I think the issue is more that the woman he visited just died...

[BG45]

[quote name='philothea' post='1692706' date='Nov 3 2008, 11:15 PM']Er, I think the issue is more that the woman he visited just died...[/quote]

That's my feeling on it. The whole attitude of 'visiting her was a political ploy for sympathy votes' + the timing of the press release almost exactly after she died = instant sympathy and the GOP painting itself by poor timing as the evil heartless and godless individuals they try so hard to paint others as. It paints them, all due to coincedence beyond their control as anti-family values as well; although if one reads the comments section on Fox News about this and Obama's grandmother's death...well that's another story. Along the lines of "She's been dead, they waited to release her death to the media so that he could get election night sympathy" etc.

Bad timing and idiocy all around...so politics as usual.

Edited November 4, 2008 by BG45

[kamiller42]

And on the day [url="http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=876936"]he set his loving aunt up for a farewell[/url]. He threw grandma under the bus ([url="http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/03/020072.php"]forgot that[/url]?) and now his aunt.

[Saint Therese]

But he loves us.

[Aloysius]

the criticism is perfectly legitimate, of course; not that he should not have gone to visit her before she died, but that he used campaign

bad PR move of course, because of the way it looks; but it was probably illegal if Obama used Campaign funds to go and he ought to be punished if he did... I'm sure he could have personally afforded the trip

[Justin86]

So, when Palin uses campaign money to buy the outfits she will wear while running for VP, and that's bad, but when Barrack Obama uses campaign money for something so obviously personal with no benefit to his campaign, that's ok.

Can we say "double standard"? Yes, I just did.

Edited November 4, 2008 by Justin86

[Madame Vengier]

In addition to his grandmother not being worth spending his personal money on, here's some more evidence of Obama Family Values:

[url="http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/03/throw-aunti-from-the-bus/"]http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/03/throw...i-from-the-bus/[/url]

It will ever get straight in my mind how Obama claims to be grateful to his white grandparents who raised him (and gave him a privileged life while he mother, who couldn't be bothered to stay home and do conventional things like work and raise her kids, spent her time on the other side of the world "finding herself") but chose to write a book not about THEM, but about the African father who abandoned him as a child.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Madame Vengier' post='1692868' date='Nov 4 2008, 06:48 AM']It will ever get straight in my mind how Obama claims to be grateful to his white grandparents who raised him (and gave him a privileged life while he mother, who couldn't be bothered to stay home and do conventional things like work and raise her kids, spent her time on the other side of the world "finding herself") but chose to write a book not about THEM, but about the African father who abandoned him as a child.[/quote]

Beats me.

[kujo]

Wow...someone ought to teach the people who released this to be more sensitive in their wording.

Pretty cr@ppy timing, eh?

[jkaands]

[quote name='Madame Vengier' post='1692868' date='Nov 4 2008, 05:48 AM']In addition to his grandmother not being worth spending his personal money on, here's some more evidence of Obama Family Values:

[url="http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/03/throw-aunti-from-the-bus/"]http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/03/throw...i-from-the-bus/[/url]

It will ever get straight in my mind how Obama claims to be grateful to his white grandparents who raised him (and gave him a privileged life while he mother, who couldn't be bothered to stay home and do conventional things like work and raise her kids, spent her time on the other side of the world "finding herself") but chose to write a book not about THEM, but about the African father who abandoned him as a child.[/quote]

Did you read the book?

[kujo]

[quote name='jkaands' post='1692968' date='Nov 4 2008, 12:38 PM']Did you read the book?[/quote]

Probably not.

[Jesus_lol]

whether or not this scandal would have happened if it was Mccain or Palin(i beleive it would) this was a pretty stupid move by the GOP. come on there should be plenty of other issues to attack Obama on, instead of focusing on something like this which turned out so badly. however right you MAY be, attacking a guys family right as his grandmother dies and trying to call him out on visiting her, just makes you look like an ass.