As I was perusing a new blog I came across through AllTop, called PunditGuy (no, we’re not related), I saw this headline:
Obama Bribes Voters
OK, we all know I’m still hanging on to my support for Hillary, even though I’m feeling a bit outnumbered these days, but I figured this just couldn’t be true. This clearly had to be a fantastic headline just to draw readers in — like me!
Then I clicked on the link to the original article at IndyStar.com:
“As former President Bill Clinton was extolling his wife’s
credentials [on the campus of Indiana University], Obama’s campaign office in Bloomington began giving away tickets to Sunday’s Dave Matthews concert at Assembly Hall.Jason Schechtman, 19, Deerfield, Ill., a student at IU, got his tickets about 8 p.m. after waiting more than three hours. He met folks in line who said they’d left the Clinton rally to wait for tickets.
‘I was leaning toward Obama, but this sealed the deal for sure,’ he said. ‘The Obama campaign announced this right as (Bill Clinton) was about to speak, and it brought everyone from over there to over here.’ “
What else is there to say to this other than WTF? The band apparently was in that college town to give a free concert in support of Obama. No problem there. But nice timing on when the Obama campaign decided it should distribute the tickets — just as Bill Clinton was about to speak at the same campus in support of Hillary.
Fair tactic? Probably, though if the Clinton campaign had tried something similar, you can bet the media would be all over it claiming unfair voter tampering.
Each person in Friday’s line received one ticket upon showing an Indiana ID or in-state student ID. Before receiving a ticket, however, people were asked if they were registered to vote and/or if they wanted to sign up to volunteer for Obama’s campaign.
Also available was the VIP option for those who are able to get 20 people registered to vote. Forms must be turned into the Obama office by 5 p.m. today.
Those who complete the task will be allowed to skip the line at the concert
and have access to the only floor seats in the house.
My brain cells from law school may be a little dusty, but can you say quid pro quo?
Clearly, any celebrity can put on a free event the generate support for a candidate. But when a candidate’s campaign starts getting involved in this way, it sure feels like someone is trying to put their toe across a pretty clear line.
Last time I checked, there were laws against that.
Cross-posted from MOMocrats.
April 8th, 2008 at 11:24 am
It’s nice to know that people are so dumb that you can buy their vote with a couple tickets…I may reconsider running for office.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Quid pro quo??
But they aren’t demanding a vote in return for the ticket, right?
Shoot, I’d take one from GWB for the Dave Matthews Band.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Mamma, maybe not demanding they vote for him, but sometimes isn’t a wink and a nod just as powerful?
Here’s a special floor pass for the concert. Now you don’t HAVE to vote got Obama, but ….
??? It still doesn’t feel right to me.
April 10th, 2008 at 2:30 am
I agree that staging the event the same night as the Clinton speech was kinda a jerk move but I am not sure the concert tickets themselves were illegal or immoral. They weren’t requiring anyone to say they would vote Obama in order to get a ticket.
If students are fools enough to vote for someone just because they gave away a ticket maybe we need to worry more about our education system than we do campaign reform.