Obama's cashing in

Barack Obama has more money than any presidential candidate has ever had at this stage of the campaign. He’s been able to do things, like buy 30 minutes of airtime on three different networks and fund more last minute rallies. He has raised well over $600 million since the start of his campaign.

Sure, he’s been able to raise so much money because he has a lot of support, so why do some people have a problem with it? Last year, Barack Obama and John McCain promised to accept public campaign financing, and Obama pledged to work with the Republican candidate to ensure they both worked within the same financial constraints.

In the end, Obama did not accept public financing, and explained his decision by arguing that the established system of campaign financing is broken and Republicans worked the system to their advantage. But unfortunately for McCain, due to the economy the interest groups and “political action committees” that contribute to public financing for the campaign have contributed significantly less than usual. McCain has criticized Obama for “breaking his promise,” and others have called the move hypocritical.

But what do you think? Is it unfair for Obama to have a monetary advantage over McCain, even though his own campaign raised the money? Will money spent on TV ads really make a big difference in the election? Would you call Obama a hypocrite? Let us know, comment below!