Dem supporters asked to buy Obama speech tickets
By Molly Hughes, CBS4 News
Published August 20, 2008 at 9:39 a.m.
Updated August 20, 2008 at 9:39 a.m.
Two known Democratic supporters are outraged at their own party after being solicited to buy tickets to Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field next Thursday, CBS4 reports. The seats were distributed for free to the general public.
One source directed CBS4 to an unpublicized part of the Obama campaign's Web site where Democratic supporters, reportedly with deep pockets, could buy tickets for $1,000 each. The source told CBS4 he was solicited three times to buy the tickets through the Web site.
One source said it was unethical and being kept secret from the public.
CBS4 was able to find the Web site only by directly typing in the URL provided by the source. While CBS4 attempted to contact the Obama campaign about the selling of tickets, the pay-for-tickets page was changed to say no more tickets were available.
A spokeswoman for the Obama campaign called CBS4 before deadline Tuesday night to say it was proud of the success in opening the event free to the public. She said only a small percentage of the 75,000 tickets were sold to raise money for the Obama campaign.
The known Democratic supporter who called CBS4 called the selling of tickets an "underground fundraising operation."
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August 20, 2008
9:59 a.m.
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GFC1 writes:
Yeah Grunt, but this is supposed to be the peoples party, the only one that cares about the constituents above themselves, this couldnt be right could it brother, Semper Fi devil dog.
August 20, 2008
10:33 a.m.
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Mayor_Quimby writes:
Yeah, McCain's supporters are too busy working.
Obama is going to lose. Look at the latest Zogby poll.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/t...
Or how he is down now in Florida, Ohio and and Missouri. In addition, a battleground poll has McCain up by one nationally and Rasmussen has the lead in Minn for Obama at 2 points, down from 17 a couple of months ago. UH OH!
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epol...
August 20, 2008
10:46 a.m.
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Benighse writes:
It'll be nice to see Obama nominated and the real campaign can begin. Then it'll be the issues that count: the economy, housing, ending Iraq, energy solutions with solar and wind power, regaining world respect in international relations.....Until then we see Mccain becoming so silly....He looked like Jimmy Cagney on that oil well yesterday: "I'm on top of the world, Ma!" (that's the part right before the fireworks in the movie and the ending credits.)....Let's put Obama to work for all America!
August 20, 2008
10:54 a.m.
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LingLingfor_prez writes:
That's ok, most people are unhappy with McCain and Obama.
August 20, 2008
11:25 a.m.
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hikingartist writes:
It is all about money. Both parties have hijacked the election process and the people of the US are the losers. It is time for something new.
August 20, 2008
11:58 a.m.
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EdVMorales writes:
But their own tickets? Hey right. And what about getting voucher for the taxi. Have them pay for that too! NOT!!! Both parties are a JOKE. Let the people be the President. I bet thing would be different. No war, health insurance for EVERYBODY and no more BS from congress and etc. OIL company for one.
August 20, 2008
12:22 p.m.
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dilligaf writes:
Wait for the debates. Obama will make a fool of Grandpa. Heck he freezes up when ask by a reporter why it's OK for ins. co. to cover men for Viagra but not women for birth control pills. (DEER IN HEADLIGHTS) And there will be a lot tougher questions coming at him at the debates. Maybe they ought to give him a handicap. Oh that's right he is one. It is going to be entertaining.
August 20, 2008
12:37 p.m.
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leatherneck writes:
The Libs are screaming and crying today. This will be just like the past couple of presidential elections. The Dems will think they have it in the bag with the big O, and then everyone will see his true liberal beliefs and Obama will lose by a landslide. I heard today on the Fox that you won't be going to the speach unless you donate!! Nice, that doesn't sound very free to me??
August 20, 2008
12:42 p.m.
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Mayor_Quimby writes:
dilligaf, like he did at the Saddleback Forum? Obama will stumble on every word like he always does when he isnt reading from a teleprompter and speaking as if he were addressing either babies or idiots (well i guess since he's addressing dems) with his long pauses and dumb smirks. McCain will be able to give straight answers and not have to try and walk a fine line like Obama will. Obama is going to have to keep the wackos on the far left happy while trying to get some moderate voters. In the end, he will upset both and lose in a landslide.
August 20, 2008
12:59 p.m.
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rickg19611 writes:
Typical scam run by the Obama crackpots. No ethical, sane, intelligent person would support such sleazy actions by scam artists like the Obama gang.
Of course, the dumbest of them will try to divert attention from the scheme by attacking McCain or others refuse to sink to Obama's level of dishonesty and unethical practices.
August 20, 2008
1 p.m.
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JDub writes:
"F McCain and his supporters". Wow, talking to these people is pointless. I think this country is great because of opportunity. You think this country is great because you have the freedom to hate it. Keep on tearing this country down lefties. Is this the "hope" and "change" you speak of?
August 20, 2008
1:03 p.m.
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Mayor_Quimby writes:
Jdub, you are 100% correct. They do it because of their faults and short comings. Obama wont win so dont worry about it. They will of course blame Bush or McCain when they know now they nominated the biggest fool in their party (aside from Teddy Kennedy and Pelosi).
August 20, 2008
1:07 p.m.
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yeayea writes:
wow. obama is losing this thing and FAST.
one bumbling mistake after another and he's lost colorado before this disaster of convention has even started..
now we see the polls today and he's in an absolute freefall everywhere.
i see it now. a bumbling freshman senator just isn't gonna cut it. i don't see this election even being close. no tension this election day...
leave it to the Dems to somehow churn out a WORSE candidate than the righties yet again. it's pathetic.
it's time to pack it in and head for cover on this one.
August 20, 2008
1:16 p.m.
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yeayea writes:
"F McCain and his supporters"
You can't reason with these people, JDub
They're upset with their crappy lives and lack of gainful employment, but instead of looking at themselves in the mirror in the land of opportunity, they take out their anger on people like McCain.
John McCain is not the reason you don't have a good job. Smoking too much pot on the couch and posting hateful messages on a local newspaper's website is the reason you don't have a good job.
August 20, 2008
1:24 p.m.
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HopiMedicineMan writes:
FOR YEARS the Democratic Party has been like a Fortune 500 business while the Republican Party has been run like a failing bureaucracy. Life is full of paradoxes, Clarke.
August 20, 2008
1:50 p.m.
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rickg19611 writes:
'Wait for the debates. Obama will make a fool of Grandpa."
Yeah... like he did at Saddleback!!!! BBBWWAAAHHHAAAAA!!!! Even Democrats admitted that McCain spanked Obama. No wonder they went into overdrive with conspiracy theories on why Obama lost so badly.
Obama crashes and burns whenever he has to speak without a prepared speech in front of him on a teleprompter. Which is why he did so poorly at Saddleback, why he'll fail in the debates, and why he refused to accept a challenge for a series of townhall debates.
Obama's handlers are scrambling to figure out how to salvage his Hindenberg style decline.... especially since he sinks further in the polls whenever voters hear him speak without his reading from the script his handlers fed him.
August 20, 2008
1:55 p.m.
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FamilyGuy writes:
This story is a joke. McCain should take credit for writing it. Right wing spin on a simple fund raiser. Trying to make it look negative. 30,000 FREE seats to the people. Try to get a ticket to the GOP event - unless you work for an oil, arms or prison company, you are not welcome. Our country is dying and Molly Hughes is "breaking" stories that the Dem's are raising money. How about the never ending war, lack of healthcare and corrupt tax structure? ? Nah - that's not important but TWO people being asked for donations matters.
August 21, 2008
11:07 a.m.
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blu_boi writes:
If these speech tickets have a monetary value of $1000 each wouldn’t the Obama campaign be violating campaign financing laws by not reporting donations to the campaign? Volunteer work does not need to be declared but if people "volunteer” for the Obama campaign to receive tickets then it seems that the monetary value of the work done by those people volunteering in the hopes of getting tickets would be $1000 each whether they actually were "lucky" enough to get a ticket or not. I bet there's hundreds of thousands of dollars not being declared.
August 21, 2008
4:41 p.m.
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lambert_strether writes:
Do the math. The Obama spokesperson says a small percentage of the tickets were sold to deep pockets supporters. Say 1/75 is a small percentage -- that's 1000 tickets * $1000 == $1,000,000. I don't think that's insignificant at all.
What I would want to know is if there are any OTHER "unpublicized parts" of the campaign site that also solicit money or otherwise generate revenue, and if they're meeting reporting requirements.