Friday, November 27, 2009

Opinion

Robert Schlesinger

Questions About Barack Obama's Online Fundraising Prowess

October 27, 2008 12:47 PM ET | Robert Schlesinger | Permanent Link | Print

The Washington Post had an interesting story Sunday looking at concerns raised by Barack Obama's absurd fundraising success. The story's good, but as Ed Morrissey points out over at Hot Air, it leaves a critical question unanswered:

What makes the Obama campaign different from online retail operations? After all, we have spent almost 15 years buying and selling products and services on the Internet, and retailers know how to protect themselves and their customers. They employ a system that compares the billing information on the order to the information in the credit-card system—and when they don't match, the sale gets denied. Credit-card companies have gone an extra step in recent years by adding a security code to protect against fraudulent use.

The McCain campaign apparently uses these systems to prevent fraud. Why doesn't Team Obama?

It's a fair—and disquieting—question.

  • Click here to read more by Robert Schlesinger.
  • Click here to read more about fundraising.
  • Click here to read more about Barack Obama.

 

Tags: internet | presidential election 2008 | shopping | Barack Obama | campaigns | fraud

Tools: Share | | Comments (8) | Print

advertisement

U.S. News Weekly

Subscribe Now

Order the new U.S. News Weekly digital magazine at a special low introductory price!

Robert Schlesinger is a deputy editor at U.S. News and World Report and oversees all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters.

advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

People who read this also read ...

Thomas Jefferson St.

Thank You, Bob Dylan

He’s still touring around America like a rolling stone.

GOP Can Be Thankful for Strong Polls

But they cannot get complacent.

5 Reasons for a Democratic Thanksgiving

Michael Steele and healthcare reform top the list.

Women Have Say on Health Reform

If it's the year of the women, why are there so few of them?

Turkey Tax

Uncle Sam is joining in on your Thanksgiving dinner.

Ideological Labels Just Don't Fit

Hard-liners don't understand that some of us don't toe an ideological line.

A Decade in Biased Review

How well does the video sum up the last decade?

Cartoon Gallery

Editorial Cartoon

Political Cartoons

Check out our most recent cartoons.

Public Opinion

Should the GOP Have a Litmus Test?

Should the RNC exclude politicians who don't match the party's platform?

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.