Today I received an e-mail video announcement from Barack Obama. I read it. I watched it. I am not impressed. He broke his campaign promise, period.

In his e-mail he wrote:

We have made a crucial decision that will impact how we compete in the general election, and it’s important that you understand the decision, its implications, and the challenge ahead.

Obama has tried to show people that he is a different politician and that he would change the way things are done. But since he’s won the democratic nomination, his views today are quite different than what he has told his supporters and completely different than his answer on a Presidential Candidate questionnaire by the Midwest Democracy Network back in November 2007:

Question I-B:

If you are nominated for President in 2008 and your major opponents agree to forgo private funding in the general election campaign, will you participate in the presidential public financing system?

OBAMA: Yes. I have been a long-time advocate for public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests. I introduced public financing legislation in the Illinois State Senate, and am the only 2008 candidate to have sponsored Senator Russ Feingold’s (DWI) bill to reform the presidential public financing system. In February 2007, I proposed a novel way to preserve the strength of the public financing system in the 2008 election. My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election. My proposal followed announcements by some presidential candidates that they would forgo public financing so they could raise unlimited funds in the general election.

The Federal Election Commission ruled the proposal legal, and Senator John McCain (r-AZ) has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.

Today, Barack Obama decided to break this promise. His actions do not appear to be the change that we can believe in. We are just beginning to see the real Barack Obama, who appears to check the direction of the wind and the polls in making decisions.