Early Wins Pay Off For Obama

Democratic Candidate Raises $32M In January, Matches Best Three-Month Period In 2007

(AP)  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised $32 million in the single month of January, matching his best three-month period last year, aides said Thursday.

The money positions Obama for the sweeping Feb. 5 primary contests, when 22 states will be in play for the Democratic nomination. Aides also announced that with their money they can now advertise in states beyond the Super Tuesday contest next week.

Obama is advertising in all but two of the Feb. 5 states and plans to begin advertising in states with upcoming contests, including Louisiana, Washington, Nebraska, Maine, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Campaign manager David Plouffe said the campaign attracted 170,000 new donors for a total of 650,000 donors overall.

"We think that the strength of our financial position and the number of donors does speak to financial sustainability if it ends up going through March and April," Plouffe said of the race. "We think we will have the financial resources to conduct vigorous campaigns in the states to come."

[tallafl]

Perhaps this story would have more meaning if it were a more comprehensive look at fund raising of all candidates, at least on the Democratic side, overall. How much did Hillary raise over the same period of time? How many new donors, total donors does she have. What about Edwards? This is the Obama bias that many people have been referring to in the media. It needs to stop.

[briannorwood]

TallaFL:

Put it this way. Obama has raised more financial support than all GOP candidates combined. More astonishing given the huge number of small time donors (650,000).

Noone else even comes close.

[suet123-2009]

Whaa-hooo! That''s what I call MOMENTUM!

[croft777]

It doesn''t matter how much money he raises, polls show that the majority is supporting Hillary. If the truth be known, she won in 4 states , whereas he only won in two.The peoples vote counts and does count in the end. I''m ready to watch the debates tonight. I''m sure its going to be comical like always.

[cbs4me3]

We foot soldiers certainly cannot compete with these wealthy supporters. I sure hope that "I keep a messy desk" keeps track of all that money. I believe ordinary people will look at this wealth, perhaps as republicans view their candidates, and are not buying in. John has survived and is very strong. So, too, Hillary will demonstrate her strength nationwide on Super Tuesday.

[buddhabman]

The peoples vote counts, and delegates count. Right now this is close. The fact that Obama has 650,000 unique donors shows he has a huge appeal. This is not media hype, this is the real deal. Make a decision, move forward or look backwards.

Obama 08

[truthspeake2]

OBAMA 2008...

[buddhabman]

themagic07 - The old smears not working anymore.

Facts can be checked, video can be reviewed.

In his speech at DU in Denver yesterday, Obama talked about all the typical smear statements posted over the internet.

http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=[e-mail]

The fight won''t be easy.

Obama 08

[cbs4me3]

With people voting early or caucusing early, they avoid the nonsense to come from the ads paid for with this money. But, it is good for economy of these States and the tax base. So, go on a binge and spend this money even though it has limited utility.

[buddhabman]

themagic07 - The old smears not working anymore.

Facts can be checked, video can be reviewed.

In his speech at DU in Denver yesterday, Obama talked about all the typical smear statements posted over the internet.

http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=3851
[e-mail]

The fight won''''t be easy.

Obama 08

[jaerasta]

themagic07: Once a Muslim always a Muslim? Where did you get that antiquated thinking. His mother is American White Christian. Would sure like to see the source of all the FACTs you quoted. Seems more like Nazi propaganda than facts. Remember what the SBV did to Mr. Kerry. Mr. Kerry spent all his time defending against baseless claims and little focus on the issues. Don%u2019t think anywhere listed on Mr. Obama%u2019s resume was Salesman. Most Dems think he can change the course in Washington. Had we listened to the candidates prospective on the issues in 2004, then we would not have another 2000+ Service-members in their young graves. We have many more so mentally disturbed due to the mental anguish war causes, that they are committing/attempting suicide at an alarming rate. As footnotes, there have been over 88K Iraqi deaths since our invasion in 2003, most of them innocent Children, Women and Old men because we thought they had WMD; how many more Americans do we lose; how many more Iraqis do we kill? Finally, if you haven''t noticed our economy is being propped up by our cold war enemies. We don%u2019t want more of the same, we want change%u2026 I don%u2019t care what religion our President is as long as he can get us out of this Cesspool we are in, I am happy.

[andor3]

Yep Obama has got momentum, charisma, youth appeal, and cash. His detractors cannot find anything to ding him on and are trying to recycle those ridiculous fabrications about him (he is Muslim... gimmee a break... everyone knows that was long ago shown to be a lie, and a malicious one at that).

He''s going to be hard to catch now. (the fact that Clinton won a couple states is a lot like getting the first basket in a basketball game. And this one looks like it is going into overtime: likely neither candidate will have the nomination locked before the convention.

[croft777]

I was watching tv and saw Hillary passing around peach cobbler. I saw the man in the Elvis costume and the laughter on their faces. I had to smile. I know these people are down to earth, its what America really stands for,the middle class and poor not just the rich. No we can not go back in time, but we can bring back those American values that mean so much to the American citizens. I loved the days when Bill was in Office, this country seemed so secure. I never worried about losing a job or losing a home. I never worried about this country being invaded by terrorist. But these seem to be the major threats of today. This countries morals have changed. It is no longer concerned about its people, only about those who make up the minority. This country is most likely to colaspe if it doesn''''t change. I believe that experience is of major importance. We would not hire a man to perform a surgery without being educated as a doctor. Bush had no experience and look what happened. This country is to fragile to give the job to someone without that experience. I have no problem with Bill in the picture with Hillary, it makes it double worthy. They both are of great minds. I don''''t want no more rotten apples,I want Grandmas apple pie.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by croft777 at 01:50 PM : Jan 31, 2008

Well said!

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by themagic07 at 01:11 PM : Jan 31, 2008

Well said!

[williamfold]

Obama has my vote.

Hillary and McCain = SOS,DD.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by buddhabman at 12:57 PM : Jan 31, 2008

Obama started the campaign smears right out of the chute! Hillary conducted her campaign in the beginning on the issues. Edwards and Obama said not threre words for MONTHS that weren''t Hillary put downs!

Now that Hillary is willing to play politics Obama''s way, he cries foul and draws a racial line!!!!

He has NOTHING to offer the presidency of the United States except a street punk attitude, and the WORD CHANGE!!!!

[croft777]

andor3Yep Obama has got momentum, charisma, youth appeal, and cash. His detractors cannot find anything to ding him on and are trying to recycle those ridiculous fabrications about him (he is Muslim... gimmee a break... everyone knows that was long ago shown to be a lie, and a malicious one at that).

He''''s going to be hard to catch now. (the fact that Clinton won a couple states is a lot like getting the first basket in a basketball game. And this one looks like it is going into overtime: likely neither candidate will have the nomination locked before the convention.

Believe me, there is alot they can dig on him. Obama is not without flaws. And by the way, Clinton actually won 4 states by the popular votes.These do count and shows who the people perfer. Its seems to me they perfer Hillary. Obama might be able to fool some to believe that he is so honest and without flaws, but for the majority, they have seen the light!

[croft777]

Sorry, meant prefer..lolo. I''m tired.

[tazmjam]

I feel like I am watching a Dem version of GWB in 2000. Obama talks out of both sides of his mouth. And the same people are falling for the same lines once again.
How is Obama going to unite the Rep and Dems in Washington? Details please. GWB said the same thing.
Bush had a catch phrase %u201Ccompassionate conservative.%u201D Obama''s phrase, Bob the Builders, %u201CYes We Can.%u201D
Bush was a new face in Washington. He said no scandals attached to his Presidency. Sound familiar?
There is nothing preventing the far right, or say, Richard Scaife from hiring private investigators to dig up dirt on Obama. I%u2019m sure there%u2019s some. It definitely can be embellished for 5 minutes of fame and money.
He talks about uniting the country, but allows his workers and friends like Jessie Jr. to call the Clintons racist and pretend to be above it all. Of course he stepped in once he got 80% of the black vote. Now it%u2019s all about a multi-racial-gender coalition.
He said Reps were the party of ideas over the last 10-15 years. Then at his speech in SC he says he%u2019ll unite the parties so a Dem can say a Rep had an idea.
Stating, %u201CI didn%u2019t say I agreed with the idea%u201D Spoken like a true politician, he didn%u2019t say he disagreed either. Now no one knows exactly what he was saying including himself.
Perhaps he could use one of GWB%u2019s lines:
I have opinions of my own-strong opinions-but I don%u2019t always agree with them.:)

[dan9111]

We will get no details. All of these politicians are vague and purposely evasive. The best you can do is keep your money in your pocket and hope these campaigns all run out of steam.

[croft777]

Posted by tazmjam at 02:13 PM : Jan 31, 2008

You nailed it right on the point.Well said!!!

[pepperp1]

Posted by tazmjam at 02:13 PM : Jan 31, 2008

Thats how Cults of Personality work and you are right it does and it alarms me. A Dem George Bush over a Liberal left economic Congress,,,, yyyyyyyyyyyyyyaooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwza

[pepperp1]

stop with the Obama Muslim stuff he said he is a Christian....I am no Obama fan but this is a lie

[fstop100]

Does he still have time to perform his duties as a Senator or are his voters being stiffed?

[apinchofsalt]

Dear Huckabee supporters!

If you want Huckabee to get his far share of news time let your voices be heard. We need to bombard the networks with emails. We believe Huckabee can still win! Stand up for what you believe in and stop letting news decide the candidates!

A place to start:
[e-mail]

Don%u2019t stop at TV shows, email newspapers, family, friends, and senators too! Go Huckabee!

[apinchofsalt]

Dear Huckabee supporters!

If you want Huckabee to get his far share of news time let your voices be heard. We need to bombard the networks with emails. We believe Huckabee can still win! Stand up for what you believe in and stop letting news decide the candidates!

A place to start:
[e-mail]

Don%u2019t stop at TV shows, email newspapers, family, friends, and senators too! Go Huckabee!

[dnamj]

I like the comments on here today. I actually like both Hillary and Obama. The think I like best about Obama is his speeches. Those have been so inspiring, and I think that counts for a lot. This country could use a well-spoken president. Hillary''s speeches are good too, but her real strength is her, well, strength. Most people would have crumpled under the pressure she''s been under for the past 15 years, but she seems to just get stronger.

McCain is a mystery.

[rayuk-2009]

Is it push/pull, tug or tow, Obama or Hillary. Common sense will prevail and Hillary will win. For Obama, maybe next time.

[realpatriot1]

tazmjam,

How will he unite Republicans and Democrats? Step one is to win by a larger margin than Bush who lost the popular vote and has been claiming a mandate ever since.

The second step is to TRY to bring people together in a manner where everyone can claim some credit for progress rather than the kind of political one-upsmanship practiced by both Bushes, Clinton, Reagan, & Nixon.

Make it about progress and not about keeping score for the next election. Those who don''t go along should then become targets for the next election,whether they are Republican or Democrat.

It should be about delivering to the public, not to the lobbyists or party loyalists.

It begins with mandate to have real lobby and campaign finance reform which will lead to progress on evertyhing else from healthcare, to budget reform, to controlling pork, to cleaning the environment,etc.

Noone of that will happen until people demand it with their support and their votes and the candidates respond by taking the lead. That means changing the game and the "experienced" players as much as possible.

[allfluff]

I wonder how much of the money Obama raised came from lobbyists. I also find it interesting that Obama criticized Edwards fro letting 527''s run ads in favor of Edwards, and now he is doing the SAME thing.
Also, why is the Media not digging more into Obama-Rezko relationship ? Why does the MSM keep tip toeing around Obama ?

[samthetvcat]

"I wonder how much of the money Obama raised came from lobbyists."
Posted by allFluff

None - same can''t be said for Hillary. She''s also accepted donations from the financial institutions responsible for the credit crisis . . .

[paris1969]

After Nevada and Florida, I wonder how many of these donors would like to have their money back???

[davek455]

......people think the most liberal senator in the U.S. is electable????? I don''t get it:
Sen. Barack Obama was the most liberal senator in 2007, according to National Journal''s 27th annual vote ratings. Hillary Rodham Clinton ranked as the 16th-most-liberal senator out of 50 senators.

[davek455]

Barack - Ted Kennedy liberal, the most liberal in the senate, an admitted cocaine user, ties to muslim terrorist groups in Africa......these are the tag lines (fairly or unfairly) that the republican hatchet men will use against Obama.....how electable is he if those things stick?

[kathymc7719]

Message to croft777

Have you had a brain *** about all the scandals that occurred during the Clinton admin? What about all of the *** they pulled upon exiting the WH - their own public housing that they abused along with employees?
The only way you can lose a house is if you lied about your income/assets & didn''t account for how you were going to pay the higher interest when your loan reset. When I bought a house I was intelligent enough understand the terms of the deal, to know that I could make the current & future payments, had a down payment & a committment to own my own home.
Get real - we don''t need those 2 Clinton clowns back in the WH

[smashwl7]

Sen. Barack Obama''s 2008 presidential candidacy picked up some Utah endorsements Wednesday. They included a significant number of the Democratic legislative leadership in the House and Senate, who announced their support for the Illinois senator during a lunchtime news conference at the Capitol. Later, former Congressman Bill Orton announced in a news release that he is also supporting Obama. House Minority Leader Rep. Brad King, D-Price, said Obama "has the electability to bring change to this country. "Barack Obama is the candidate that tells people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear," King said. "I don''t want someone with a plan. ... I want someone with a vision."

[bookwerm314]

Um, Obama has MORE experience in elected office than does Hillary. He has less total experience because his isn''t an old decrepit fossil.

Obama AND Hillary are BOTH senators aren''t they? So why harp on whether he is dodging votes and not bring up Hill?

Comparing Bush to Obama? You have to be kidding.. one is silver spoon rich C student idiot.. the other hard working A+ student from the people, working for the people (even more so than Hill, who is not any slacker in that area!)

And Judge a person by the effect they have on others, and you can see that Obama''s ability to motivate eclipses Hill''s hugely.. and that will pay dividends when it comes time to NOT have us/them, build coalitions and the like. Hillary COMES (no pun intended) with baggage and divison.. Obama does not.

Look, if it is between Hill and a LIEpublican (they don''t deserve the name republican after breaking the bank AND helping the rich over all), I will vote for Hill. But Obama motivated me to become a Dem from Independent, motivated me to find and plan to attend the FEb 5 Colorado Caucus, AND motivated me to donate.

[shutupnvote]

Obama wins National Journal NUMBER UNO Liberal Senator rating pushes out Teddy as the mos liberal Senator in the Senate..................toooooooooooo Funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny
n


...................Obama has been hitting Clinton on her willingness to sit down with lobbyists to discuss legislation and policy. While he and John Edwards promised to sweep the White House clear of lobbyists, it''''''''s difficult to see how they do so. Clinton shows a little more pragmatism when it comes to lobbyists.



SEE SENATOR ITS NOT WHAT YOU SAY ITS WHAT YOUR RECORD IS.................no wonder we only hear about his anti Hillarys and anti her husband rants instead of his own record..................................

.......geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
es
eeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssssh
hhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Praise the Lord pass the liberal giveaway

man is the RNC loving this...what a GIFT cnat you see the ADs

[joanbap]

Hillary has the THE EXPERIENCE THAT KNOWS HOW & WHAT TO CHANGE. Over 35 years of experience.
Think about real change with someone that can get the job done. Someone extremely intelligent... She will bring our troops out of Iraq, she will change the face of Healthcare and Education, and take us out of this recession.

[joanbap]

Hillary has the THE EXPERIENCE THAT KNOWS HOW & WHAT TO CHANGE. Over 35 years of experience.
Think about real change with someone that can get the job done. Someone extremely intelligent... She will bring our troops out of Iraq, she will change the face of Healthcare and Education, and take us out of this recession.

[joanbap]

Hillary has the THE EXPERIENCE THAT KNOWS HOW & WHAT TO CHANGE. Over 35 years of experience.
Think about real change with someone that can get the job done. Someone extremely intelligent... She will bring our troops out of Iraq, she will change the face of Healthcare and Education, and take us out of this recession.

[joanbap]

Obama...If not''s about a race thing, then tell me what great thing Obama has accomplished. Try to convince me. I don''t think it''s time to experiment right now. Our Country is at war, our economy is a complete mess, we need help. We need a candidate with experience.
not someone who wants to learn on the job. I say we should observe Obama over the next few years, and see what he does before we even consider electing him as President. I mean this is not a game we are playing, this is serious life, our lives.
W

[joanbap]

We still do not know exactly what Obama
has did that was so amazing as Senator for people to believe in his WORDS, and that''s exactly what they are WORDS! If you listen to his speech pattern, this guy obviously studied MLK.
Now we have Ted Kennedy, an alcoholic, murderer, and male chauvinist endorsing him, and we follow him like sheep. Come on People this guy is an opportunist, and does not have the best interest of this country at heart. Then there''s Carolyn Kennedy, who after all these years
appears like a mouse out of its hole, and we believe she can pick our president. To actually proclaim that Obama is like her father, is an insult of a great man, JFK is a war hero. It seems as though Caroline has never read "Profiles In Courage"...
and Obama, well... how has he proven that he loves America? What has he done to come close to even being compared to JFK?
Check out this site where he does not even salute the flag: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1662530_1446035,00.html

[joanbap]

The reason why people gravitated towards JFK was because he did things in his life and he believed in and gave up his life for this country, he was not all talk.
People used to believe in substance at one time, now it seems that it just needs to be shiny.

[joanbap]

Shame on these Kennedys!
And shame on any women that are not supporting Hillary! You should get your head examined. Here we have a woman who worked really hard to get where she''s at, and she''s a viable, experienced candidate, which can finally bring women up to the same respect that men have
always had, in regards to jobs, salaries, opportunities, etc, and then we choose an inexperienced guy over her, that we know nothing about, and that just came out of nowhere. These women belong back in the kitchen, barefoot & pregnant.
So shine your ALL Clad, make your 30 minute meals, and listen to what Oprah tells you to do. This just proves that you do not really want Change. It''s the same old thing, just another guy, with another skin color.
Let''s talk about viable black candidates. Obviously MLK and even Colin Powell would have been guys to hang your hat on, but not Obama.
Most of all, these are folks that really proved they loved America. The black people that are voting for Obama, because of the color of his skin, shame on you too!
Do you really want to take a chance on a guy with no experience, and a shady background. The stakes are way too high, to have the first black president fail. Black people have worked way too hard, and have come way too far, to have someone like Obama, represent
what you stand for. Come on let''s get real here.

[joanbap]

Shame on any women that are not supporting Hillary! You should get your head examined. Here we have a woman who worked really hard to get where she''s at, and she''s a viable, experienced candidate, which can finally bring women up to the same respect that men have
always had, in regards to jobs, salaries, opportunities, etc, and then we choose an inexperienced guy over her, that we know nothing about, and that just came out of nowhere. These women belong back in the kitchen, barefoot & pregnant.
So shine your ALL Clad, make your 30 minute meals, and listen to what Oprah tells you to do. This just proves that you do not really want Change. It''s the same old thing, just another guy, with another skin color.
Let''s talk about viable black candidates. Obviously MLK and even Colin Powell would have been guys to hang your hat on, but not Obama.
Most of all, these are folks that really proved they loved America. The black people that are voting for Obama, because of the color of his skin, shame on you too!
Do you really want to take a chance on a guy with no experience, and a shady background. The stakes are way too high, to have the first black president fail. Black people have worked way too hard, and have come way too far, to have someone like Obama, represent
what you stand for. Come on let''s get real here.

If we think about it, there is another person that was able to deliver great speeches, and inspire many to believe in him....Hitler. BAHHHHH, BAHHHHHH

[joanbap]

Is that all Obama supporters can say is"Go Obama 08", with nothing to back it up. Is this why they are voting for him? and all based on some ridiculous slogans that he paid somebody else to write. Do you people even care about what happens to this country?
We are asking people to choose someone to run our country and not picking an actor for the next Tyler Perry movie. Wake the heck up! HIllary will help us more than Obama ever will. If you want to find out where Obama got his money from, read up on Tom Rezko, his friend for the last 17 years. Rezko the slumlord...Who do you think he hurt? The poor people and they were mostly blacks and hispanics. Rezko caused these poor people to live without electricity or heat in the cold. Now you think rich Obama really cares about you?
You want to see a person, look at who they''re in bed with !!!

[joanbap]

Hillary has been active in a number of organizations concerned with the welfare of children after law school ---often worked for FREE and was the first female partner at Rose Law Firm in 1979 and was listed as one of the one hundred most influential lawyers in America in 1988 and 1991. Hillary advised the Children''s Defense Fund in Cambridge and joined the impeachment inquiry staff advising the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives.

President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the board of the Legal Services Corporation She chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children''s Hospital, Legal Services, and the Children''s Defense Fund.

[joanbap]

Some of the organizations Hillary is involved with:

Co-Founder, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
Board Member, Arkansas Children''s Hospital
Board Member, Children''s Defense Fund
Awards
-Humanitarian Award, Elie Wiesel Foundation
-Women Who Make A Difference Lifetime Achievement Award, Family Circle
-President''s Award, League of United Latin American Citizens
-International Women''s Philanthropy Award, Lion of Judah Conference of Combined Jewish Philanthropies
-Distinguished Bridge Builder Award, Leon H. Sullivan Foundation
-Recognition, Military Order of the Purple Heart
-Distinguished Service Award, National Association of Elementary School Principals
-Bully Pulpit Award, National Council for Adoption
-Black Women of Courage Award, National Federation of Black Women Business Owners
-Martin Luther King Jr. Award, Progressive National Baptist Convention
- Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service
-Woman of Steel - Role Model of the Year, United Steel Workers of America
-Arkansas Woman of the Year-1983
-Arkansas Mother of the Year-1984
Hillary won many admirers for her staunch support for women around the world and her commitment to children''s issues.