June 5, 2008
GOP Fears Obama's Money Machine
Politico: No Good News For McCain's Ability To Compete With Obama's Fundraising
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Play CBS Video Video Eye To Eye: Obama Looks Ahead "Only On The Web": Barack Obama made history as the nation's first black presidential candidate. He speaks with Katie Couric about how he will face the challenges that lie ahead.
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(CBS)
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Interactive The Money Race See the latest campaign finance tallies from Obama and McCain.
With Hillary Clinton's campaign coming to an end this weekend, Barack Obama's rise as the Democratic nominee brings serious bad news to a new group - John McCain's finance team.
A review of campaign finance data offers not one ounce of good news and barely any hope for the McCain campaign’s ability to compete with Obama’s fundraising prowess.
To make matters worse, Obama’s campaign, which raised $272 million through April for the primary, now is reaching out to Clinton’s fundraisers, who raised another $200 million through April, in an effort to unite forces and bury the historically deep-pocketed Republicans.
Take a look at some of the numbers:
• If each of Obama’s donors gave him a modest $250, he’d have $375 million to spend during the two-month general election sprint. That’s $186 million a month; $47 million a week.
• During the same September to Nov. 4th period, McCain will have about $85 million to spend since he has decided to take taxpayer money to help finance his campaign activities.
• The Republican National Committee, which is charged with closing the gap between McCain and Obama, has $40 million in cash. Obama raised almost as much - $31 million - from just his small donors in the month of February. His total for the month, $57 million, exceeded the RNC’s cash balance.
• Obama has more than 1.5 million donors; McCain has a few hundred thousand. If just a million of Obama’s donors sent him the maximum donation, $2,300, he could raise $2.3 billion.
Ok, that’s not going to happen. But campaign finance experts and Democratic fundraisers say a conservative estimate of Obama’s general election fundraising potential hovers around or above $300 million.
Such a massive financial advantage will allow Obama to compete in more states than McCain and force his rival to defend states that should rightfully be Republican wins.
Obama’s use of such tactics has already been on display in the primary.
Pennsylvania was a must-win for Clinton and, given its large population of working class Democrats and women, was a long-shot for Obama.
Still, he spent $10 million advertising in the Keystone State. Why? He forced Clinton to spend all her money and much of her time there to ensure she pocketed a ten-point win.The Money Race
Check out April tallies for Obama, McCain and Clinton — including how much they've raised and spent since the campaign began.
Meanwhile, Obama moved ahead of her to the next set of equally critical primary states. He pulled ahead of her in North Carolina, squeezed the gap in Indiana, and essentially ended any hope that a then-bankrupt Clinton to overtake him in the delegate race.
In the general election, Obama could afford to set up large operations in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, New Mexico and a host of other states - maybe even McCain’s own Arizona.
That would force McCain to pick the mid-size state battles he could afford while also trying to hold off a free-spending Obama in such essential big states as Ohio, Missouri and Florida.
“McCain has to make every dollar count in the general election and Obama will have money to burn,” said Evan Tracey, co-founder of Campaign Media Analysis Group.
The financial gap between the two presumed nominees was also on display during the primaries. Obama spent $75 million on television advertising; McCain spend $11 million, according to Tracey.
Clearly, a major reason for the imbalance is the length of the Democratic primary compared to the Republican race. But it’s also a matter of resources: Obama raised nearly three times more money than McCain’s $100 million tally through April.
And the plight of the McCain campaign could be even worse than many Republicans feared.
McCain isn’t a good fundraiser - which explains why he decided to take taxpayer money for the general election -- and he has yet to excite his own party base.
He reported a record month in April, raising $18 million, after sewing up his party’s nomination. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry raised $44 million in the month after he emerged his party’s presumptive nominee.
“What’s been striking about the McCain money is that there hasn’t been any big surge,” says Anthony Corrado, an expert on campaign finance. “There are no big spikes; there is slow growth.”
In addition, the $300 million general election haul for Obama projected by some experts includes a relatively modest boost from Clinton backers, a projection that could significantly underestimate their influence and the Illinois senator’s ultimate financial strength.
Obama backers this week said they have been quietly reaching out to Clinton supporters and assuring them that they will be welcome in the next phase of the election.
Those conversations have been delicate, said one major Obama backer. “In the last few weeks, both campaigns have been very respectful of one another, by and large. It was important every primary be waged.”
The conversations now are more open and could progress more rapidly now that Clinton has made a decision to formally leave the race.
“These are folks who have worked together for Democratic nominees repeatedly for years. There is a great capacity for us to join arms and work together,” said one Clinton fundraiser who asked to remain anonymous.
Another Clinton “Hillraiser,” the nickname for her major fundraisers, said “people will substantially get engaged and assist.” But, he added that it could take a little time for such a merger. “You can’t move on to another date with the same intensity quite that quickly,” he said.
To be sure, some Clinton backers won’t switch sides. Clinton’s campaign recruited an impressive array of women to raise money, some of whom are expected to move to the sidelines without a female at the top of the ticket.
Others, said one major fundraiser and adviser, may shift their energy to helping the Democratic National Committee fill its coffers.
Just as the RNC is expected to share expenses with McCain, the DNC is aiming to raise more than $200 million for its general election activities that will be coordinated with Obama.
Still more money raisers may pivot to the House and Senate campaign committees, where their work may be more noticed and remembered after November. “If they go to Obama, they know they will always be one tier out from the candidate. If they can raise a whole bunch of money in Senate races, they will still be players,” the adviser added.
But even with some fall-off, no one expects Obama to be short on resources, in part because of his inspirational appeal and also because of a greater urgency among Democratic activists to seize the White House and change the national agenda.
“All hands are going to be on deck,” said one long-time Democratic fundraiser. “A billion is spent on advertising at the Super Bowl. That’s one football game. This is worth every nickel we can put into it.”
By Jeanne Cummings
Copyright 2008 POLITICO
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The secrets of tennis legend 
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See all 39 CommentsBeginning Thursday, the DNC will no longer accept checks from federal lobbyists or political action committees, mirroring the strict standard Obama adopted for his presidential campaign."
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Posted by whitepicks2
Senator Obama and the DNC receive millions in contributions from corporations via bundlers. Corporations hire lobbyists. At least half of Senator Obama''s campaign contributions have come from billionaire fundraisers, bundlers. These people/corporations do not write checks to politicians simply because they like them. Senator Obama solicited millions from these corporations before he ever started to campaign. The information is readily available. The Washington Post did a story on Obama''s campaign contributions in April that identifies many of his corporate backers.
Like the right Rev wasn''t the SAME Rev he knew for the last 20 years.
Give me a f**king break!
TRUE STORY___I once lived with a nice old man who was in his 70%u2019s. One day, I ran over a squirrel on the way home. When I told this old fella, he told me, %u2018You better go get that squirrel!%u2019 He proceeded to skin%u2026cook%u2026.and eat that squirrel. McCain reminds me of this old man who rather do things the old fashion way than google %u2018cooked squirrel%u2019. IT%u2019S TIME FOR A CHANGE, VOTE OBAMA%u201908.
www.thepetitionsite.com
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father-michael-pfleger
Posted by noloyalisti at 07:33 PM : Jun 05, 2008"
No, she''s just a whiny b1tchy old slag.
Posted by TiredofObama at 11:47 PM : Jun 05, 2008"
Pi$$off and take your b1tchy slags with you.
Beginning Thursday, the DNC will no longer accept checks from federal lobbyists or political action committees, mirroring the strict standard Obama adopted for his presidential campaign.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/10871.html
Barack, just sit it out. It''s going to be ugly. I promise you.
You heard it here first.'' -- Joe Scarborough
Now that''s a laugh.
Now a successful political woman wants to be president and she is dubbed a psycho, back stabbing b****ch by the group of bloated old bigots who got where they are by feeding their ego''s that they know what''s best for this country! And look what a mell of hess we''re in right now because of some bloated ego, manifest destiny spewing back room dealing arrogant smart a/s/s inexperienced CRACKHEAD just like Obama!
And you roboturkeys and the DNC expect me to vote for this inexperienced overbloated goofball just like BUSH because they made back room deals to get him nominated, like I OWE them my vote?
Whatta laugh!
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FYI these are the Same Neocons who helped SHRUB JR,
if youre in the area of Midland Texas please help in protesting..............
Clayton Cartoon Williams needs your middle finger support.
Posted by Quetzal666- at 04:15 PM : Jun 05, 20
This proves we are right, McBush or McSame whats the difference, he is a third term Bush
Your Party has done nothing for the American People.
Maybe for the wealthy, lobbiest, special interest and big business.
Because of your party the American People are suffering. Your time will end in November.
People are funding Obama because they''re tired of the Republicans. Expect to lose more in the Senate/Congress. You had your time and you failed the American People big time.
Obama 08
You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn''t worked anywhere it''s been tried is because the right people haven''t been in charge.
You have to believe conservatives telling the truth belong in jail, but a liar and a *** offender belongs in the White House.
You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity.
You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it supports certain parts of the Constitution.
You have to believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.
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