Cash Woes for BHO and DNC
By TexasDarlincloseAuthor: TexasDarlin Name: Texas Darlin
Email: susanunpc@gmail.com
Site: http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com
About: See Authors Posts (25) on June 16, 2008 at 8:42 AM in Barack Obama, Democratic party, Florida, Fund raising, Hillary Clinton, Jewish voters, John McCain

Is the Money Man falling short of expectations?

While some major donors for Hillary Clinton are joining efforts to raise money for Barack Obama, other reports show signs of financial trouble for the “presumptive nominee” and the DNC.

There’s no doubt that fundraising is a top priority for the Senator, even at the expense of wooing (or even meeting) the actual people raising the cash. USA Today reports:

Rendell, who plans to campaign on Obama’s behalf and raise money for him, said tonight’s event in Philadelphia is a joint fundraiser for Obama and the cash-strapped Democratic National Committee.

But in a sign of the urgency to raise campaign cash, Rendell said Obama didn’t want to reschedule tonight’s fundraiser, even though the governor warned him that many Philadelphia donors were headed to the New Jersey shore for the weekend. Rendell said Obama told him: “We don’t need the people. We just need the checks.”

(Wow, I can’t imagine that Gov. Rendell would share that quote from Obama with a reporter unless he was peeved…)

And Obama’s challenge with Jewish voters has gotten the attention of John McCain’s fundraisers. The Hill reports that major Jewish donors are flocking to McCain (hardly surprising given Obama’s longstanding association with anti-Israel figures such as former PLO employee Rashid Khalidi, as well as other anti-semitic signals from the Obama campaign.)

Sen. John McCain is attracting elite Jewish Democratic donors who backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and are concerned about Sen. Barack Obama’s stance toward Israel….

~snip~

“Many Jewish Democrats are sensing there is such an existential threat to Israel that you have to vote for an individual who strongly supports the U.S.-Israel relationship,” said Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), chairman of the GOP’s Jewish Victory Coalition….“The playing field is wide open for John McCain as far as attracting Jewish support”……

~snip~

Several major Jewish Democratic donors have said they will join McCain’s camp.

“In Florida there are a lot of people not happy with Obama’s stance with regards to Israel and regards to Cuba. We’re starting to see some significant people come over….Jewish support is especially important in Florida, a crucial swing statewhere Obama trails McCain in recent polls. Jewish voters make up about 5 percent of the electorate in that state. Florida’s Jewish community is also a lucrative source of political fundraising.

Jewish Democrats are concerned about Obama’s stance toward Israel, and many big donors from this group supported Clinton….Jewish Democrats are concerned about Obama for several reasons. While stumping in Iowa last year, Obama told Democratic activists, “Nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people”… Obama has also caused some alarm among Jewish Democrats by pledging to negotiate with leaders of nations that have taken hostile stances against Israel, such as Syria and Iran.

~snip~

McCain held a fundraiser with Jewish donors on Friday in Key Biscayne, Fla. Before the main event, McCain met with a roomful of Jewish Democratic donors to discuss Israel and other issues important to them….As many as two dozen Jewish Democrats who attended the meeting gave money to McCain’s campaign at the fundraiser, which raised about $500,000…

(I have been trying to tell everyone, it’s Florida stupid. Now here’s a state that Hillary Clinton has a 100% chance of winning, her demographic strengths are ideal in Florida, and wouldn’t it be sweet if Florida had an instrumental role in winning back the White House for Dems in 08? Well, that won’t happen if Obama is the nominee.)

And although Obama made fundraising history (as did Clinton) in the presidential primary — $272 million through April 30 — compared to $100 million for McCain, the RNC ended April with $40.6 million cash on hand, while the DNC had $4.4 million, according to USA Today.

The Denver Post reported that cash shortages forced the DNC to postpone an advance event for the August convention:

The Democratic National Convention Committee announced Friday morning that it had postponed the Spring Media Walkthrough, a meeting designed to give the hundreds of media organizations that will cover the convention important logistical information.

Because of the protracted Democratic nominating process, Denver’s host committee responsible for raising $40.6 million in cash for the convention has fallen behind its schedule. The host committee and the DNCC have been looking for ways to cut costs. Those measures have delayed several logistical decisions, said the sources, who are familiar with the planning and negotiations.

Is Obama struggling to live up to his promise of stuffing Democratic coffers?

As for the little-guy donors…

Tim Bellisario, a court reporter in Federal Way, Wash., who contributed more than $1,000 to Clinton in $100 and $150 increments over the Internet, said he’s not likely to give to Obama. Clinton “was the best candidate,” he said. “Now that she’s gone, I don’t like McCain and I don’t like Obama either.”

In addition, Obama “doesn’t need my money,” Bellisario said. “He has raised millions and millions.”

Cross posted at TexasDarlin
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A Follow-Up Zinger to TexasDarlin’s “Cash Woes for BHO and DNC”
By SusanUnPCcloseAuthor: SusanUnPC Name:
Email: susanunpc@gmail.com
Site: http://noquarterusa.net/
About: See Authors Posts (1045) on June 16, 2008 at 10:15 AM in Barack Obama, DNC, Ed Rendell, Mayor Michael Nutter, Philadelphia

These remarks were made, and reported by the Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet, at the Philadelphia fundraiser that an apparently cash-strapped Barack Obama insisted on holding even though Gov. Ed Rendell warned him it was a summer weekend. As TexasDarlin noted in her post immediately preceding mine, quoting USA Today, Obama’s insistence on holding the event was “a sign of the urgency to raise campaign cash.”

Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and Pennslvania governor Ed Rendell spoke before Barack Obama, and said, Lynn Sweet reports:

“I gave Sen. Clinton $1,500 in the primary so I thought just for old-time sake I’d give Sen. Obama $1,499,” Rendell said, sparking scattered boos from the crowd. The governor calmed them by saying “that was before I drank the Kool-Aide.” He said that he has a check for $2,300 to give the Obama campaign.

Sweet then reports that this is what Barack Obama said immediately afterwards:

“We’re going to make sure this doesn’t bounce,” Obama said as he took the podium.

This is such a rude, classless remark, I am nearly left speechless.

What other descriptions can we come up with?

Tacky?

Tasteless?

Insulting?

Most of all, there wasn’t a word of thanks in that statement for the donation of the full amount that Gov. Rendell gave to this candidate even though the governor had worked his tail off for Hillary Clinton.

Well, we can look at Obama’s next remarks about Gov. Rendell:

He then said it was a “relief” to have Ed Rendell (”a man who has no shortage for words”) on his side. “How many cable shows can you be on at one time?” Obama asked Rendell, adding that he is “one of the finest governors in the country.”

Obama said Rendell’s presence was a “relief”? And that he wanted to know, from Rendell, “How many cable shows can you be on at one time?”

In other words, acknowledging Gov. Rendell’s affable and intelligent presence on numerous cable shows were a great asset to Hillary Clinton, Obama wanted to know how much he could use Rendell to do the same for him.

What can you do for ME, Governor Rendell?

Then, finally, he made a generic positive remark about him being “one of the finest governors.” After the insults about the check not bouncing, after the odd remark that Rendell’s presence was a “relief” to him, and after asking Rendell just how useful he’d be to Obama.

It’s just not the kind of class I expect in a candidate for the presidency, and almost all of it was said in the context of what Rendell could do to help him with only the slightest acknowledgement of Rendell’s considerable abilities as a governor, not any recognition of Rendell’s past fine works for the Democratic party or for Hillary Clinton.

Or any humble appreciation for Governor Rendell appearing at a weekend event after his own exhausting schedule as a superb surrogate for Hillary Clinton or his own personal sacrifice in not being with his own family that night, but instead sacrificing a weekend evening to help an ungrateful candidate solely interested in himself and what everybody else can do to make him more powerful.

(Does my disgust show? I hope so.)