Fifteen Million Reasons to Say “What If?”
by Jason at 6:14 am on November 19th, 2004 in John KerryEven though we hate to rub salt in the wound, the recent election has left a few difficult questions that must be addressed. Chief among them:
Why the hell does the Kerry Campaign still have $15 million in unspent campaign funds?
Yes, you heard that right. One of the closest elections in modern history, and the Kerry crew somehow forgot that they had 15 million bucks to play with. And they still haven’t come up with any reasonable explanation as to why.
Yes, Kerry’s doing the right thing by pledging much of the leftover cash to 2005 and 2006 Democratic races. And yes, Kerry’s campaign gave a lot of money to the DNC and various congressional-level campaigns during the 2004 elections. But the point remains: $15 million in the bank is nothing more than wasted money, especially when you consider what that money could have done in tight House and Senate races, not to mention Kerry’s own Presidential campaign. With such a divided electorate, a few million dollars could have turned the tide in many areas.
This story is still developing, so we’ll reserve final judgment until more information comes in. But unless a proper explanation can be given, this story is a slap in the face to the people who gave Kerry the funds needed to campaign against the Republicans. Guess they weren’t needed that much after all.
We’re willing to give Kerry the benefit of the doubt, but we want answers. As contributors to his campaign, it’s not too far to say that we deserve them.
ian wrote:
Yeah, Kerry should have come out of this campaign owing money if anything so he could have at least said we “spent every dime trying to win this thing,” but at least it shows that he probably would have been a more fiscally responsible leader than Bush has been.
Posted 19 Nov 2004 at 8:07 am ¶
jimbo wrote:
I remember getting a few emails from the Kerry campaign asking for money that would be set aside for a potential recount (i.e. the financing of staff, lawyers, and the planes to fly them around). Since there was no recount a la 2000, maybe that’s where the 15 million number is coming from.
Posted 19 Nov 2004 at 10:02 am ¶
matt wrote:
That money (~$7 million) was/is in a different fund strictly for legal expenses. The $15 million is a different story.
Posted 19 Nov 2004 at 10:14 am ¶
noixe wrote:
isn’t it financial suicide to commit all your money to various expenses? could this have just been a plan for flexibility?
Posted 22 Nov 2004 at 6:55 am ¶