Coincidences Will Never Cease

Posted by on . 3 comments.

The Huffington Post reported yesterday that the $52 million that the Obama campaign raised in June came largely without help from Hillary Clinton‘s most ardent fundraisers

When comparing Obama’s full FEC filing for June with a list of 311 “Hillraisers” — or supporters who bundled more than $100,000 in contributions for Sen. Clinton — the Huffington Post found only eight names in common between the two lists. Not all of those donors maxed out, either, making for a relatively paltry figure of $19,250 in direct, hard-money contributions from Hillraisers for the month.

It’s probably just a coincidence that the NYT reported the previous day:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lent her campaign an additional $1 million at the end of June, underscoring the difficulty she is having staying ahead of creditors and retiring a mountain of campaign debt, filings with the Federal Election Commission show.

Even though the fight for the Democratic nomination came to a close in early June, with Senator Barack Obama emerging as the presumed nominee, Mrs. Clinton’s debts to vendors increased to $12 million at the end of the month from $10.4 million at the end of May. In addition, after her latest loan on June 30, Mrs. Clinton has now lent her campaign a total of $13.2 million.
[...]
Mrs. Clinton’s unpaid bills and the degree to which Mr. Obama is working to help her tackle them has been a sensitive spot in the efforts to bring their supporters and the party together. Mr. Obama himself presented a check of $2,300 to Mrs. Clinton at the end of June as a symbolic gesture, and her campaign has continued to send out e-mail asking for help tackling its debt. But the Clinton campaign took in just $2.7 million from donors in June, less than the $5.4 million it spent.

Comments

  1. Janice Holladay says:
    July 22, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    What kind of message is it that Hil needs a man to rescue her from debt she (and her ardent, neo-feminist bra burners-as opposed to true feminists) incurred? She had the right to keep fighting. I tend to be that sort of person, too. Can’t even leave a losing football game because MAYBE there’s a chance; there’s always a chance. But, when you make that type of decision, you are responsible for it whether it means sitting out in the rain miserably watching a team lose and then fighting the traffic with the overexurberant supporters of the other team or whether it means sucking it up and realizing you incurred your own debt. I had never donated to a campaign before Obama’s. I’m an independent who has supported a wide variety of candidates, many because I felt they had personal integrity. I chose not to support Hillary for many reasons. I feel no obligation to support someone who made this decision herself. She annoyed me by dragging things on a bit, but she also did give everyone in every state the chance to have their opinion heard. That’s a good thing and something that’s been wrong with the primary system for years. However, she made this choice knowing full well that it was a gamble. Playing to win is one thing, but expecting the other team to pick you up and carry you off the field is another. I haven’t donated a dime to Obama, which hurts all who want a real change, because I see no need to retire Hillary’s debt. No one seeks to retire my debt, and I incurred it by taking lower paying jobs in order to help foster children and others. I see no need to retire the debt of a grown woman who decided to stay in a race and even spend her own money. Great tenacity, but it’s not my responsibility. There is more important work to do in this world than build up yet another Richie Rich, even if this one happens to be a woman. Or maybe especially since this is a woman. The idea that a grown woman who says she’s capable of being Commander-in-Chief ran a debt leaden campaign and now wants to be rescued by a man is an insult to real feminists. Those “neo-fems” (many from the same generation as the neo-cons) feel they are owed something. They don’t really have any affinity with women who gave up their lives for my right to vote. They are the whiners and basically are counterproductive to helping women be full members of society. Yes, women are different and have different needs in all areas of life. But, so do men. However, if we want to course the corridors of power, we have to make our own way. It is very disempowering to be giving young women the idea that a “girl” can’t take care of herself and needs a man to rescue her. If Clinton supporters are so upset, let them come out in droves like Obama supporters and give what they can to help releave her debt. They wanted her to stay the course, and she did. It is those supporters, not me, who owe her if anyone does. Women cannot accept positions of power and do not deserve them unless they are willing to risk losing. She needs to take a look at Al Gore. While I’d skip the beard stage, she maybe needs to go off and lick her wounds as any man or woman would. But, she should not expect help from me. And, she shouldn’t even accept it. If she truly understands the big picture, she should know that getting Obama in office is more important than her getting her debts paid off right now. Even if she is still too wounded to fully campaign for him, she needs to support him and not accept his support. No male candidate would ever have been as molly-coddled as she has been. It’s embarassing as a woman. If she is too upset, she needs to go off and reinvent herself like Al Gore did (again sans beard). Look at the impact he has made on the world since that time. And, remember, he got closer to the presidency than she ever did. He went off, was a bit odd for a while but didn’t ask for money from me, and then found a way through that loss (and I recognize how painful that must be) and became an internationally important figure who may do more for this world in the long run than most presidents ever can hope to do.

    Women have to lose. They don’t have to do it with grace all the time. Being upset is no big deal. But expecting a man (or his campaign) to “rescue” them sends a really wrong message to young girls today, many who have just become involved in the political process in recorde numbers. In order to really walk with comfort in the corridors of power, women must be ready to lose, to mess up, to find the strength to reinvent themselves and find a way to make their own unique contributions in an unexpected and unplanned way.

    Hill could do so much for women, but she needs to learn from example.

    And, Barak, I just can’t send you another one of your many small donations until I know it’s going to you and not to efforts to “save” a woman from her own choice. Those consequences are hers. Her supporters could help her rather than dogging you. Let them step up for her, but don’t send her one penny I give you. If I wanted her to have my money, I’d give it to her. (But, since I’m financially hurting and she is far from it, don’t expect that to happen.) I will donate my hard won money even when I’m stressed and worried about my own ? I need to rescue myself, at times with a little help from family and friends which she also has to help her. But, being rescued by a man’s campaign sends a really wrong message to young women today. Rather than being a symbol of true feminism, she is becoming more of a stereotypical whining woman, at least in the media. Her supporters, many who did really strive for women’s rights for many years, need to recognize the damage she is doing to young women today.

    Rescue by a man??? Not again. No way, Hill. Rescue yourself and use that example as the start of your real legacy.

  2. Jen says:
    July 22, 2008 at 5:12 pm

    Huh?

  3. sarabeth says:
    July 22, 2008 at 5:41 pm

    You really want to wave a red rag at her, Jen?