The Triumph of the Donor-Activist Model
By Al Giordano
Today's breathtaking announcement that the Obama campaign will report more than $150 million in donations for the month of September - made via this viral video featuring his campaign manager David Plouffe - contains some interesting numbers within it.
With an average contribution of $86 that means that more than 1.7 million people donated last month. Plouffe reports that September brought 632,000 new donors. The interesting number to me is the remainder: more than one million people out of almost 2.5 million that had given earlier in the year gave again in September.
That would not have been possible had the Obama campaign relied mainly on wealthy contributors who can give a legal maximum of $4,600 ($2,300 for the primaries, the rest for the general election), as campaigns have traditionally done. It was by creating a small donor storm that the Obama campaign put itself in the position to be able to reject federal financing (and the spending limits that go with it). And that accomplishment, win or lose, has forever changed the nature of how campaigns will be financed in the future, leaving dependency on high rollers and the interests they seek to protect increasingly marginalized as time marches on.
Twenty-four years ago, I was a young field organizer for John Kerry's first US Senate bid and was instructed to organize a fundraising event at $25 a ticket. I was horrified, and felt somewhat insulted, responding that my job was to organize people, not raise money, and that I thought fundraising was a dirty task beneath my mission of making people power count more than donor power. And, besides, what I could raise in such an event would amount to no more than two or three maximum donations by well-heeled donors!
That's the day I learned the phrase, "the donor-activist model." The concept was this: that if you get a regular working person to give even a small amount of money - say, five dollars - that person had now made an investment and would work harder as a volunteer because he and she would then want a return on that investment. I grudgingly went along with the plan, keeping private track of the small donors I recruited (secretly hoping to gather the data to prove my superiors wrong by showing that people that didn't give money were better volunteers). Except that my private scorecard showed that they were right. The volunteer, once having donated, became even more ferociously active, ready and available to do whatever needed to be done.
And so a year ago, when I saw that this guy, Obama, had raised $58 million in the first six months of 2007, I realized that the dam was about to break. Here's what it looked like as of September 30, 2007:
Most of Obama's money ($34 million of his $58 million) comes from more than 200,000 small donors, who, because they're not even close to having given the maximum $2300 allowed by law, he can tap again and again.
By contrast, a whopping 70 percent of the Clinton's funds have come from donors who have already "maxed out" and cannot give again. Of the money Clinton has reported to date, only $19 million of her $63 million comes from donors who remain beneath the $2300 ceiling.
That was twelve months ago.
Once again - and on a scale much larger than ever before - we can see how reliance on small donors (bringing with it a transfer of political dependency from the rich to the modest, with profound policy implications should Obama reach the Oval Office) has worked to "fire up" the volunteer base, too. A million repeat donors in September means, also, that most of those million people are likely doing more than donating on Obama's behalf.
And while the candidate still attends high-ticket fundraising events (such as the Springsteen-Joel concert the other night) he's able to spend so much more of his time on the stump, speaking directly with the people. And how has he spent his time of late? Yesterday, Obama spoke to 175,000 people at mass rallies in Missouri, but he also stopped by the Kansas City campaign office prior to his event in that town - while so many thousands of volunteers were on line to catch a glimpse of him - to pay a personal visit to the most dedicated donor-activists: the ones that remained at their posts to continue working the phones for him. Obama - you can see it in the photo, above - joined the Missouri phone bank for a spell, making calls himself to the voters, and saluting his most dedicated troops.
Likewise, the whole "Joe the Plumber" media cycle came as a result of Obama doing door-to-door canvassing in Holland, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo.
The message being sent - what presidential nominee, in October, has ever gone street canvassing and joined a phone bank? - is that this is how democracy is made. It's a powerful message to his donor-activists that it's not enough just to send a check or click an online donation: that they also have to roll up their sleeves, make phone calls, and knock on doors, too.
Some may say: Well, then, in light of having gathered $150 million in a single month, he should stop raising money, he's got enough!
Not really. Consider that Obama is spending, now, $35 million a week on television ads alone (compared to $17 million spent on TV in a week by McCain): four weeks equals $140 million, most of what he has raised. Add to that his historically high investment in field organizers, headquarters, phones, direct mail, and all the other expenses closer to ground level, and if anything September's staggering fundraising take also indicates that he has to keep raising at that level during October, too.
But it also explains why the Obama campaign is able to saturate the airwaves in swing states with a mix of positive messages about its candidate and negative ones about its rival, while McCain has had to focus almost all of his advertising on trying to tear down Obama, unable to cushion that with positive messaging about himself. And it explains why the Obama campaign can afford to book roadblock network coverage on October 29 for a half hour prime time mega-ad to make his closing pitch.
The question is begged: Since small donors have come through in the clutch for him, why does the Obama campaign still solicit and accept larger contributions? Why not put a limit on the amount of contributions and ignore the big donor altogether?
The answer was provided by another presidential candidate's experience 16 years ago. Former California Governor Jerry Brown, running for Democratic nomination for president in 1992, did exactly that, limiting contributions to $100, and raised the near-unanimous ire of the wealthy political and media class, who correspondingly turned his image from a Democratic party statesman to a pariah, ridiculed and caricatured in the media. There's nothing so insulting as telling somebody "I won't take your money." Those people - the corporate owning class from old money oligarchs to new money riche - are out there, and unfortunately still have to be neutralized for the United States to truly see "the change we need." Brown was notoriously unsuccessful in raising significant money from small donors because people first need to see that a candidate is viable (that he can win) before enough of them will ante up a critical mass of small donations. The first task has always had to be to establish the small donor base first, one big enough to swamp the previous importance of the big donors.
Should Obama win the White House, he'll be the first president in ages who can afford to buck the instructions of the super rich and their bidders (he's already told their lobbyists and PACs that their money is no good to him) and count with the sufficiently large small donor base to back him up for reelection should that happen. On the other hand, the wealthy are notoriously cynical and pragmatic, and many will likely take note that their influence has been lessened by the new predominance of the small donor: many will see the wisdom and self-interest of accepting the new reality, even if it means their political influence over government diminishes. (Others, too accustomed to government giving them an unfair advantage over everybody else, will fight tooth and nail to destroy this experiment in authentic democracy, and the battle lines will be drawn based on which of those interests won't oblige the tide of history.)
Meanwhile, the donor-activists are going to want a return on their investment in his candidacy: they now outnumber the influence donors not only in population, but, newly, in buying power. They - the people that gave five or ten or a hundred bucks - and then worked the phones and the neighborhoods to get a return on that investment - may soon become the most special interest in America.
Update: To give you a sense of what is going on at ground level, today is the "dry run" or rehearsal of November 4 get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts in North Carolina (additional to the record early-voting numbers they're racking up), and this is an excerpt from the email "pep talk" that one regional field director there sent to her organizers:
Stay calm - and BE RELENTLESS today. Get everyone motivated, educated, and into the field as quickly and as often as possible...
GET THEM COMFORTABLE WITH A BREAK-NECK PACE. They need to be the cool heads by the time GOTV rolls around...
Report your numbers like clock-work. Call me if you need me. Don't stop until your last shift is confirmed for Sunday...
Barack really is expecting a lot out us - and there isn't much else for him to do. He has placed this election in our hands at this point. It's up to us now. We may never again have our hands on history quite like this again for as long as we live. That makes each hour so so precious. We can slack off, sleep in, and make excuses for the rest of our lives. But today - and for the next 3 weeks... whether we knew what we were getting into or not... we have ended up with people's lives, livelihoods, and dreams for their children - all dependent on our performance day in and day out. This is our one chance at history... our one chance at perfection. Our one chance to live forever. So today - breathe this in... realize that your grandkids will be reading about you... realize that you will miss this feeling very very soon... and win every single hour.
Proud of you in advance for a big day...
They will miss that feeling very soon.
Update II: In the category of "you heard it here first": Ben Smith reports that Joe Biden is going to West Virginia on Friday. (The rest of his piece, about campaigning for Obama in southern coal mine country, is a must-read, too.)
Update III: Speaking of fundraising, thanks to everyone that's contributed almost $2,500 so far to make it possible to report on organizing and the election in Florida, but we're still about $1,000 away from our goal. Please consider, if you haven't already done so, tossing a coin into the cup.
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Comments
Brother Jerry
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:12 am by Amie HowellStill have his sign on my wall, "We the People/Take Back america" w/the 1-800 number.
Speaking of small donors, may I offer my Obama fundraising page?...
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/TengoEsperanza
That's for after you chip in for the FieldTrip, of course. (Mine's coming soon)
Si somos americanos, seremos buenos vecinos;
compartiremos el trigo,seremos buenos hermanos -- canción de Rolando Alarcón
Todos somos americanos.-- Barack Obama
Not all from small donors
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:20 am by Anonymous (Gemma) (not verified)Don't forget Al that Obama had some seriously high-rolling fundraisers in September too, which would have brought in a few of those millions. So the total number of contributors wouldn't likely have been 1.7million...
Not that it takes away AT ALL from the small donors - that's always been my response to those who say about how McCain took public money and Obama didn't - Obama IS publicly funded - just on a massive scale and straight from the source.
Internet+Small Donors=Revolution
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:30 am by Gail (not verified)I am also heartened and astounded by the grass-roots response over the weekend to Republican Representative Michelle Bachmann's hate-filled comments on Hardball. Daily Kos readers quickly organized into action (along with those on The Huffington Post) and within 24 hours Bachmann's opponent, El Tinklenberg, raised nearly half a million dollars through his website and Act Blue! Never could I imagine donating $50 to a guy in Minnesota running for Congress. But I did and this is one of the ways we will change the world. Forever.
Your Math is Wrong
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:33 am by Al GiordanoGemma - The average of $86 per contribution includes whatever money was raised from high donors: it exactly proves that there were 1.7 million (plus some) donors last month. It includes, for example, the nine million reportedly raised at a Hollywood event with Streisand (most of which went to the Democratic National Committee, frankly).
The average contribution of the small donor is thus probably closer to $70 than to $86: by including the larger donations in the average, it brought that number up by about sixteen dollars, but it is included in the average and it is a severe act of disinformation to suggest otherwise. You should check the math and stop spreading such a falsehood.
Investment
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:44 am by Nancie (not verified)Al, I totally agree with the "investment" frame of donations to Obama. My hubby and I have taken whatever we can from his social security check and invested it in Obama since January (Iowa). We don't need the money to live on immediately because I have a good job and were planning to invest it in my retirement kitty. Considering the markets, I think ours has been a much wiser investment. We're doing it for the grandkids, their health and education. We're doing it for a saner world.
And, yes, I did become as active as I could, phone banking a little (even though I have phone phobia), canvassing in PA in the primary, and lobbying my "conservative but not Republican" big brother. I would have done more, but health interfered.
I am so grateful to you for your coverage and to all the field hands out there!
The map
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:48 am by Tien Le (not verified)Given that nothing coming out of the Obama campaign is left to chance, I'm wondering if there was a bit of stagecraft behind David Plouffe making his appeal with those maps in the background. This isn't the first time he's done it. Or am I just reading something into it?
I love the historical context you can bring to your comments. Your decades of experience are a gift that keeps on giving, Al. Thank you.
$86 contribution
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:55 am by George (not verified)When I read that the average contribution during this campaign was $86 I thought: Well, we have 2 weeks to go and I can afford another $86.00. So I got online and did it. And I emailed the campaign and Move-on, suggesting a nationwide $86 campaign to highlight this point (Al's point, regardless of his math skills)! Imagine if in the next 2 weeks 1 million folks gave $86 more dollars. Who can't afford that this one last time?
We are here in Sanford, FL, in the center of the I-4 corridor. Everyone is excited about tomorrow's rally with Barack, Hillary, and Bill Richardson. Our volunteers will take calling sheets with them and do phone banking while waiting in line. Why waste a minute. Early voting starts tomorrow and that is the big push --- through phone banking and cold canvassing. Wish us luck! It's uphill here in the center of Florida, but now we're getting big help from the appearances, the Colin Powell endorsement, the Orlando Sentinel endorsement, from Bill Clinton's recent appearance, and from the incredible energy of so many, many volunteers.
Al
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 12:02 pm by Anonymous (Gemma) (not verified)It was just a perfectly innocent mistake and misunderstanding on my part re the numbers!
That's some great digging Al.
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 12:09 pm by Chris Rich (not verified)While much of fossil media is chasing various useless tails, you craft a handy summary of the underlying fundamentals of Obama's bid.
This must be what you mean by authentic journalism. It is sweet to see declining influence of big money. One of the more interesting facet's of Toqueville's visit here in the 1840's was his observation that the early mercantile wealthy just didn't have that much clout.
Jeeze wouldn't it be nice to get back to that again?
not everyone who can give the max
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 1:07 pm by Laura M. Poyneeris super-wealthy. Even in this economy there are some folks like me who are blessed to make a bit more money than we need and who over the course of a very long campaign can eventually max out. If anything I wish the limit was higher than it is so I could give even more to the campaign.
Al, I'll drop a little in the Florida kitty later today.
I give every month
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 1:28 pm by henry dribble (not verified)and will continue if needed into over time. repeat doner. go team Obama!
which battleground state should I travel to?
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 1:35 pm by J - Apple Valley (not verified)Hi everyone and Al, I have canvassed in Nevada four times this past month. I live in So Cal. I am willing to travel to a battleground state and volunteer for at least a week (however long I can arrange for my kids to get to school etc...in my absence)
Where should I go? I was thinking Nevada, Colorado or even Montana (but does Obama have a chance in Montana)
Thought I would get everyones input as I value Al's and others judgement.
Thanks!
@Apple Valley - Continue to go to Nevada!
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 2:03 pm by Russell GloberThe race is much tighter (although there has been less polling done) in Nevada than in Colorado. That's the reason Bill Clinton is spending this weekend in at least three cities there.
My sister is in Vegas for the final month and says that they still need more volunteers even though California has been sending hundreds and even thousands each weekend.
I've canvassed in Vegas once and will be back for the final 4 days. For the next two weekends, I'm helping to lead phonebanks and early voting drives here in SoCal to free up people to descend on Vegas for the final push.
KItty
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 2:20 pm by Lisa BallardExcellent post today, Al. Made a donation for Florida trip this afternoon.
Al, I kicked in $25.00--and
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 2:58 pm by Steve Hunt (not verified)Al, I kicked in $25.00--and you will get another $25.00 when you come to Florida.
Florida can and should be used as a base in the South to change red states over to blue.
This week I am working (in the context of my small business) all along the I-4 corridor, from Jax to Orlando, to Tampa/St. Pete. Yesterday I was in Jax and was surprised to see so many Obama signs in affluent, historical neighborhoods--really, it was eight-to-one in favor of Obama. I was simply amazed.
Please, please come to Florida. We will show you what we are doing in Orlando, making it happen in an otherwise de-politicized, apathetic former bastion of stupified, rightwing reaction, white-bread deluded conservatism.
The contradictions are being heightened and are imploding under their cumulative wieight.
Obama and Clinton are going to do events in Tampa and Orlando tomarrow, and I hope to be at the Orlando event.
OT: wow! what about that Powell endorsement?! The rightwingers are tearing their hair out.
That reminds me
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 3:16 pm by Tien Le (not verified)The Ben Smith article reminded me that I want to know if anyone can point me in the right direction to learn how much or how little presence the McCain campaign has in WA. We see the signs, etc, but I have no idea how much staff they've dedicated to running here.
Second That!
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 3:29 pm by Christi Demuth@Apple Valley-Yes Nevada, I was there for a little over four weeks and am heading back on Tuesday, we need all the help we can get, caveat, Prop 8 in CA is in need of some help, it would be bittersweet if Obama won and Prop 8 lost.
McCain on Senator Obama's Small-Donor Campaign! Ha!
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 4:02 pm by Elizabeth DuvertTPM reports:
McCain: Obama's Fundraising Could Lead To Scandal
Also during his appearance on Fox News Sunday, McCain responded to Barack Obama's record monthly fundraising haul. "So what's going to happen?" McCain said. "The dam is broken. We're now going to see huge amounts of money coming into political campaigns, and we know history tells us that always leads to scandal." McCain added that we'll eventually have to pass legislation to deal with the problems created by Obama's small-donor fundraising model. (italics, bold, mine)
@Tien
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 4:22 pm by John (not verified)I'm glad you mentioned the map. It was heartening to see so many states not filled in yet. ;)
wow!
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 4:30 pm by siddhartha (not verified)I leave town for a week and there is a flurry of posts and activity. Al, I will put $20 into the cup. Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago on the 24th right before I head to Indiana to volunteer at the Terre Haute office and to help out fellow Field Hand Brendan until after the election.
Audacity of Hope
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 4:49 pm by Jeff LarsonFor a Washington or party insider it is easier to cultivate relationships with big money people. But one of the more interesting observations I found in A of H is that that Obama tells us that it is a sure way to get out of touch.
The Community Organizer of the Free World saw it this way from long ago. He had this vision. He knew about the need to stay close to citizens including in fundraising.
The Final Push
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 4:51 pm by James HaygoodFirst off - THANK YOU COLIN!
OK, that's out of the way.
There is a real need to encourage people to keep the pressure on for these last weeks. We all need to rethink our pitch for what is happening right now. This is not about capturing enthusiasm - we've already done that - now it's time to convince the people that have stepped up before not to let up.
I've been organizing phonebanks on the weekends, but because of work next weekend I can't. So instead I'm going to try to get people to put in an hour a day (even a half hour...) phoning using the online neighbor to neighbor tool. They can do it from work or home, and I bet I can find some takers.
So the point is, dig deep, try to find ways to get the last holdouts or the ones coasting to the finish line, and adjust your pitch to what is happening now!
(P.S. Hey Gemma, don't take it too hard - I screwed up the math, too!)
I just chipped in 10$, which
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 5:41 pm by Claire Dickey (not verified)I just chipped in 10$, which isn't much, but it's what I've got to give, and while I wish you were coming up north towards New Hampshire, I know there are a lot of great scoops to be found down south as well.
On Thursday, I donated for the first time, because it was the first time I could do so legally. It was more symoblic than anything, but it's yet another way I have a stake in this campaign.
Once again, thank you for teaching me about the power of community organizing! Without your insights, I would never have become as involved with the campaign as I have.
That marvelous motivating email
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 5:44 pm by Sandy (not verified)Al, I hope at some point you will identify the writer of that superb pep email in your update section. All the way up here in Canada I wept as I read it.
To all America, the world waits breathlessly for your verdict. This is the election of a lifetime--maybe more than that. We will all be affected by what you do in just over 2 weeks.
Godspeed and bless you all for seizing the future with both hands.
History is watching.
$100 added
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 6:00 pm by Nancy ChesterAt this time, I'm just a donor and not a "donor activist" but I am able to pitch in now and then financially. I was so proud of all the work all the Field Hands did on the Ron Fournier action.
In addition to the activist component of the base of donors I find the sideways networking of Obama donors is simply amazing. Within a day of my sending my first contribution last month to the Obama campaign I was notified of an event within 2-3 miles of my home in West Seattle.
I truly appreciate Al's teachings on how to think strategically. The Obama legal team recently requested a special prosecutor probe of of voter registration.
With the election just over two weeks away, Bob Bauer, Obama’s chief lawyer, said in a conference call with reporters this afternoon that he is asking U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to to hand over to special prosecutor Nora Dannehy any probe into what Bauer called “bogus claims of vote fraud” that mirror concerns raised by Republicans two years ago. http://www.freep.com/article/20081017/NEWS15/81017065
Now not too long ago I would have been in a dither that the Republicans are at it again and it's way too late to get a special prosecutor, etc but now I see that the target of this announcement is Mukasey and Obama is putting the Department of Justice on notice. Mukasey surely must be aware that Obama is likely to be the next president and this may not be the best time for the DOJ to continue politicizing prosecutions.
report from NH
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 5:57 pm by Chris LandryI went to NH today with my boys, 13 and 10. Wewere sent by Keene HQ to canvas in fairly poor neighborhoods, mostly trailer parks and run down houses, in a small town.
A fair number of McCain supporters, of course, but it was very nice to see the enthusiasm of the Obama supporters.
It was good for my guys to see the process, to see that democracy is fairly boring and inefficient at this level, but that when you think of the tens of thousands of others doing the same work today across the country, it can add up to something really big.
A shout out to Field Hand Nicole L for her work organizing western Mass. supporters.
Small donor campaigns ARE the wave of the present....
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 6:59 pm by Norm W. (not verified)and the future. Donating first a small amount, and then repeatedly small amounts is how I came into Obama's campaign. That was followed by making a few phone calls, and will be followed by a final 96 hour weekend devoted to the campaign here in Colorado.
I only did a short and belated stint in canvassing for Kerry. I was sick when Colorado helped give Shrub four more years. NOT THIS TIME!!!
Thanks for getting back in the game, Al. Your posts have helped me see things political in a different light. It ain't much, but I'll send another $5 to support the Florida gig.
a request
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 7:05 pm by oona (not verified)@Chris Landry, I might have been in the same neighborhood about a month ago. Was it Jaffrey, NH?
Al, a request: I hesitate posting this request because I have seriously heeded your anti-Chicken Little decree. Taking action (ie canvassing) really does keep my anxiety at bay. I have canvassed 7 weekends in a row. NH 5x, PA 2x and I'm going to OH next weekend. However, I wonder if you could comment on voter suppression, Acorn stuff, and you mentioned a few posts back some advice on what we can do about it. I am not sure what to believe or not on Dkos about what is going on. I'm also trying to remind myself that since I'm not a lawyer or Steve Hildebrand, there's not much I can do but trust. Any words of guidance would be helpful. Thank you.
Well, just finished a round
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 7:36 pm by Steve Hunt (not verified)Well, just finished a round of canvassing today in Orlando. Typical lower-middle to middle class neighborhood. The demographics lean Latino to white, a few African Americans in the mix, but not out of proportion to the general US population.
As expected, some low-info white working class, older males leaning toward McCain, and I had words with them, but it did not get violent.
The Latinos are going heavily for Obama.
One household, low income, older white folk (whose roots are from the rural South) are hurting, and I expect them to lean toward Obama. The woman's story was heart-wrenching and it makes me mad. They might lose their house. Reguardless if they voted for Bush or Repubs in the past, they don't deserve the austerity they suffer. There are health issues in the household. Again, this shit makes me mad.
Tomarrow I will take time out and attend the Obama rally with one of our workers (from rural North Carolina).
Al, I would REALLY enjoy your reporting from Miami-Dade before election day. There is a STORY in how things are breaking in that area--one that has yet to be told.
To reiterate from my earlier comments: seeing so many Obama signs from an affulent,historical nieghborhood in Jacksonville yesterday really flipped me out. However, there were many, many McLame signs in rural areas of North Florida.
Scary stuff
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 9:27 pm by bonkers (not verified)Further proof that Barack's got our backs and is the real deal with this donor-activist stuff, and it's not some fundraising ploy:
http://www.wisn.com/politics/17754232/detail.html
A Chicago volunteer goes to Wisconsin to canvass and gets physically assaulted at some idiot's door. By the time she finishes the police report and makes it home, there's a message on her voicemail from Obama leaving a number. She calls back and talks to him. There have been several stories like this through the campaign that don't get media attention.
Sidenote: Just in the last six months, there have been murders committed because the murderers believed that Liberals are ruining the country so they go on a killing spree of perceived Liberals. Some wingnut in OH has Obama hanging in effigy right now above his McCain yardsign. This event in WI and many other similar ones makes it clear that the "terrorist" and "anti-Amercan" language from the McCain campaign and wingnut media like Pox Newz must stop. Biden has been getting more aggressive about it, and I hope all us keep the pressure on to stop the madness before more really bad stuff happens.
Early Voting Nevada - More Dems voting early
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 9:36 pm by Melissa (not verified)"Democrats outnumbered Republicans at the polls in Clark County by a margin of nearly three to one on the first day of early voting, according to the county Election Department.
Of the 25,110 first-day voters Saturday, 15,644, or 62 percent, were registered Democrats, while just 5,721, 23 percent, were Republicans. The rest were nonpartisans or third-party members."
http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/31259339.html
Scandalous!
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 9:48 pm by JoyIA (not verified)It's so much fun being part of this fundraising "scandal!"
Transcript of McCain on Fox News Sunday.
...So what's going to happen? The dam is broken. We're now going to see huge amounts of money coming into political campaigns, and we know history tells us that always leads to scandal.
WALLACE: But, Senator, you said in the last debate, and you mentioned it again here today — you compared it to Richard Nixon's spending in Watergate.
As best — as best I can — this is the greatest amount of spending in a presidential campaign since Nixon in Watergate. As best I can tell, he's not doing anything illegal.
And I know the thing you're talking about, which is $200 contributions he's not listing on his website. He doesn't have to.
MCCAIN: No, he doesn't have to. But here's a campaign that pledged full disclosure, change of direction and all of those things, and technology allows us — we don't have any trouble reporting every penny.
WALLACE: But are you suggesting that there's...
MCCAIN: But I'm not suggesting...
WALLACE: ... anything illegal or improper?
MCCAIN: No, no. I'm saying that history shows us where unlimited amounts of money are in political campaigns, it leads to scandal.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,440632,00.html
----------------
Other bullsh*t from this interview..
[Wallace] Senator, as a cold political calculation, hasn't Governor Palin become a drag on your ticket?
MCCAIN: As a cold political calculation, I could not be more pleased. She has excited and energized our base. She is a direct counterpoint to the liberal feminist agenda for America.
Gov. Moonbeam becomes mainstream!
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 9:57 pm by bonkers (not verified)Finally.
Thanks for the shout out to Jerry Brown. I was a campus campaign manager for Brown in 92 at my college and have been preaching all this stuff we talk about today ever since then as well.
Howard Dean in 04 built upon some lessons learned from Brown. Obama has built upon lessons learned from Dean.
As a child in California when Jerry was Guv, I remember him preaching basically the Green Revolution that's taking place today (as was Prez Carter). He was all about cutting wasteful spending and backed it up by refusing to live in the Guv Mansion (sold eventually I believe) and often drove himself or walked to work (yeah, crazy, huh?). The "moonbeam" name came because Jerry thought space travel could become a commercial enterprise, which has now happened.
Not having the Internet available to him, he came up with the 1-800 number plan in order to do much of what Obama is doing today. Even with a huge financial disadvantage to Clinton and some of the others going for the Dem nomination, Jerry came in 2nd and even had a period where he genuinely scared the Clinton campaign that Brown might actually win. This all happened because of Brown's belief in people-powered politics, which is the same attitude Obama has taken and multipled times 50.
That campaign is where I realized what the DLC was since the DLC led DNC had an active campaign to destroy the Brown campaign. The BigMoney in the Party had picked Clinton even before he blew that sax on Johnny Carson in 1988. They didn't want anyone getting in the way. Yeah, screw that whole "let the people decide" nonsense. We were still fighting that same fight until Obama brought down the House of Clinton earlier this year.
When all is said and done with this election, I hope people will appreciate the brave work of those that played pivotal roles in setting the stage of Obama's historic campaign, like Jerry Brown, Howard Dean, and Al Giordano to name a few.
Altman's NYTimes piece
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 10:33 pm by JoyIA (not verified)Many Holes in Disclosure of Nominees’ Health
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/us/politics/20health.html?_r=1&hp=&ore...
Shout out to the Fieldhands
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 10:56 pm by Dan Carr@ Oona
Submitted October 19, 2008 - 11:21 pm by Chris LandryNope. Hillsdale.
I hate to be a Chicken Little here, but the Sox are down 3-1 in the 9th. I think they might lose this thing.
Wait, Bay just walked..... Yes we can?
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