Money Don't Make My World Go 'Round
February 6, 2008 7:48 PM   Subscribe

Since the polls closed yesterday, Barack Obama's campaign has raised $5.5 million and counting, including approximately a million dollars an hour since a 6:25 pm email from David Plouffe (Obama's campaign manager) that asked supporters to help match the $5 million Hillary Clinton recently loaned her own campaign.

I didn't want to pile on Clinton on the front page, but it's also worth noting that her senior staff has started to do without salary, and that Obama has raised more money in three hours than she was hoping to raise in three days.

Here's the direct link to the Obama fundraising page, if you're interested.

Here's Clinton's page.
posted by gerryblog (27 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: There are already a lot of open election threads on Obama, another one on donations isn't that interesting. -- mathowie



 
I've never posted anything on MetaFilter I worried might be flamed or deleted before, but in a primary that's been history in the making, there hasn't been anything quite like this.
posted by gerryblog at 7:50 PM on February 6, 2008 [2 favorites]


You see, people, plutocracy really works.
posted by pompomtom at 7:53 PM on February 6, 2008 [2 favorites]


I should have put this in the post, but the average size of donation in Obama's record-setting January ($32 million raised) was $190.
posted by gerryblog at 7:55 PM on February 6, 2008


I don't understand the link to the donation page. What's the logic that says because lots of other people donated, readers should be all the more interested in donating?
posted by grobstein at 7:57 PM on February 6, 2008


Originally I had the link to the Obama donation page as the main link, but I realized at the last second that would invite complaints. I could have left the link out, I guess, but it has the full text of the email Plouffe sent out that started the monkey rush, which I thought people might be interested in.
posted by gerryblog at 8:01 PM on February 6, 2008


money rush.
posted by gerryblog at 8:01 PM on February 6, 2008


The Clinton self-loan is really troubling.
posted by unSane at 8:01 PM on February 6, 2008


I personally like some news filter. One can get sick of post after post of pretentious photography.....
posted by lattiboy at 8:02 PM on February 6, 2008 [2 favorites]


Also: "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" made six times as much money as "There Will Be Blood" this weekend.
posted by ColdChef at 8:02 PM on February 6, 2008


Also: "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" made six times as much money as "There Will Be Blood" this weekend.

Not enough milkshake
posted by spiderwire at 8:03 PM on February 6, 2008 [1 favorite]


I was gonna post this on the front page, but I figured I'd wait till the next election-related post:

It was inevitable: LOLELECTION, exactly what you think it is. (via goodnewsfortheinsane's Electicker project - which is actually quite good.)

[end thread-jack]
posted by patr1ck at 8:04 PM on February 6, 2008 [2 favorites]


The Clinton self-loan is really troubling.

With everything else she's done and stood for, that she is buying herself the Presidency surprises you?
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:04 PM on February 6, 2008


Feb. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama spent $20.3 million on staff salaries last year, the biggest payroll for any presidential candidate, as he built an organization in Iowa, New Hampshire and other early primary states, according to a new analysis of campaign finance filings.

Obama, 46, spent $1.2 million in the last three months of 2007 on paid staff in Iowa compared with $379,186 for chief rival Hillary Clinton, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission records by the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group that tracks campaign funding.

Clinton, 60, spent $14.9 million on salaries and benefits last year, third behind Obama and Arizona Senator John McCain, who spent $15.4 million. McCain's payroll amounted to 39 percent of his spending, higher than any other candidate.

Obama, an Illinois senator, raised $102 million last year, almost matching the $107 million of Senator Clinton of New York, the more established candidate at the time. Obama, whose coffers were further fattened in January by $32 million in contributions, won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, the first voting test this year. Clinton raised about $13.5 million last month, campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said on MSNBC Monday.

posted by Brian B. at 8:04 PM on February 6, 2008


unSane- troubling for Clinton supporters, or for Obama supporters?
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:04 PM on February 6, 2008


shoot, I meant LOLLECTION, of course.
posted by patr1ck at 8:05 PM on February 6, 2008


I'm ok with either of the two major Dem candidates at this point - they're the best I can hope for from the modern Democratic Party, that's for sure - but have to say I think this "Obama's a new kind of politics!" kool-aid is fucking hilarious. Here's a fun test: ask your favorite Dem primary nut how Obama voted on the resolution authorizing force in Iraq. See how many remember that he didn't get sworn in until January 2005. It won't be many.

Obama's really been working that "I didn't vote for the Iraq war" thing in debates with Hillary, as if he'd been in the Senate in 2003 and voted against it. Does anyone really believe an ambitious young centrist like him would have stood up to the Cheney machine's rush to war if he'd actually been there? *snort* Tell me another one.

I think Obama's skin color is working in his favor with a lot of Racist-In-The-Right-Way liberals, who assume he's more progressive than he is because...well, you know, he's black. But there's been nothing - that's spelled N-O-T-H-I-N-G - to demonstrate that he's less conservative than Hillary. Like I said, I'm ok with either one. But Obama's bullshit is grating on me more as it goes on.
posted by mediareport at 8:06 PM on February 6, 2008 [1 favorite]


Ron Paul raised $6 million in one day. Obama might break it. This is HUGE. Why? Because when you add this number to his already full coffers, Obama will be able to buy a whole FLEET of blimps. Distribute THOUSANDS of pamphlets. Cover the constituents of entire counties in Montana with TIN FOIL. And cover highway passes the country over with homemade signs made from used blankets. Google Barack Obama!
posted by billysumday at 8:06 PM on February 6, 2008 [5 favorites]


Hillary is Tracy Flick
posted by empath at 8:08 PM on February 6, 2008 [2 favorites]


The Clinton self-loan is really troubling.

On the other hand, this might be a good time to mention that Romney's spent 1.13 million per delegate. He's like a one-man economic stimulus package.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:08 PM on February 6, 2008 [1 favorite]


But there's been nothing - that's spelled N-O-T-H-I-N-G - to demonstrate that he's less conservative than Hillary.

Except for his voting record, of course.
posted by billysumday at 8:10 PM on February 6, 2008


i just think obama is inspiring and refreshing. a real change from politics as usual, as far as i can tell. oh, yeah, i think i'll donate some money too.
posted by brandz at 8:11 PM on February 6, 2008


At this rate, Obama will raise over $100 million dollars in february alone. I have no doubt that he'll do it. He should roll up LA, WA, ME, NE, WI, DC, MD and VA with no problems. That'll just juice the donations and more and start the pressure on Hillary to drop out.

Hopefully the media is going to start focusing on where Billary got all of their money to begin with. They were nearly bankrupt when Bill left the White House.
posted by empath at 8:12 PM on February 6, 2008


I would totally vote for Romney for 1.13 million dollars. *cough*emailmeMitt*cough* ...what?
posted by Spacelegoman at 8:13 PM on February 6, 2008


I'm not sure I agree that was gerryblog's point in linking to the donation page... we shouldn't assume that other users come here with agendas, more that they're here to share info. I was interested in seeing the rhetoric with which Obama's selling himself; I'm naturally distrustful of anyone who casts themself an outsider: Obama's voting record does not stand out from many candidates seeking office and the fact that he's green (inexperienced) does not impress me.
As for the comment on average donation size: those statistics can be misleading. Companies can put up donations that are nominally "from all the employees of XYZ," (of course, not especially large companies, as that might cause some hubbub) to get under the individual donor limit. It's hard to seriously consider these individual donations, though.
posted by ignorantguru at 8:14 PM on February 6, 2008


Btw, I'm a HUGE Obama supporter, but there are what, 7 open obama threads now? Can we consolidate or something?
posted by empath at 8:14 PM on February 6, 2008


empath, the Tracy Flick video link is hilarious. thanks for posting.
posted by brandz at 8:16 PM on February 6, 2008


Hillary Clinton = Lindsay Nagle.

I don't have a problem with her. I'm sorry; I just can't get past it.
posted by ninjew at 8:18 PM on February 6, 2008


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