Patterico's Pontifications

9/9/2008

Welcome To the Party, Newsweek — About that Decision to Not Take Public Financing

Filed under: 2008 Election — WLS @ 5:09 pm



[Posted by WLS]

Every time I link and quote one of these guys, I wonder why I’m not quoted in their stories. Here’s a blog entry (“Gee, I wonder if any blogger beat me to this story?”) from Andrew Romano from Newsweek, and HE got a link from RealClearPolitics!!!!!!! What a bandwagon jumper.

On the night of Sept. 16, Barack Obama will not be in Cincinnati, Ohio, or Lebanon, Va., or Grand Rapids, Mich., or any of the other swingiest regions of the swingiest swing states. Instead, the Democratic presidential nominee will start his evening at a 46,000 square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills, then proceed to the posh Beverly Wilshire hotel, where rooms start at $495 a night. Needless to say, Obama won’t be prospecting for votes in the Golden State, where he currenty leads Republican rival John McCain by an insurmountable 15-point margin. He’ll be mining for money.

Why now? According to the Times, Chicago characterized its own monthy haul as the “best…yet” (think $60 million or so). That said, “a California fund-raiser familiar with the [DNC’s] August performance estimated that it raised roughly $17 million last month, a drop-off from the previous month, and finished with just $13 million in the bank”–about half of July’s war chest. In terms of cold, hard cash, then, this probably means that Obama started September with around $90-$100 million in the bank. The McCain campaign, meanwhile, managed to rake in a record $47 million for its coffers and another $22 million for the party, finishing the month with more than $100 million on-hand money that it has now turned over to the RNC. Combined with McCain’s fresh infusion of $84 million in public funds and the $100 million RNC fundraisers expect to raise in September and October, that would leave the GOP with about $300 million at its disposal. To keep up, Obama and Democrats have to rake in about $100 million a month from now until November 4. That’s $25 million more than their best combined monthly total to date. They’re going to need all the help they can get.

The problem is that–compared to his publicly-financed Republican rival–Obama may not have enough money to justify the costs of opting out. While McCain spends the two-month sprint to the finish wooing voters in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania without stopping to replenish his coffers, Obama will have to work harder than ever to keep the cash flow coming. That means more fundraisers in like the one next week in Beverly Hills (or the one with Bon Jovi last week in New Jersey) and less time on the trail.

No doubt that on Sept. 16 Obama would rather be in Ohio than Beverly Hills, listening to a working mom talk about her economic struggles instead of listening to Barbara Streisand sing. No doubt his political strategists–keenly aware of how the rest of American will interpret Streisand + mansions + Hollywood–would agree. But it isn’t quite working out that way.

Gee, that sounds original.

— WLS

11 Responses to “Welcome To the Party, Newsweek — About that Decision to Not Take Public Financing”

  1. WLS –

    As I posted #25 to your earlier story on the NYT article, the NYT story never mentioned Obama opting out voluntarily (especially after his promise to stick to public funding if his opponent would).

    Interesting omission, I thought.

    jim2 (03b0ae)

  2. Perhaps he can ask Babwa her opinions on the Middle East – I understand her education is quite renowned on the subject.

    “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

    “People…who need people…”

    Symmetry – catch it, man.

    Dmac (e639cc)

  3. WLS, I think your analysis is spot on. The only thing I’d add is this: One additional respect in which the Palin selection was a “game-changer” is that it immediately ensured that the McCain ticket would have continue — probably throughout the remainder of the campaign — to garner public attention with an effect equivalent to hundreds of millions of dollars in paid advertising.

    If McCain had gone with a conventional choice — say, Romney or Pawlenty — the mainstream media’s attention would be completely refocused on the Obama campaign by now.

    Beldar (8a23eb)

  4. Of course they steal from the blogs! That’s “investigative journalism.”

    As for Baracky, I think he would rather be in Beverly Hills. He is striking out lately with the regular folks.

    Patricia (ee5c9d)

  5. Beldar — absolutely correct.

    I started to put a post up today suggesting that Obama’s decision to have a full blown press conference today — a guy who has had NO press similar conferences previously, preferring to appear before his adoring masses — reflects some serious panic in his camp that he’s completely off the public’s radar.

    That press conference was one way he could get on TV and in print without being merely covered by his traveling press contingent as he made various campaign stops. The press narrative in that second context has completely focused on McCain/Palin and the huge crowds they have been drawing.

    WLS (26b1e5)

  6. If Obama goes to Hollywood, he will be reminding everyone of the Palin jibe about “talking to people’s faces and saying one thing, and saying another behind their backs in SF.”

    Dmac (e639cc)

  7. “where he currenty leads Republican rival John McCain by an insurmountable 15-point margin.”

    Insurmountable because the MSM won’t dig into Sen. Obama’s connection with William Ayers.

    tyree (7a25f8)

  8. Perhaps he can ask Babwa her opinions on the Middle East – I understand her education is quite renowned on the subject.

    “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

    “People…who need people…”

    Symmetry – catch it, man

    Maybe she could sing the theme for Obama’s method of decision making…

    “Feelings… Nothing more than feelings…”

    Scott Jacobs (a1c284)

  9. I thought declining public money was a shrewd move at the time. I appear to have been wrong. The media gave him an absolute pass on this issue.

    JD (5f0e11)

  10. Scott Jacobs-
    When singing hosannas for Obama/Biden, Baba might do better to try the reality song of Second Hand Rose. Perhaps more a paen to his upscale Ayers/Dohrn as neighbors Hyde Park locale than Second Avenue, but still quite fitting.

    But you’re quite correct about the lack of substance in feelings over facts. The knucklehead trolls on this site amplify that.

    madmax333 (0c6cfc)

  11. RRRAAWWKK NEWSREEK,NEWSREEK NEWSREEK,SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK

    Krazy Kagu (cb0b17)


Powered by WordPress.

Page loaded in: 0.0818 secs.