GOP has the edge in fundraising

[Lauri]

Party Donations Show G.O.P. Edge

 
By LESLIE WAYNE
Published: March 7, 2008
WASHINGTON — For all the success that Democratic presidential candidates have had in raising money — taking in a combined total of over $500 million in the current race — the Republicans are beating them in one crucial area of fund-raising: the money being raised by the parties themselves.

The Democratic National Committee ended 2007 nearly flat broke, with cash of $2.9 million and debts of $2.2 million. Since then it has raised some money, paid down debt and managed to put $3.7 million in its piggy bank. This compares, however, with $25 million that the Republican National Committee has in cash on hand, after having raised $97 million since the beginning of 2007.

And with Senator John McCain now the presumptive Republican nominee, party officials started plotting with his campaign this week on deploying those resources against the well-financed Democratic candidacies of Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

Already, President Bush, who spoke at 29 Republican fund-raisers and is credited with raising $63.5 million last year, is lined up for more R.N.C. fund-raising in the weeks ahead. This money is likely to provide the financial muscle for Mr. McCain to continue his attacks on both Democratic candidates.

“The Republican National Committee’s strength is an important indicator,” said Alex Conant, the R.N.C. spokesman. “The D.N.C. has had trouble raising money, and the R.N.C. is well-positioned to help our nominee financially. It is our mission to get McCain elected president, and that is our focus. Fund-raising is a priority.”

Such party money can play a vital role in presidential campaigns because candidates are barred from using money they raise for the general election until they are nominated at the conventions. So the party money is often used before then — as well as after — to finance advertisements, direct mail and, ultimately, get-out-the-vote efforts.

Democrats say their limited party fund-raising is a result of several factors, including the competition for dollars from the presidential candidates and the party’s Congressional fund-raising committees. And they also say the D.N.C. is hamstrung by its inability to raise money in any serious way without a presidential nominee to rally around.

Since the beginning of 2007, the Democrats have raised $60.5 million, and have spent most of it. Not only does the D.N.C. have far less cash on hand than does the R.N.C., but in this election cycle the R.N.C. has also outraised the D.N.C. by $37 million.

Party officials maintain that the D.N.C. is cash poor partly by design, reflecting a strategy by Howard Dean, the party’s chairman, to invest in building a party infrastructure rather than amassing a huge war chest.

Since he became chairman after the 2004 election, Mr. Dean has begun what he called the 50-state strategy, opening offices and hiring staff members in every state, even ones that are traditional Republican strongholds. He has also invested in a huge voter database — one that is designed to rival the Republican Party’s sophisticated voter file — that he hopes will pay off this year and allow Democratic candidates to find likely voters and make specific pitches to them.

How the costly 50-state strategy — and the cash shortfall that it has created — play out over the coming election will be a referendum on the tenure of Mr. Dean, who has had a prickly relationship with many of the party’s top officials. Under Mr. Dean’s tenure, D.N.C. fund-raising has steadily climbed, along with its expenses. So far, Mr. Dean has spent $170 million since the last presidential election to turn his vision for the party into a reality, with nearly $60 million of that raised in the last year alone.

“He’s doing the job of the party chairman in a very different way,” said Elaine C. Kamarck, a D.N.C. member and lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

“And people don’t like that,” added Ms. Kamarck, who wrote a paper “Howard Dean’s Fifty-State Strategy and the 2006 Midterm Elections.”

Democratic officials say they believe that once a nominee is in place, donors will switch from supporting the candidates to supporting the party. In 2004, for instance, the D.N.C. raised $344 million, most of it coming in after it was clear that Senator John Kerry would be the nominee.

“The D.N.C. has tremendous fund-raising capacity this year,” said Don Fowler, a former chairman of the committee, who supports Mr. Dean’s strategy. “The mood of the country, the satisfaction with our candidates and the optimism about our party suggest that we can raise the money for 2008. We don’t need to have as much money in the bank under these circumstances.”

But already, the Republicans are preparing to put their resources to use on behalf of Mr. McCain. Not only did the candidate visit the R.N.C. headquarters on Wednesday, but Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, sat down this week with Robert M. Duncan, the party chairman, to review resources that will be available to the McCain campaign, including research, communications staff and positions that the McCain campaign can now help fill.

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[Wretched Excess]

that explains why howard dean won't pay for any possible do-overs in florida or michigan.  he can't afford them.

[Duke Nukum]

Of course we do.  All that money that was given to us in tax cuts, 'cause we are the rich, we can send back as donations.

The Democrats, as the party of poor people, didn't pay any taxes, or hardly any taxes, and had to pay into SSI so they could remain on the Democrat Plantation have absolutely no money to give even if they wanted to.

Which just goes to prove, we didn't steal the poor people's money because they didn't have any in the first place.

[Lauri]

that explains why howard dean won't pay for any possible do-overs in florida or michigan.  he can't afford them.

interesting... didnt think of that angle.


maybe Frank Luntz from FOX news can poll those voters in those two states and see how they feel about all this ...? 

[Wretched Excess]

that explains why howard dean won't pay for any possible do-overs in florida or michigan.  he can't afford them.

interesting... didnt think of that angle.


maybe Frank Luntz from FOX news can poll those voters in those two states and see how they feel about all this ...? 

I dislike very few people as much as I dislike frank luntz and his prattling horde of knob twisting retards.  but I realize that you already knew that.

[Lauri]

that explains why howard dean won't pay for any possible do-overs in florida or michigan.  he can't afford them.

interesting... didnt think of that angle.


maybe Frank Luntz from FOX news can poll those voters in those two states and see how they feel about all this ...? 

I dislike very few people as much as I dislike frank luntz and his prattling horde of knob twisting retards.  but I realize that you already knew that.

yep, I try and squeeze a Luntz comment in anywhere I can these days... cause i knows you luvs him. 

[Wretched Excess]

that explains why howard dean won't pay for any possible do-overs in florida or michigan.  he can't afford them.

interesting... didnt think of that angle.


maybe Frank Luntz from FOX news can poll those voters in those two states and see how they feel about all this ...? 

I dislike very few people as much as I dislike frank luntz and his prattling horde of knob twisting retards.  but I realize that you already knew that.

yep, I try and squeeze a Luntz comment in anywhere I can these days... cause i knows you luvs him. 

F U, Frank

Get your "I hate Frank" gear here.

[Uhhuh35]

What a shock huh? All we've been hearing this election cycle is how the Dems are voting in much larger numbers than us. But you see the real truth here?

[Lauri]

that explains why howard dean won't pay for any possible do-overs in florida or michigan.  he can't afford them.

interesting... didnt think of that angle.


maybe Frank Luntz from FOX news can poll those voters in those two states and see how they feel about all this ...? 

I dislike very few people as much as I dislike frank luntz and his prattling horde of knob twisting retards.  but I realize that you already knew that.

yep, I try and squeeze a Luntz comment in anywhere I can these days... cause i knows you luvs him. 

F U, Frank

Get your "I hate Frank" gear here.

awww...dont pick on Frank! 


those little knobs and dials of his MEAN something!

[Lauri]

What a shock huh? All we've been hearing this election cycle is how the Dems are voting in much larger numbers than us. But you see the real truth here?

well, remember when McCain was dead and Hilary was the winner..? when was that, September?

[Wretched Excess]

that explains why howard dean won't pay for any possible do-overs in florida or michigan.  he can't afford them.

interesting... didnt think of that angle.


maybe Frank Luntz from FOX news can poll those voters in those two states and see how they feel about all this ...? 

I dislike very few people as much as I dislike frank luntz and his prattling horde of knob twisting retards.  but I realize that you already knew that.

yep, I try and squeeze a Luntz comment in anywhere I can these days... cause i knows you luvs him. 

F U, Frank

Get your "I hate Frank" gear here.

awww...dont pick on Frank! 


those little knobs and dials of his MEAN something!

only to the retards the he corrals.