MyDD :: Obama: "close the gap"

Obama: "close the gap"

by Obama08, Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 03:51:01 PM EST

Today Barack Obama launched a fundraising drive with an e-mail entitled "close the gap."

Dear Obama08,

Last night each of the presidential campaigns reported their third-quarter fundraising numbers.

The results are clear. We continue to build the largest grassroots movement in history, but Washington lobbyists and special interests rallied to help Hillary Clinton out-raise us for the first time.

If we want real change in this country, then we need to prove that together we are stronger than the lobbyist-driven money machine that has dominated Washington for too long.

The situation here is simple. We are $2.1 million behind. We must close that gap right now. I need you to make a donation:

donate.barackobama.com/closethegap

Hillary Clinton aggressively seeks money from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs. She's even said that these lobbyists represent real Americans.

She's wrong.

I think it's time to turn the page on that kind of politics, and that's why I have not accepted a dime from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs in this race. We rely on a network of more than 350,000 ordinary people to make us competitive -- more supporters than all the other Democratic candidates combined.

Washington lobbyists have chosen their candidate and are determined to provide her with an overwhelming advantage. But you can even up this contest.

In the face of the most entrenched political machine in Democratic politics, I believe a movement of ordinary Americans can change our country. And you can prove that right now.

I need you to make a donation to close the gap:

donate.barackobama.com/closethegap

Barack

At first this didn't seem particularly peculiar until I had a look at his homepage. He has set a goal of $2.1 million dollars so that he can close the gap with the lobbyist funded Clinton campaign. I received that e-mail less that 12 hours ago and the Obama campaign appears to have raised nearly $500,000 dollars in that time. They have covered nearly 1/4 of their goal.

You may ask, why is this important? Typically the fastest fundraising days are at the end of the quarter. The end of the fourth quarter is the holiday season and fundraising is likely to slow down. The fact that the Obama campaign is working to tap his low dollar supporters early means that he will be able to match Hillary dollar for dollar heading into the first primaries.

If you support Obama or simply want to change the way things are done in Washington please donate to the campaign now.

As Marc Ambinder said about Obama's third quarter numbers, "That's campaign finance reform right there, isn't it?"

Tags: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Fundraising (all tags)

Permalink :: 35 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

i would hardly call the 100,000 new donors "lobbyists"

vote blue in 2008

by sepulvedaj3 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:00:46 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

Of course the 100,000 donors aren't primarily lobbyists. However, lobbyists have made clear who their candidate is (http://opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp ?cycle=2008). You can bet those lobbyists have bundled a heck of a lot more money for her.

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:11:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Ah, he refers only to "Washington" (none / 0)

lobbyist, which account for less than 1% of Hillary's funds.

by bookgrl on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:13:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Ah, he refers only to "Washington" (none / 0)

Of course he refers to Washington lobbyists. He is running for President, not Governor.

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:16:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Mhmm, sure. (none / 0)

by bookgrl on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:25:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

...what? (none / 0)

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:27:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ...what? (none / 0)

Obama takes money from state lobbyists - thats her point.

vote blue in 2008

by sepulvedaj3 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 07:44:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: ...what? (none / 0)

I did in fact understand her point, that is obvious given my response. Her response of "mhmm, sure" did not then add to the discussion, the "...what?" was asking if there was anything she actually had to rebut the point or if she would just dismiss it with a wave of the hand. She chose the latter.

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 08:53:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I didn't know I was a (none / 0)

"Washington Lobbyist". COL! What a load of bs. Nice way to degrade the intense interest Hillary has brought to the primary. But, it's politis. I guess this is what he's got. It's funny, a few weeks ago someone from the Obama camp said they were moving away from the lobbyist bs because it was inside baseball.

by bookgrl on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:03:55 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

He needs to 'close the gap' on polls, not to ask for endless money from his supporters.

It's the same old gimmick running through the year. All he has is money, money and money.

Hillary: We will finally have a president who doesn't mind pulling over and asking for directions. Am I right, ladies?

by areyouready on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:09:21 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (1.66 / 3)

The graphic that the campaign is using for the fund raising drive is very effective.

Kind of tells the story don't it.

by JoeCoaster on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:23:02 PM EST

Tell Obama I'm not a Washington (none / 0)

Lobbyist.

by bookgrl on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:26:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tell Obama I'm not a Washington (none / 0)

Sure, I have him on speed dial...

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:28:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Tell Obama I'm not a Washington (none / 0)

That is to say, try making a substantive comment. I would be fine with you articulating the fact that 100,000 new donors aren't Washington lobbyists (which I agree with); your comments such as, "Tell Obama I'm not a Washington lobbyist" are clearly pure snark without any purpose.

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:30:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

I'm a regular person, as are, I am sure most of the 100k.

by bookgrl on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:34:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

Okay, be offended. Your offense at Clinton's donors being classified as Lobbyists doesn't change the fact that everyone who hears this will simply have their beliefs that Hillary is the insider's candidate grow. It is a beautiful campaign tactic. You get money and push the message the Hillary is bought and paid for.

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:42:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

But it is false. As a campaign tactic it would be good if it worked (which is a major question mark as it is,) but if it is factually false, then it is just more proof that Obama knowingly pushes false memes and is not deserving of our primary support. He can't possibly be banking on people paying only cursory attention to our nomination process and actually buying into this in a big way?

by georgep on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:48:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

First of all, it isn't entirely false. Hillary is the candidate getting the most lobbyist contributions in a big way. She is also getting the most PAC contributions in a big way. Furthermore, these Washington insiders are undoubtedly bundling for her.

92.5% of Obama's contributions have been for less that $250. Can Hillary say the same?

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:55:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

a great website... (2.00 / 1)

"The bulk of Hillary's primary money is from people who contributed over $2300. Only a small proportion of her money came from small donors (those giving less than $200). On the other hand, the largest category for Obama's campaign money is from small donors (those giving less than $200). That would be those of us who are $5, $10, and $25 people...and I give my $10 with pride. :)

Obama Size of Donations:

Under $200: $34,512,100

$200-$2299: $19,481,410

Over $2300: $25,268,200

Clinton Size of Donations:

Under $200: $9,460,880

$200-$2299: $23,504,390

Over $2300: $46,676,500

There's nothing wrong with giving $2300 if you got it like that. However, when the "under $200″ category is disproportionately low relative to other candidates, it does raise some eyebrows. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about who is really not going to be beholden to the lobbyists and special interests."

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/ 2007/10/16/fat-cats-disportionately-supp ort-hillary-everyday-folk-support-obama/

by aiko on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 07:45:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

Obama has bundlers as well. the wives of lobbyists and other very wealthy influential people. Its dishonest and misleading. If he was so honest, he would tell his donors that as well.

vote blue in 2008

by sepulvedaj3 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 07:46:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

It is false. They give the impression that all, or at least a majority, of Clinton's support comes from "lobbyists." That is a lie.

BTW, this diary is fundraising spam. Isn't that frowned upon on here? I don't recall ever seeing a similar thing from a Hillary supporter.

by georgep on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:18:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

We talked about Edwards and his Pecan Pie. We talked about Obama and dinner. We talked about T-shirts and bumper stickers. We talked about 15 dollar rallies. It is rare that a candidate does such an aggressive fundraising push at the beginning of a quarter. It is rare (unprecedented?) that a candidate raises a half million dollars online in a day. The fact that all of this money is raised based on the premise that Hillary outraised Obama by $2.1 million is pretty amazing. I do think that this diary should be here for those reasons, do you disagree?

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:30:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm offended by the graphic. (none / 0)

This diary is a fundraising come-on. That is spamming, no? I would never think of posting here with a link and graphics to a Clinton pledge page and request for all to pledge money to her.

by georgep on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 01:59:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (1.66 / 3)

Actually, at first glance I thought it was a movement of Obama support to Hillary ...

by dblhelix on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:34:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

Which is REALLY what has been happening as per CNN poll, USA/TODAY_Gallup poll, Opinion Dynamics, ABC/WaPo and Insider Advantage polls all showing 30% gaps (well, the Galup is at 29%) and major movement away from Obama to Clinton. Or, if Gore is a choice, away from Obama and towards Gore (as per the Insider Advantage poll.)

It is not money, that decides, but the AVERAGE Democratic voter.

by georgep on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:43:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

It is not the average Democratic voter that decides, but the average Iowa Democratic caucus goer. Then it is the average New Hampshire primary voter. Then whatever ends up being next.

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:45:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

Of course. We are seeing strong movement away from Obama on a national level, but the same has been occuring in the states (i.e. New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, et al) We'll see if he can keep pace in Iowa. That will be the $64,000 question. But, even if, NH is a tough nut to crack, Iowa bounces are not that big on average, and this year they'll be less (as Clinton's support in NH is very committed and strong already.)

by georgep on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:52:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (1.50 / 2)

And look, the Obama supporters look somewhat 'invisible,' don't they?

But once you get to Hill territory, invisible no more!

by dblhelix on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 04:54:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

Namtrix is really pushing it troll-rating you for these humorous vignettes, dbhelix. I guess some Obama posters have lost their sense of humor over these last 5, 6 weeks, eh? :-)

by georgep on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:19:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

What is it with the "I haven't accepted a dime..." That's Edward's byline about it. In fact, he seems to copy Edwards a lot- Edwards criticized Hillary for the Iranian Guard- Obama didn't say a word about it at the debate, now he is doing the same thing. I have a feeling he thinks Edwards strategy is good but feels Edwards has money to compete after Iowa so he will be out and Obama can just take over all his rhetoric- not that it will do him any good.

And I keep seeing all these items about Obama in Church, saying things like we can have a "kingdom on Earth" and having some sort of campaign altar- is he trying to get God to hand him over the nomination now?

by reasonwarrior on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 05:00:54 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (2.00 / 1)

Obama is doing great! He did get the most new donors in the 3rd quarter 108,000 to Hillary's 100,000.

As for the graphic. You can see that Hillary and her supports are kind of dark, in the shadows you might say.

I'm sick of polls - they talk to somewhere around 500 democrats and think that is representative of how this country will vote. Well, I have a land line and I have never been contacted. So I guess I'm not one of those that would be representative.

by wisconsinJessica on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 05:07:22 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

He needs voters not dollars.
Money is not the problem.

Draft College Republicans

by demwords on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 07:56:45 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

Yes, let's just concede to the Republicans because of polls taken a year before the election.

by Namtrix on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 08:07:52 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (2.00 / 1)

rssrai, I used to respect you. You have always had a healthy skepticism for poll data. You used to stay very positive. This post lacks all of that I used to truly appreciate in you. It is clear that people have not made up their mind regarding Obama. In the head to head match-ups there are more undecided voters in Obama's match-ups then there are in Hillary's and often Edwards match-ups. So no, more people aren't deciding to vote Republican when Obama is in the poll, fewer people know enough about him.

It is always worth remembering, Hillary has been in the national limelight for 15 years and played a significant role in 2 presidential campaigns. John Edwards has been in the national limelight for 6 years and was a vice-presidential candidate. Barack Obama has been in the national limelight for 6 months and this is his first national race, of course people nationally aren't going to know a lot about him.

by Obama08 on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 09:01:02 PM EST

Re: Obama: "close the gap" (none / 0)

I work on a grassroot level.Let me tell you something. Something is really going on.

I feel that people are NOT AFRAID and want CHANGE for real!!

My guess is Obama is going to win.

by win on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 12:10:24 AM EST

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