Obama Raises $52 Million in June

[underpants]

Source: NYT

Senator Barack Obama raised $52 million in June, his campaign announced on Thursday morning, more than twice the amount he raised one month earlier before claiming the Democratic presidential nomination.

The average contribution to the campaign, he said, was $68.

After breaking fund-raising records throughout the winter and spring, some supporters feared that Mr. Obama’s contributions had slowed considerably. In May, he raised $21.9 million, one of his weakest months.

Last week, Senator John McCain announced that he had raised $22 million in June, which was the best fund-raising month of his campaign. So while Mr. Obama’s $52 million haul is significantly higher, he also faces a bigger fund-raising burden because of his decision to not accept public financing.

In his message to supporters on Thursday, Mr. Plouffe said the Obama campaign ended the month of June with a combined total of nearly $72 million in the bank. While he called it “a healthy number,” he noted that Mr. McCain and the Republican National Committee finished June with nearly $100 million on hand.


Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/obama-raises-52-million-in-june/index.html?hp

[endarkenment]

1. Donate until it hurts!

And don't forget your state and local candidates too. It is all up to us.

[underpants]

11. We are dropping off some stuff to the local office from their "wish list"

Coffee paper plates Clorox wipes that sort of thing

There are many ways to contribute and lets not forget these people need good food too (fruits, veggies, a home cooked meal from time to time) they can't really run effectively on pizza.

[gblady]

2. wow.....

I understand we need to keep it going...
AND.....this is wonderful news!!!
52 million!!! Woohoo!

[ThomCat]

3. While I support him as our nominee,

the more I read about him the less I like. :(

The Nation really tore apart his centrist voting record and policy positions, especially regarding Foreign Policy.

I really, truly hope he's going to be even half the progressive/liberal that so many people seem to have faith he is. Otherwise, a whole lot of people may be donating money to an image instead of the the person who's really there.

[NightWatcher]

4. he's the dem nominee, not the "messiah" that so many were talking about

Obama or McSame? well duh that's a hard choice, not. But since he's doing so well financially, I think I'll feel better saving my money for the coming rainy day.

[ThomCat]

6. You're exactly right.

I wish more people saw that too. Instead of worshipping the man, we're going to need a strong progressive infrastructure to keep him on his toes and to keep pulling him to the left.

[Virginia Dare]

10. Get him elected first...

then pull him to the left. You have a much better chance at pulling Obama left than McCain, so we can't afford to lose this. Suck it up, and let's have this conversation this time next year.

[ThomCat]

12. I half agree with you.

Yes, we need to get him elected.

But if we wait until next year to start thinking about pulling him to the left then we won't be prepared when he sets his agenda for his term. We'll be too little too late.

Our left wing needs to be organizing now.

[Virginia Dare]

13. I'm not against organizing..

but let's not fret about how left or right he is until he gets in there and starts actually doing something. It's all conjecture right now.

[ThomCat]

14. It's not conjecture.

He has a voting record. He has detailed policy statements. And he has advisors with known agendas. That's not conjecture. Unless we're organized to influence his agenda we're leaving all the influence where it is in the hands of lobbyists and party advisors.

This faith-based attitude that we can wait until later, and then later do nothing, is what keeps shooting us in the foot over and over again.

You don't see the republicans every taking that wait and see attitude. They organize and push, and look where it has brought us. We're long past due for pushing back.

[sudopod]

19. lol nm, I'll behave nt

[Virginia Dare]

22. Actually, the Republicans in Virginia are killing themselves by doing just that..

they are not allowing the Party to drift to the middle with the electorate. They are demanding a hard right turn, and they're going to lose their asses. It's not always a winning strategy.

I have no problem with Obama projecting an "image". In this day and age it is "image" that gets Presidents elected. Remember, George Bush the guy that everybody wanted to have a beer with? If Obama can get elected with his "image", than so much the better, then the man can take over and right this country again. I believe he's got the potential. Let's help him get there.

[stillcool]

26. There is nothing new...

about Obama, and there is nothing new about McCain. Obama has hundreds of advisors, his voting record is considered 'far left', and his foreign policy positions are empirical. I have no idea what it is you would like him to do at this point in his efforts to win the election for the President not of the Democratic Party, but of the United States.

About Obama Advisors...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/monday/chi-obama_mon_nusep17,0,3844054.story

On foreign policy alone, some 200 experts are providing the Obama campaign with assistance of some sort, arranged into 20 subgroups. On the domestic front, more than 500 policy experts are contributing ideas, campaign aides said. Veterans of previous election campaigns say the scale of the policy operation resembles the full-blown effort candidates typically undertake for a general election campaign rather than the more stripped-down versions common for the primary season.

[NBachers]

18. More Contributions + Cabinet suggestions

Winning the election will be accomplished with money. We need to keep donating. There's an awful lot of resistance to Obama in many parts of the nation, and it will be hard to overcome. And McLame is getting a freep pass on every single fucking one of his egregious weaknesses.

The course of the Obama presidency will largely be determined by the makeup of his cabinet. Floating and emphasizing good cabinet candidates will help steer things in the right direction. John Edwards for AG, maybe Gore for DOE, Clark or Webb for Defense, who'd be good for Interior? I like Tester, but we can't plunder the Senate. We need every single Democratic Senator in the Senate. It's not just Obama, it's the administration that he sails with.

About contributions- I go online with AOL. (Yes, feel free to flame AOL and criticize me for using AOL. I'm immune.) Every week there's a presidential poll. This week, it's Obama 32% and McLame 68%. Every single state is red. Say what you want about freeping the poll etc., but it's a sobering indication of how many people think. If we don't blitzkreig until the election, there's a good possibility it can go the wrong way. Something to think about. We can't coast to victory.

[ginnyinWI]

20. not me. I won't stop donating.

I'm going to keep giving my usual amount every month until the election. This is no time for Obama to lack funds. We all remember the Swifties' attack on John Kerry in August. I wouldn't be surprised if someone has something planned for Obama this August or September. Probably September, because the Dem convention is in late August.

[MarjorieG]

5. Moving forward at all is progressive, and requiring pragmatic reality.

Let the nation determine what is properly liberal. I want a functioning government for the people, which will be very hard to build out of this rubble.

[Connie_Corleone]

7. Anyone who has read Audacity of Hope knows he's a moderate.

He is a moderate. Always has been. That's why I supported him since last summer, because I'm moderate.

I prefer the term moderate over centrist because centrist seems to me to be too pro-corporate.

[ThomCat]

9. My problem with moderate is

that it's half way between the two sides. One side is the far right, which constantly pushes further to the right. And the other side is the corporate democrats in office, who keep giving up ground and moving to the right. So the moderates are constantly looking for a center that is moving to the right too.

Who's pulling things back to the left? And why isn't that valued anymore? :shrug:

We need a center that's in a reasonable place. We're not going to get it without a strong left wing.

[ginnyinWI]

21. I would choose a pragmatic moderate over an ideologue

who had no talent for getting something done. A far left ideologue without practical skills is as bad as a far right ideologue without a clue as to how to effectively govern.

[skooooo]

23. Go see your children, Connie!

Then you can stand in line to see your brother!!

[endarkenment]

17. Get a freaking grip.

What is the alternative? Obama is not perfect and certainly not anything other than the moderate centrist Democrat he has always positioned himself as.

Keep raining on the parade. I'm donating money to end 8 years of republican misrule. I am more than willing to risk some democratic misrule for a change.

[santamargarita]

8. And John McAsshole is breaking campaign finance laws!

Has a Right-Wing Republican ever done anything honest?

[ThomCat]

15. His campaign is based on breaking laws.

He's breaking campaign finance laws to stay in the race, and he's going to be depending on a combination of voter disenfranchisement and voter fraud through electronic, unverifiable voting.

If laws were obeyed he'd be toast.

[sudopod]

16. OH SNAP nt

[ComtesseDeSpair]

24. I'll Keep Donating

Obama has pissed me off lately too. The FISA cave-in, the religious talk, the pro-death penalty stance, etc. I was so disappointed last Tuesday, I cried. However, I am going to send money every month until election day anyway. Not a lot, because I'm struggling just to pay bills and eat right now, but I can manage $15-25 a month. Right after the FISA vote, I said I wouldn't donate any longer... then I started thinking about how important this election is. If we don't win this thing, we lose the Supreme Court - and that means we lose this country to the extremists. In most respects, I agree with Obama, and, though I may be proven wrong, I think at heart that he's a good man who really wants to make positive change in this country. And right now, he's the only chance we have to turn our country around. That's worth betting on as far as I'm concerned.

Ultimately, we just can't let our bitterness over a few issues throw the election to McCain. We've gotta keep the money coming in so we can keep the pressure on. Let's turn the country around!

[Contrary1]

25. Exactly!