NYT: Clinton Camp Turns to a Star in Money Race

[Pirate Smile]

Clinton Camp Turns to a Star in Money Race


Former President Bill Clinton listening to his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, at a recent presidential campaign fund-raiser in Washington.

By PATRICK HEALY
Published: March 31, 2007

Concerned about Senator Barack Obama’s presidential fund-raising, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign has dispatched former President Bill Clinton to attend 17 fund-raisers in the last six weeks and to lead conference calls and Internet appeals to donors, in some cases assessing Mr. Obama’s positions on Iraq.

Democrats close to the couple say that Mr. Clinton’s efforts on Mrs. Clinton’s behalf were just beginning and that they were likely to accelerate after he finishes writing a book this spring. Several donors said that Mr. Clinton’s role was even greater than they originally expected after Mrs. Clinton announced her candidacy on Jan. 20.

The early deployment of Mr. Clinton highlights the continuing concerns in the Clinton camp about the strength of Mr. Obama’s candidacy and his fund-raising prowess. The Clinton camp has tried to stop any drift of Democratic donors to the Obama camp, since the campaign finance reporting period ending tonight is seen as a huge test of the campaigns’ money-raising abilities as they gird for a crush of early primaries.

-snip-
“It’s almost like a shakedown — you’re either with us or you’re not,” said Mr. Neal, who participated in an early conference call involving the campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, but is not seen as a major player in the Clintons’ world.
“I just find the squeeze, this early, to be quite vulgar,” Mr. Neal added. “This idea that you should try to K.O. other candidates by simply overwhelming them with the amount of money you have in the bank. It’s a bullying tactic.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/31/us/politics/31clinton.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Cool photo.

The fundraising issue is going to be what all the chatter is about for at least the next few weeks.

[saltpoint]

1. That's kind of odd. I always pictured Bill Clinton as a lot taller than that.

[Maccagirl]

4. LOL

Thanks for the laugh!

[illinoisprogressive]

2. The Clintons are obsessed with Obama.

[Colobo]

3. Bill probably knows Obama has what he had... and has...

[Maccagirl]

5. But...But ...But

according to the cablenewsyakkers (I don't listen to AM radio so I don't know or care what they are saying) the meme this week is...Obama is losing his star power...bwwaaaaaaa. These people really need to get jobs.

[smalll]

6. As she herself told us, she's in it to win -

A Powell Doctrine-type campaign is only appropriate. She's raised $10 million in one week, she's racking up the endorsements, she's holding up in the polls, and she's looking more and more like Madame Inevitable. I'm not sure whether this is good or bad for Democratic chances in the long run. I'm NOT an AnyoneButHillary panicker. But honestly, I also half expect her soon to demand from the as-yet undecideds: "Drop your shields and join the Conversation. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile!"

With the incredibly front-loaded voting schedule (everything over by the beginning of February 2008), perhaps there will only be four "primaries" of any real consequence: the four quaters of fund raising reports from this year. It's Primary Eve, folks, and Hillary looks to take this one convincingly.