How does Dennis Kucinich afford to stay in the race?...

[trumad]

Does he have just enough to travel and do a few stump speeches? Is there enough for stickers, signs etc....


And I gotta ask... Is Will Pitt still his Press Secretary?

[redqueen]

1. Will Pitt is no longer the press secretary

He has a volunteer-based organization of supporters, so that cuts down the cost considerably.

There are probably other reasons... that one is just off the top of my head.

[goodhue]

2. simple

http://www.kintera.org/site/lookup.asp?c=aiIKIWNPH&b=8289

[WilliamPitt]

3. Don't make me punch you in the brain

:)

Dennis' campaign has been run with every concievable cost-effective concern in mind: Staying in supporters' homes instead of hotels, eating on the fly with food from supporters (which only occasionally leads to debilitating bouts of food poisoning), avoiding the Giant Oceanliner Bus traveling mode once enjoyed by Edwards, etc.

They pinch every penny, and also always have money coming in.

[trumad]

4. Ohhh..A brain punch...

ouch... No..I really was curious how he did it.... I gotta hand it to the guy..he's hanging....

[tinanator]

5. Isnt the real question

What the hell did Dean and Trippi do with all that money?
Sad to say Im on my way, I wont be back for many a day, my heart is down my head is turnin around I had to leave a few dollars in Caymans Town.

[trumad]

6. They went full out

it happens

[redqueen]

9. "always have money coming in"

That just warms my heart so much. Really.

:D

[Paulie]

27. Just sent another Hundred

It's snowing in Chicagoland, gotta keep WARM. :) :) :)

Dennis speaks for me on the issues. Plus, I get to VOTE for him tomorrow, I'm so HAPPY to vote FOR someone for once! :grouphug: :loveya:

[bobthedrummer]

7. Real grassroots!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. Relying a lot on volunteers and doing things on the cheap

The Minnesota campaign got a modest stipend for office rental and some reimbursement of expenses, but the rest was all dedicated volunteers.

[dpbrown]

12. And we "prefunded" his biggest MN appearance at Northrop ourselves

DK has done an extraordinary job of running a very streamlined campaign - and still being the only candidate to take clearly outlined positions on the issues he campaigns on.

DPB

[Mairead]

13. What a phenomenal prez he'd make

Genuinely frugal--no tax-and-spend aristo, populist, hard-working, and clear as a bell on the issues.

When will we see his like again?

[dpbrown]

14. Well, we are the people we've been looking for...

So I'd say the answer is within one degree of separation from where we are right now. That, and we're not through with DK, yet.

DPB

[MuseRider]

19. He isn't

through with us either, not by a long shot. We have lots of work ahead of us. As long as he is there I am with him.

[Nederland]

10. He campaigns on the cheap...

...and his election results reflect that.

It may be sad, but the cold hard truth is that its hard to garner many votes if you can't gather enough cash to get your message out. The means of raising that cash seem to be:

1) Get it from a few large donors.
2) Get it from many small donors.
3) Get it from your wife.

Unfortunately, DK was unable to make any of those happen.

[jsw_81]

11. Kucinich isn't running a real campaign

And as a result he doesn't need much cash.

[youngred]

15. You do your candidate no service

with your relentless and stupid attacks

[jsw_81]

16. Your silly candidate does the party no service

By continuing his ridiculous, laughable "campaign" long after Kerry has clinched the nomination.

[youngred]

17. Oh no?

Criticizing Bush, bringing leftists back to the party, raising issues Kerry can't/won't.

but if you don't need nor want Kucinich and his supporters around then I suppose we could just stay home and refrain from giving our money, time, effort and votes... People like you do very much damage to the party, and its a damn good thing you're in a very small minority of the party.

[MuseRider]

21. Just for you

youngred, well not really. It is a heatwarming story for all of us.

This past weekend we caucused here. I have a very good friend who has in the past been a big guy in the state democratic party. Now he works on a lot of campaigns but is not heading anything. When I first told him I was behind Kucinich he laughed and laughed and told me I needed to get serious. It really pissed me off and he knew it. He has refrained from too much teasing but has occasionally done it anyway. You know, this last weekend at his caucus where he stood? He went to Kucinich in hopes of getting him viable in their caucus. They were one person short but he called me to tell me that. He, much more than me, understands the process and through the process he has come to hold DK in high enough regard that he felt obligated to try to continue his voice. I thought you needed that little story, I hope it makes you feel a bit better after the above exchange. It just takes some people a while longer to get DK, some never will but those with an open mind will eventually learn to respect him if nothing else.

[youngred]

22. Thank you very much

it does indeed brighten my day. It's been getting so frustrating not to be allowed to finish our campaign, when DK does Kerry NO harm whatsoever. I will vote Kerry in November but until DK drops out he is my man

[goodhue]

24. This is a very important point you make here MuseRider!

At my DFL district convention on Saturday we had lots of folks flocking to the Kucinich subcaucus, many of whom may not have previously been active supporters of Dennis. Indeed, a goodly number probably voted for Edwards at the precinct level since the Dean machine told them to. But now they needed a vehicle to take their issues to the next level and some quickly figured out that Kucinich was that vehicle. And some old timers here in the DFL have started to pay attention. Some elected officials went out of their way to commend Kucinich where months ago they could not bear to say his name. They do this because they finally see the progressive wave that is coming here in Minnesota. Better late than never I say.

[MuseRider]

26. The progressive wave

I am not able to say for certain that anyone here in Kansas sees anything that at all resembles a progressive wave but DK got a little over 10% on a day when KU was playing and the only folks out to caucus were the die hards, in KANSAS. Now a die hard Kansas democrat does not really resemble a democrat in most of the other states where there a a lot of dems, progressives are few and far between, yet he got over 10%. While a few in our group were very disappointed I was frankly very very happy. He is being heard, perhaps not by as many as we would have liked but he is now a household name. ANYTHING he does now will be noticed. It bodes well for the future I think. I am happy to hear of a progressive wave in Minnesota, perhaps next election there will be more states with that very wave and we will become a tsunami.

[BuelahWitch]

18. Kerry only "clinched" the nomination last Saturday

not right after Iowa, as many here would have us believe. So Dennis, Sharpton and anyone else who had the money had every right to stay in the race (and still do, as we still aren't finished with the primaries and they could pick up some delegates here and there).

[Kanary]

23. Ah, a voice of reason!

Thanks, classicfilmfan, for expressing a warm and accepting point of view, which should be a lot more common here, but... unfortunately, you seem to be in the minority.

It makes me appreciate your sentiment all the more.

Thanks!

Kanary

Another Delusional Diehard for Dennis!!

Kucinich 2004!

[no name no slogan]

20. Hmmm....

but somehow your pathetic, mean-spirited attacks against DK and his supporters will somehow help elect Kerry?

Keep it up. You'll soon be a member of a minority party with that winning attitude.

[GreenArrow]

25. a prophet is not without honor

save in his own party.