Obama rebounds with second-best fundraising month: $52 million
posted at 8:00 am on July 17, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
We may want to check Barack Obama’s bowling average again, because that 37 may just have been sandbagging. Obama seems to have sandbagged everyone on fundraising in June. People assumed the delay in announcing the numbers meant he had something to hide, but apparently it takes a long time to count to $52 million:
After posting lower and lower totals since their stunning $55 mil February (Mar=41, Apr=31, May=22) the Obama campaign has roared back with their second best month ever.
Senator McCain’s campaign announced last week that they had raised $22 million in June, and that, combined with the RNC’s fundraising, had nearly $95 million in the bank.
Hence the Obama campaign has now combined their number with the DNC’s (which has been much less successful this cycle than the RNC) for a total of nearly $72 million in cash on hand.
It’s an impressive figure. According to the campaign, the average donation was $68. The total almost beats the Obama campaign’s total haul from April and May combined, when Hillary Clinton beat him like a bongo drum through the Rust Belt. Her concession appears to have inspired many of her former donors to give to Obama’s effort.
Obama needs to maintain this level of fundraising throughout the campaign. Thanks to his flip-flop on public financing, he doesn’t have to obey any spending limits, but he has to also keep fundraising — an expensive process, and one that will take him off of the campaign circuit more than John McCain. McCain has a guaranteed $84 million, but the RNC can raise and spend as much as it can on its own, and right now, even with the big July, the Democrats are significantly behind.
Will Obama have a good July? He has to compete with Hillary’s attempts to retire her campaign debt as well as deal with the aftermath of his FISA reform flip-flop. If he maintains this level of fundraising, then he will have little trouble rolling through the general election on a cushion of cash. July will be the key.
Update (AP): The cash-on-hand numbers put out earlier by Obama’s team are wrong. $72 million is what his campaign has on hand; the DNC has another $20 million, for a total of $92 million. That puts them right behind McCain and the RNC.
Blowback
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With all the flip-flopping on every single subject under the sun this guy has been doing as of late, you have to seriously wonder why anyone with about ¾ of a brain would be willing to hand over any amount of cash to B.O. Obviously there are people out there who are not paying attention to what this guy has been saying lately, or they just don’t care if the country winds up going straight to hell in a hand basket.
pilamaye on July 17, 2008 at 8:08 AM
Doesn’t your post assume the Dems are behind if and only if both the RNC and DNC spend their cash only on the presidential race and ignore all the congressional races? Isn’t that unlikely?
e-pirate on July 17, 2008 at 8:08 AM
Who’s cookin’ the books in the egObama campaign?
SouthernGent on July 17, 2008 at 8:12 AM
Full disclosure now… Where exactly did the 53 million come from?
Keemo on July 17, 2008 at 8:28 AM
Soros gave him some of his carrying around money.
elifino on July 17, 2008 at 8:34 AM
I demand a recount!
becki51758 on July 17, 2008 at 8:35 AM
one word “Soros”.
trailortrash on July 17, 2008 at 8:42 AM
If Hillary’s debt isn’t paid in full, you can expect the numbers to decline.
GarandFan on July 17, 2008 at 8:49 AM
He will need more money than that to counter the raw stupidity that flows from his mouth on a daily basis. It isn’t cheap having a team of folks running around holding teleprompters to protect BO from himself.
David in ATL on July 17, 2008 at 8:57 AM
That is what happens when you have a Billionaire running the democrat party. I agree with the posters who says those $52 million mostly came from Soros.
BroncosRock on July 17, 2008 at 8:59 AM
This announcement of the monthly contributions follows the video of his money man begging for help to survive their financial disparity with the Republican financial machine. Whether it was a lie or just a political scam, it reflects the truth has nothing to do with the Obambi campaign. As long as the brinwashed sheep march in lockstep to the messiah’s utterances, anything is possible.
volsense on July 17, 2008 at 9:07 AM
I told you! I said the whole time that they didn’t know how to count it all! Bow down to my psychic powers!
Seixon on July 17, 2008 at 9:10 AM
$52 is still half of the $100 they promised.
Sue on July 17, 2008 at 9:46 AM
Hillary will attract the big money donors and the bundlers, because that’s who she’s always attracted. $52 million over an average $68 contribution means Obama may have had over 750,000 individuals contribute to his campaign. Unless all of those people are bundled or are George Soros clones laundering money or something, they’re fundamentally different money sources than Hillary. In short, Hillary’s debt retirement has no impact on Obama’s fundraising.
It’s both amazing and scary to me that Obama can raise that kind of cash in that manner. It suggests to me that he’s going to have a huge volunteer corps in battleground states and a highly motivated base of supporters. It further suggests that his flip-flops aren’t hurting him among that group.
What does McCain have? Oogotsa. His campaign has no energy and simply is going through the motions.
Obama has a clear path to victory, as follows: (i) run out the clock by limiting the press and public’s access to the candidate and by refusing to debate McCain; (ii) deploy your volunteer army for GOTV purposes; and (iii) saturate paid media in September and October. McCain has not demonstrated the ability to effectively disrupt Obama’s momentum. Hillary actually did, but by the time she got rid of her idiotic advisors and put competent people at the helm, it was too late for her.
Outlander on July 17, 2008 at 9:49 AM
Like I’ve been saying, since BO wants to take the health-care burden away from corporations/employers, they will keep his campaign funded.
jgapinoy on July 17, 2008 at 9:51 AM
I’d wonder more if it takes that long to drum up that many people that will “donate” Soros’ money to a campaign.
Rbastid on July 17, 2008 at 9:57 AM
I don’t get it.
With free advertising from the MSM 24/7, why does Obambi have to raise any money at all?
Oh yeh, payback. Nevermind.
fogw on July 17, 2008 at 10:01 AM
I was trying to think who those “people” might have been, but then I replayed your show with Duane from Friday…
(Sorry… couldn’t resist.) ;-)
Jazz Shaw on July 17, 2008 at 10:03 AM
I’m still getting my passport, guys.
This is not going to end well.
newton on July 17, 2008 at 10:08 AM
newton on July 17, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Where to? I’ve had a few friends spend a year in Australia and really enjoyed it.
Outlander on July 17, 2008 at 10:10 AM
We’ll be moving to the Philippines in five years, but I’ll ALWAYS fight for a better USA.
jgapinoy on July 17, 2008 at 10:25 AM
So I was right, unintentionally, they were waiting for some checks to clear!
Weebork on July 17, 2008 at 10:35 AM
The effect that money has on political campaigns is wildly overrated. It can’t buy likeability, credibility, or the peoples’ trust.
Case in point: Mitt Romney.
Mike Honcho on July 17, 2008 at 10:45 AM
So he raised in one month almost as much as McCain will get total from public financing? That doesn’t sound good for the maverick.
Dawnsblood on July 17, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Makes the previous post showing Plouffe begging for money on Obama’s behalf even more contrite, even more disgusting.
Thank Gd I was a neo-con.
saus on July 17, 2008 at 10:48 AM
‘Thank Gd I was BORN a neo-con.’
saus on July 17, 2008 at 10:49 AM
And just think – with all those donations in food stamps and welfare money, we’re essentially donating to Him. Maybe He’ll show mercy on us when He smites the infidels….
Master Shake on July 17, 2008 at 10:53 AM
$52 million? Must be from all the poor people that Obama says he represents.
Niko on July 17, 2008 at 10:58 AM
I’m not worried. McCain’s base of moderates, independents, illegal aliens, and media mavens will give him twice that amount next month.
Valiant on July 17, 2008 at 11:48 AM
ValMDSiant is back! McCain is doomed! President Obama is assured!
jgapinoy on July 17, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Looks like the Economic Stimulus Plan kicked in at just about the right time to save the obama$$.
dragondrop on July 17, 2008 at 12:56 PM
See ya! You will not be missed. You are a p*ssy to leave your own country.
The Race Card on July 17, 2008 at 2:10 PM
crap
ThePrez on July 17, 2008 at 3:57 PM