Political charity stays at home

Despite the announcement of a record $66 million haul in August, the Barack Obama campaign continues to worry about its funding.  Politico reports that Team Obama rebuffed a request from Harry Reid for Obama to share the wealth, literally, to assist other Democrats running for the Senate.  The cost of raising money has diluted their position against John McCain, and with the DNC essentially failing under Howard Dean, they can’t afford to part with a penny:

Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a personal appeal to Barack Obama: Help me grow the Democrats’ Senate majority by sharing some of the $77 million you’ve got in the bank.

Obama’s campaign said no.

Although Democratic insiders say a better deal could still come, the Obama campaign so far has agreed only to let Senate Democrats use Obama’s name — as well as those of his wife and running mate — in mail and online fundraising pitches. The campaign has planned no joint fundraising events with House or Senate Democrats, and insiders say none is likely to be held before Election Day.

In rejecting a direct request from his Senate leader, Obama has put a fine point on the financial pressures he’s feeling as the presidential race turns toward the fall.

Reid and Chuck Schumer, chair of the DSCC, hoped to get $10 million from Obama to assist their efforts against Republicans.  The DSCC has done a better job than its Republican counterpart at fundraising, although the NRSC has begun to close the gap over the summer.  However, the Republicans will likely spend a lot of money on presidential GOTV efforts in states like Minnesota, Colorado, and New Hampshire where the DSCC hoped to take currently-held Republican seats, and need a boost to counter the GOP.

The NRSC, NRCC, and RNC do not have to compete with the McCain campaign for the final 60 days, making their fundraising efforts a lot less complicated.  Not so for their Democratic counterparts; Team Obama will hit the same donors for funds, and their requests will take precedence.  The other committees will have to live off the leftovers, and with the generic Congressional ballot narrowing in every major poll, Democrats are at real risk of losing the House, and have almost no hope of significant expansion of their majority in the Senate.

Obama told the Saddleback Forum that the major failing of America was a lack of charity, a statement that shows a fundamental lack of understanding of his own nation.  He then selected a skinflint for a running mate, and now gives a poor demonstration of sharing among his own colleagues.  Beyond that, though, this shows how badly Obama miscalculated when he betrayed his pledge and became the first major-party candidate since Watergate to opt out of the public-financing system and its spending limits.  His selfishness will cost Democrats down the ticket, and perhaps himself an election if he can’t raise $100 million a month on his own.

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