The Fund-Raising Game

28 June 2007 |permalink | email article

Bill Clinton is very focused before Saturday’ second quarter presidential fundraising deadline with a tough email solicitation asking donors to maximize Hillary Clinton’s war chest.

(Early AM update: The Associated Press is reporting Hillary’s advisers are saying she will match the $23 million she raised in the last quarter. Barack Obama’s camp notes he’s raised his total number of donors to 250,000 in the first six months of the year, with 138,000 more in the second quarter.)

Clinton’s urgent message, as MSNBC reported: she may be outraised by opponents – read Obama; no Swift-Boat-like attacks will go unanswered – a lesson lost on John Kerry, and she turned down high-paying jobs after law school to help children – a message similar to Obama’s first TV ads in Iowa.

“She’s also the best candidate to beat the Republican machine,” his reference to her winning a Senate seat despite being outspent two-to-one.

Another quote is aimed at addressing her high negatives: “But it’s still going to take ever dollar to make sure that Americans get to know the real Hillary, like I do.”

A new personal attack by conservative commentator Ann Coulter on John Edwards on MSNBC’s “Hardball” Monday allowed his wife Elizabeth Edwards to confront her on air and, more to the point, fire off an email asking for funds as the deadline nears.

Yesterday, candidate Edwards followed up, dismissing Coulter as “mean spirited,” having no shame and being “crazy.” Running behind Obama and Clinton in the first quarter, his wife sent a second fund-raising email asking donors to help the campaign hit its $9 million goal for the quarter.

But the developing story now is the growing animosity between the Clinton and Obama camps, which started recently when the rivals staged duel fundraisers only blocks apart in Chicago.

The Sun-Times quoted some tough statements by Obama about Clinton’s experience and fundraising. “The only person who would probably be prepared to be president on Day One would be Bill Clinton, not Hillary Clinton,” and that “the Clintons could raise more money than us” because of their connections when Bill was president.

On the issue of Clinton’s experience, the paper reported Obama as saying “we’re all very qualified for the job,” adding it was true in the ‘90’s like today, that the nation needs someone “to get beyond politics that have bogged us down in the past.” 

Part of the July 4th holiday will find the Clintons barnstorming in Iowa, as will Obama, to be joined later by his wife and daughters. Let the fireworks begin! 

 

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