Showing posts with label fundraising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fundraising. Show all posts

2008/09/26

Obama Intelligencer 2008 September 26

Campaign Spending and Fundraising
Obama’s campaign raised $66 million in August and has $77 million in the bank, but this is little compared to the goal of $200 million. From a funding point and party coordination point of view, Obama was hurt by the long battle for the Democratic nomination (Cummings, Groppe).

Financial Markets
In light of recent concerns over the financial markets, Obama has called for increased oversight of banks and streamlining of federal regulations over financial institutions (Schroeder).

Sources
Cummings, J. (2008 Sept. 14). Obama needs more cash to reach goals. Politico on CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/15/politics/politico/main4448530.shtml, accessed 2008 Sept. 16.

Groppe, M. (2008 Sept. 22). August tops for McCain, Obama fundraising. Indianapolis Star. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080922/NEWS05/80922039, accessed 2008 Sept. 26.

Schroeder, R. (2008 Sept. 15). Wall Street crisis spurs talk on campaign trail. Market Watch. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/mccain-obama-urge-reform-wall/story.aspx?guid=%7BEB116219-02C3-4C44-9C94-34BF5B366A4A%7D&dist=msr_1, accessed 2008 Sept. 16.

McCain Intelligencer 2008 September 26

Embryonic Stem Cell Research (Abortion and Health Care)
Supporters and opponents of embryonic stem cell research are concerned about McCain’s position. Opponents of the activity are concerned he may support it based on his voting record in the Senate. Proponents fear he may drop his support based on his selection of Palin and the strong plank to ban it in the Republican Party platform (Gaudiano).

Financial Markets
McCain said it was good that the government decided not to bail out Lehman Brothers and called for reform of disjointed federal financial regulation (Schroeder).

Fundraising
August has been the best month yet for McCain fundraising (Groppe).

Polls
A recent poll by the Siena Research Institute found that McCain is gaining in New York, but Obama still leads there (McCain gaining on Obama in New York). Another poll shows McCain leading in Ohio (Fargen). It’s a tie in Minnesota (Von Sternberg). For what its worth, he holds a lead among the Israeli Jewish population (Rosenfelder).

Social Security
McCain proposes to put place Social Security contributions into accounts that could be invested in the stock market. Obama calls the plan gambling (Acosta).

OI Comment: What McCain proposes is similar to what many people have now in their 401(k). Like other uninsured investments, this involves risk. It seems better to OI than Congress doing whatever it wants with the money with a shaky promise that it will pay the promised benefits somehow. It bears a strong resemblance to a Ponzi scheme; OI suspects it’s exactly that. Why not just drop the social security tax and let us do with the money as we will?

Sources
Acosta, J. (2008 Sept. 22). Obama: McCain wants to “gamble” with Social Security. CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/22/social.security.candidates/, accessed 2008 Sept. 26.

Fargen, J. (2008 Sept. 15). Suffolk poll shows McCain leading Obama in Ohio. Boston Herald. http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/2008/view/2008_09_15_Suffolk_poll_shows_McCain_leading_Obama_in_Ohio/srvc=home&position=recent, accessed 2008 Sept. 16.

Gaudiano, N. (2008 Sept. 13). Advocates worry McCain support for embryonic research may waver. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-12-stem-cells-mccain_N.htm, accessed 2008 Sept. 26.

Groppe, M. (2008 Sept. 22). August tops for McCain, Obama fundraising. Indianapolis Star. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080922/NEWS05/80922039, accessed 2008 Sept. 26.

McCain gaining on Obama in New York. (2008 Sept. 15). Buffalo Business First. http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/09/15/daily6.html, accessed 2008 Sept. 16.

Rosenfelder, S. (2008 Sept. 15). JPost.com readers favor McCain over Obama. Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1221467181669&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull, accessed 2008 Sept. 16.

Schroeder, R. (2008 Sept. 15). Wall Street crisis spurs talk on campaign trail. Market Watch. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/mccain-obama-urge-reform-wall/story.aspx?guid=%7BEB116219-02C3-4C44-9C94-34BF5B366A4A%7D&dist=msr_1, accessed 2008 Sept. 16.

Von Sternberg, B. (2008 Sept. 15). Minnesota poll: Obama, McCain are dead even in state. Minneapolis Star-Tribune. http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/28353589.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUoaK7D_V_eDc87DUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU, accessed 2008 Sept. 26.

2008/07/24

Obama Intelligencer 2008 July 24

Fundraising
Obama’s fundraising efforts are seriously outpacing McCain’s. He will be the first candidate to run a privately financed presidential campaign since 1976 (Morain, Salant).

Poll
Though Americans considered him to be a riskier choice, Obama led the race in a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (Murray).

War in Iraq, Afghanistan
After visiting Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places, Obama persists in calling for a scheduled withdrawal from Iraq and shift of resources to Afghanistan (Nichols and Faiez).

Resources
Morain, D. (2008 July 21). McCain in a race to raise and spend money by Labor Day. Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-money21-2008jul21,0,1399269.story, accessed 2008 July 21.

Murray, M. (2008 July 23). NBC/WSJ poll: Obama keeps lead over McCain. MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25816799/, accessed 2008 July 24.

Nichols, M., & Faiez, M. K. (2008 July 21). Obama sticks to his goal of swift Iraq withdrawal. Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-fg-obama21-2008jul21,0,3927730.story, accessed 2008 July 24.

Salant, J. (2008 July 21). Obama raised more than McCain, didn’t outspend him (update 3). Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aQwcbLtdxwH0&refer=home, accessed 2008 July 24.

McCain Intelligencer 2008 July 24

Fundraising
Obama’s fundraising efforts are seriously outpacing McCain’s. Recent reports reveal that some of McCain’s major supporters are from financial services, gambling and energy. McCain intends to accept federal funding of his general election campaign; he must spend his funds from the primaries before his official nomination at the Republican convention (Morain, Salant).

Poll
McCain lagged in a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, even though people considered Obama to be a riskier choice for president. McCain faired worse when third party candidates Bob Barr and Ralph Nader were included (Murray).

Staff
Phil Gramm stepped down as co-chair of the McCain campaign. His resignation was prompted by his statements regarding the economy in which he said that the U.S. was in a “mental recession” and a “nation of whiners.” McCain refuted the remarks (Rohter, Cooper).

Resources
Cooper, M. (2008 July 11). McCain advisor refers to “nation of whiners.” New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11campaign.html?fta=y, accessed 2008 July 21.

Morain, D. (2008 July 21). McCain in a race to raise and spend money by Labor Day. Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-money21-2008jul21,0,1399269.story, accessed 2008 July 21.

Murray, M. (2008 July 23). NBC/WSJ poll: Obama keeps lead over McCain. MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25816799/, accessed 2008 July 24.

Rohter, L. (2008 July 19). McCain co-chairman, under fire, steps aside. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/19/us/politics/19mccain.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=us&adxnnlx=1216673967-zW3zVG876NOQMCpJagpn9g, accessed 2008 July 21.

Salant, J. (2008 July 21). Obama raised more than McCain, didn’t outspend him (update 3). Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aQwcbLtdxwH0&refer=home, accessed 2008 July 24.