David
(campaign) death and taxes
Every million dollars counts now, especially for Senator Clinton's campaign. However, much as she might want to economize, I suspect that there are a variety of "fixed costs" that her campaign cannot or will not dramatically cut, such as payroll. ...more »
Posted on April 21, 2008 3:28 PM
help please -- confused by FEC filings
I saw several mentions in TPM this morning that Sen Clinton's primary campaign has cash-on-hand of $8M. Curious, I looked up her most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission, a "Form 3P" submitted yesterday. This filing suggests that she...more »
Posted on April 21, 2008 1:35 PM
Plea from an Obama Republican: Part 2
My last post, Plea from an Obama Republican, generated more discussion than I expected. I enjoyed your thoughtful comments, and even the insults provided food for thought. Indeed, it is the insults that provided the inspiration for this follow-up comment. ...more »
Posted on April 14, 2008 5:17 PM
Pleas from an Obama Republican
I'm a moderate Republican who supports Barack Obama and who has enjoyed reading TPM for the past several months (though this is my first substantive post). I support Senator Obama for President in large part because I believe that he...more »
Posted on April 11, 2008 3:35 PM
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when did 11,000,000 to 5,000,000 become 4-1? even the reported "3-1" is misleading. we should be saying "2-1".
and this is just media buys. looking at Clinton's reported expenditures on her FEC filings, she has continued to outspend Obama in other areas such as paid phone bank callers.
Posted at April 22, 2008 3:40 PM in response to Hillary Running New 60-Second Ad In North Carolina On Veterans Issues
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sorry for a typo in my commment:
she continues to pay more than $5M per month MORE to staff than Obama does. Obama pays about $2M/month while I estimate Clinton pays about $7.5M/month in salaries alone (i.e. salaries for which payroll tax must be paid).
Posted at April 21, 2008 4:49 PM in response to March FEC Report: Clinton Further in Debt
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And to make the matter worse, the Clinton campaign's tax expenses suggest that she CONTINUES TO PAY MORE THAN $5M PER MONTH to staff than Obama's campaign.
Her filings state "salary" expense of about $2M per month, similar to Obama, but this is inconsistent with her payroll taxes. For details, see my recent post at http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/04/campaign-death-and-taxes.php
Posted at April 21, 2008 4:46 PM in response to March FEC Report: Clinton Further in Debt
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Thank you. This dailykos story appears to lay out how to interpret the filings. I will study it.
Posted at April 21, 2008 2:01 PM in response to help please -- confused by FEC filings
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Hi Ben,
I see in the Democratic Party a philosophy of government that seeks to use government itself as the principle tool to fix economic problems. However, when this tendency has been taken farther toward its logical extreme in other times and places, the result has been disastrous for the people ... despite good intentions.
I believe in the power of a vibrant entrepreneurial economy -- including an entrepreneurial non-profit sector -- to create wealth and address social injustice, rather than a central government. Wealth is created by people, by their labor and ideas, and not by direct government intervention.
Sharing wealth through taxation is fine and just in my opinion. And massive government expenditures would also be fine, if directed towards an end not being met by markets. (For example, I find it shameful that Google is providing more leadership when it comes to renewable energies than the US government. I would be quite happy if we laid out a huge chunk of change to boost the science of solar, wind, and nuclear power. Individual entrepreneurs cannot do this since the time until payoff is too long.)
In short, while I am probably aligned much more closely with the stated policy goals of today's Democrats than with today's Republicans, I feel that the Democratic approach to achieving those goals could create its own problems. In my ideal world, Americans of both parties would rally around a common purpose and engage in a spirited debate about how to achieve those ends.
Posted at April 14, 2008 9:14 PM in response to Plea from an Obama Republican: Part 2
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I misquoted "readytoblowagasket", adding "(as I clearly do)" to the end of his quote. I was referring to myself since, indeed, I would like to help the Democrats win in November. Apologies.
Posted at April 14, 2008 5:28 PM in response to Plea from an Obama Republican: Part 2
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Thanks Genghis. I have enjoyed reading your posts for some time now, and I probably absorbed some of your perspective that way. So perhaps it's not much of a coincidence.
Posted at April 14, 2008 2:31 PM in response to Pleas from an Obama Republican
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This story resonates because we can all relate. Everyone knows at least one person who can't seem to stop themselves from exaggerating, distorting, and "embellishing" the past to make themselves look good -- even when such lies are totally unnecessary and the truth would serve.
Such lies are not effective and so cannot be justified even on the basis of "the ends justify the means". Even for those who perversely admire Senator Clinton because she will "do whatever it takes" to push forward her agenda, this episode is a disturbing warning sign.
We all see how weak President Bush became when he lost his credibility. Even if she manages to take the Presidency, Senator Clinton may struggle to lead because of the nagging credibility problems highlighted by the reaction to Bosnia.
Posted at April 11, 2008 9:18 AM in response to Bill Clinton: Media Acted Like Hillary Was "Just Making Up All This Stuff" On Bosnia
