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HILLARY WANTS TO KEEP YOUR LOOT FOR 2012................
The New York Observer is reporting that Camp Clinton wants to keep Maxed out donations ,$2,300, from her 2008 general election fund and roll it over into her 2012 senate general election fund instead of offering rebates.
She's sending donors a photocopied handwritten note that says :
"Dear friend, your commitment has meant so much to me over the course of my presidential campaign. You were there for me when I needed you the most and I'll never forget it. I hope you'll help me continue to fight for the issues and causes we believe in by filling out the enclosed form in support of Friends of Hillary."
Am I missing something? Doesn't she have bills to pay? So why is she still hoarding cash ans asking others to pay off her debts?
Comments (15)
Surprised? Not even a little.
July 15, 2008 5:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Donors can donate a max of $2300 in the primary and $2300 for the general election. There are strict regulations about how those general election funds can be used.
"...under the Federal Election Commission's rules, candidates can either refund the money to their donors within 60 days after the person is no longer a candidate or get permission from their donors to re-designate it for use by the candidate's campaign for another federal office. To pay off debts from their primary campaigns, candidates can tap general-election funds from contributors who didn't max out in the primary*, with the donor's permission."
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/01/the-other-election-returns.html
The only people who should be concerned with this are the Hillary supporters who made those general election donations and need to decide whether todonate to her future campaign or want a refund. Refund is the default option FYI so people have to actively choose to allow her to keep for future campaigns. My HRC supporter radar tells me you're not one of the donors impacted by this issue, so just let it be.
July 15, 2008 6:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is that a paydar? I'm jes' ass-king.
July 15, 2008 7:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jest ass-king, or jet skiing depends-ing on interpretation.
July 15, 2008 7:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Desi, are you getting sarc-ass-tic about my fascination with new forms of ass words? :)
July 15, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is sop. Losing politicians do it all the time. There are only 2 possible explanations I can think of for this post. You are too young to have been around to see other politicians go through this process. Or you are old enough but never bothered to pay attention to previous contests.
July 15, 2008 8:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am not sure I see a smoking gun here. Asking her donors to let her keep her GE funds is not all that unusual. As Dijamo said this money could be used for her next Senate run or to pay down her campaign debt.
July 15, 2008 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't see a problem. It is SOP. She is letting her donors decide what she should do with their donations. That is fair.
July 15, 2008 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Can it be used for a 2012 presidential run? That is the question...
July 15, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Technically yes - it can be used for any federal office. But she is up for reelection to the Senate in 2012. If Obama wins and has a successful first term, there's no way Hillary runs against him 2012 for president and would likely use the funds for reelection to the Senate. If Obama loses, Hillary can use the funds to run for President or reelection to the Senate.
This may make you nervous, but it is the way general election funds have always worked. People just pay more attention because it's Hillary. The moral of the story is work hard to get Obama elected and have Obama follow through on his promises once elected. Then we won't have to worry about a contested primary in 2012. I'll be there to support Hillary's campaign in 2016 unless another candidate comes along that I feel better represents my political stances.
July 15, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
dijamo - Is there another female out there who you believe may be a viable candidate for POTUS in future? Or at least, another who has impressed you? Would appreciate your views on this. Thanks.
July 15, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your question presumes that I am looking for the first female president and I am not. I picked Hillary because I agreed with her on policy positions and not because she's a woman. I cannot think of another politician - female or male - that I would pick over Hillary at this point in 2016 (or for that matter in 2008 but that's a moot issue). Things always change and there could be someone that emerges in the meantime that speaks to my concerns more than Hillary does.
July 15, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
A lot can change in 8 years, for better or worse. Clinton might start declining cognitively (hopefully not, but she will be 69 in October in 8 years which is only 3 years younger than McCain), or we might get a candidate that you might find even better. Then again, Clinton will get 8 years more experience in the Senate (assuming she wins re-election in 2012, which is probably a safe assumption), and maybe she'll have even more support. Time will tell.
Do you worry about her age (in 2016) at all?
(To all TPMers who are 69 or older, I'm not trying to paint with a wide brush, although it might come off that way. Most people in that age group do just fine, but of course they also don't have the stress of leading the United States, or of being a Senator.)
July 15, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's exactly what I meant. Who would have predicted the rise of Barack Obama in 2000? Eight years is a long long time and who knows if Hillary would even have interest in running? Of the current politicians right now, can't think of one I'd prefer to Hillary. That said, age in itself should not be a disqualifier. Plus women live longer than men (nyah nyah nyah), so I'm not too worried about age in office. There's plenty of younger folks that are cognitively deficient and I don't necessarilly assume that simply because she's 69 her cognitive or medical fitness for the presidency will be in question.
I would certainly hope as we get more democrats in power and start accomplishing a more progressive agenda, more candidates will merge that speak to me as much as Hillary does. But until someone else comes along, I want Hillary to keep popping those hot peppers and keeping healthy & active so if the opportunity does come around again she'll be ready.
July 15, 2008 2:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wasn't presuming you were looking for a female. I've been attempting to get input on women in the political arena in order to learn more about them and their background, as well as their stance on issues. I'm doing research for a project.
July 15, 2008 2:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
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