Democrats Scale Back Convention Plans
by Mark Noonan on June 18th, 2008 at 07:45am
Seems they are having trouble raising all the money they’d like:
Facing a $15 million budget shortfall, organizers of the Democratic National Convention are cutting events while hoping Barack Obama’s emergence as the likely presidential nominee will spur his vast army of donors to pony up.
The convention’s host committee was expected to report on its financial position late Monday in Denver. The committee is under contract to the Democratic National Committee to raise $40.6 million of an overall convention budget of about $70 million. Several people knowledgeable about the committee’s activities projected it would be about $15 million short of its goal.The convention opens on Aug. 25, giving the committee just 10 weeks to come up with the money. Some faulted the slowing economy and the protracted Democratic primary as the two major reasons the city’s host committee has struggled to raise the cash.
“It’s a significant amount and a big concern,” acknowledged Rick Ridder, a Denver-based Democratic strategist who has helped the city’s convention efforts.
As recent as a week or two ago I was stating my certainty that Democrats would come up with the money - but now they are talking of cutting down the show, which means not only are they short, but they have fading hopes of making up the shortfall. Obama is still generating massive enthusiasm…among upper class whites and black Americans; could it be that these voters, enthused for Obama, don’t really care too much about the Democratic party, as an institution? Also, did Obama and Hillary just drain so much cash out of Democratic donors that they are having trouble pulling more money out of their pockets? Or is it that the varied divisions in the party, masked by Obama-mania, are resulting in a drop off in overall Democratic enthusiasm for November?
Time will tell, but it isn’t good news for the Democrats than in a year where the political stars have all aligned in their favor that they can’t raise enough money to cover their own convention.
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June 18th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
In these tough economic times it is probably best to scale the convention back a bit and set a good example for the work that needs to be done come January.
To make up the short fall at the Republican convention some smart con entrepreneurs are offering tours of the Larry Craig memorial bathroom at the Minneapolis airport. U.S Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters is offering low cost ferry rides for any delegate afraid to cross one of the interstate highway bridges.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
actually, in the typical cut-n-retreat style of cowardice, the DNC is just doing whats natural….its got nothing to do with anything else…
June 18th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Two Muslim women at Barack Obama’s rally in
The Great Uniter strikes again!
Detroit on Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women’s headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate. The campaign has apologized to the women, both Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at the rally.
While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. Obama’s event coordinators, who handpicked the crowd sitting behind Mrs. Obama. The Tartan’s correspondents observed one event coordinator say to another, “Get me more white people, we need more white people.” To an Asian girl sitting in the back row, one coordinator said, “We’re moving you, sorry. It’s going to look so pretty, though.”
June 18th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
All of our resident liberals must be in KOS class today, here on “terra”.
peace, neocon
June 18th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
If the times are so bad economically, where did all those Dem supporters get all that money to donate during the primaries?
June 18th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Neo
They are probably all in San Francisco signing up for “marriage” licenses.
Then …..ON to the BATH HOUSE for a REAL honey-MOON!
“pitching… anyone??? LOL
June 18th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
WT;
I thought the RATS were all SOOOO POOR inner city residents with NO health ins.
seems odd eh?
June 18th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
5. William Teach | June 18th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
recycling silly!
June 18th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
4. neocon | June 18th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Some of Us were paying quiet respects to Tim Russert.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
The GOP is in the same boat in Minnesota.
They needed a $39MM line of credit wrriten into a bill that was ultimately vetoed by GOP Governor Pawlenty in 2007 and then the State house rejected a $14 MM package in 2008.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Cavalor,
If what you say is true (I have not “fact checked” your statement), you can expect to be completely ignored by the owner of this blog. When his hypocrisies are pointed out, he simply acts as though he never saw what was written.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Pain,
Good save.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Hopefully fat (expletive deleted) Michael Moore and fat (expletive deleted) Al Gore can be loaded and transported in a stretched and widened Prius. Sorry Al and Mike, you need to walk the walk. And Jimmy Carter can dine on popcorn and sugar free Cool Aid in the balcony with a double wide on each side for Mike and Al.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Chris,
Be that as it may:
No problem on our end - in fact, the only place we’re having trouble, money-wise, is in our Congressional Campaign Committee…there we’re just about flat broke, mostly because GOPers are still ticked off at the Congressional GOP…
June 19th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Deleted - off topic.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Does it really matter who puts on the best show? $70 million for four days, that money could be better spent on just about anything else. We already know who the nominees are going to be. Do we really need to spend $130 million dollars to throw them a party? You guys spend the money on your convention. We’ll be spending ours on the party in January.
Neocon,
The campaign could have just put them in one of Bush “Free Speech Zones” four miles away.
Peace gaijin