Tag: obama

Change we can believe in: Charge the media to cover your events

As if spending your tax cut early wasn’t enough cash for Mr. Obama, he is charging the news media big bucks to cover his hoped-for victory celebration.
The richest campaign in history will begin to educate the nation in how Chicago rolls on election night as follows:

FishbowlLA links to a memo sent to news organizations informing them they would have to pay for credentials to Sen. Barack Obama’s Election Night celebration.
It’s not cheap, either. According to the memo, “credentials will cost $715 to $1,815,” and campaign officials “will be available only in the ‘press file’ tent, to which an additional admission fee of $935 per person is being imposed.”
Maybe they’re trying to keep out the Mayhill Fowler’s of the world? Although we’re guessing at this point Huffington Post can easily foot that bill. Regardless, charging the media to cover election night? It certainly doesn’t seem like a smart PR move.
The negative headlines are already starting to pile up. Writes Chicago Business, “The best-funded political campaign in American history says news organizations will have to pay – in some cases almost $2,000 each – if they want to cover Barack Obama’s election-night celebration in Chicago.”

You gotta pay to play, babay.

Forget designer clothes, get an Obama magnet for $10

The LA Time Blog today put voice to something I was thinking. Barack Obama broke all fundraising records in September, raising $150 million dollars and yet his campaign is still collecting $10 or more so you can get your official Obama-Biden car magnet.
Here is the email request:

Friend —
We’re facing an urgent deadline at midnight tonight.
Final decisions about our ground operation will be based on the financial resources we have on hand.
We’re too close to the finish line to fall short, and we can’t afford to look back and wish that we had done more.
Make a donation of $10 or more to own a piece of this movement before the final deadline.
Get an official Obama-Biden car magnet
car magnet
You can also choose to receive an Obama-Biden T-shirt with a donation of $30 or more:
https://donate.barackobama.com/deadlinetshirt
The race is tight, and we simply can’t slow down.
We need to keep fighting right up until the end, and your donation today will strengthen this campaign in the final push.
Thanks so much,
David
David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Dude, spend your tax cut now, buy a magnet or get crazy and buy a tee-shirt.

ACORN – Does the right hand know what the left is doing?

The New York Times woke up and published a story regarding ACORN that speaks to the kinds of problems that ACORN watchers have been discussing.
Project Vote and ACORN are so closely tied together that it seems difficult to say Project Vote hasn’t done partisan work. In addition, the Consumers Rights League has sworn affidavits from 4 former ACORN workers accusing ACORN Housing of funneling money to ACORN’s voter registration efforts.
The Times article is based on an internal report filed by Elizabeth Kingsley. In reviewing how ACORN actually functions, she found reasons for concern.

The June 18 report, written by Elizabeth Kingsley, a Washington lawyer, spells out her concerns about potentially improper use of charitable dollars for political purposes; money transfers among the affiliates; and potential conflicts created by employees working for multiple affiliates, among other things.

Ms. Kingsley’s concerns about the way Acorn affiliates work together could fuel the controversy over Acorn’s voter registration efforts, which are largely underwritten by an affiliated charity, Project Vote. Project Vote hires Acorn to do voter registration work on its behalf, and the two groups say they have registered 1.3 million voters this year.
As a federally tax-exempt charity, Project Vote is subject to prohibitions on partisan political activity. But Acorn, which is a nonprofit membership corporation under Louisiana law, though subject to federal taxation, is not bound by the same restrictions.

Barack Obama said on his website that he never organized for ACORN but he did for Project Vote. This report provides rationale for those who say Obama is splitting hairs.

There are a lotta very rich people out there…

Economics with Barney Frank:

Wow, makes you want to be rich. The hyper-rich won’t miss half of their billions but after awhile the many of those rich people making over $250k might not be so rich.
The Bush finance team wants a bigger “stimulus package” . Frank is apparently agreeing here. When will we just say no?