Obama outpaces GOP rivals — and his own 2008 results — in small donations

[AtomicKitten]

:fistbump:

Even with low approval ratings and an uncertain path to reelection, President Obama is exceeding expectations in one area: His campaign is doing far better at attracting grass-roots financial support this year than his Republican rivals or his own historic effort in 2008, according to new contribution data.

The sheer scale of small donations, totaling $56 million for Obama and his party, has surprised many Democratic strategists and fundraisers, who feared that a sour economy would make it difficult for Obama to raise money from disenchanted and cash-strapped voters.

A Washington Post analysis shows that nearly half of his campaign contributions, and a quarter of the money he has raised for the Democratic Party, has come from donors giving less than $200. That’s much higher than it was in 2008 and far beyond what the best-funded Republicans have managed.

- snip

link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-outpaces-gop-rivals-and-his-own-2008-results-in-small-donations/2011/11/04/gIQANhTJWN_story.html

[MjolnirTime]

1. this truth is hard for some to swallow.

[jenmito]

2. K&R. Where are all of the replies?

[PragmaticLiberal]

5. There won't be any....and you know why.

[jenmito]

7. Yup. But maybe they all missed it.

Yeah, right...

[The Doctor.]

3. That can't be right. That might mean that he's not the 'Corporate Lapdog'

So many claim he is (all without ever bringing real proof, I've noticed).

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. Foul! This can't be! I'm hopping mad cause I read here at DU, that....

"Small Donors Slow To Return To Obama Fold", and it got thousands of recs, and I hung my hat on it, because I wanted it to be true. Now I just don't know if I should believe the anecdotal evidence of the NYT, or if I should believe the facts? What to do?

P.S.: Where is the icon of me storming off in a huff? :shrug: I need a huff!

[TheWraith]

6. Kicked and recommended. nt

[geek tragedy]

8. Those are just mico-Wall Street financiers. nt

[Number23]

9. Rec'd. Once again proving the utter irrelevance of the handful of "leftists" who keep screaming

that he's deserted his "base" and that everyone is just so terribly disappointed, won't support him, won't donate, won't campaign and even have to think long and hard before even voting for him again. Also puts to lie the Republicans who have convinced themselves that everyone (particularly whites) thinks that he is an incompetent "soshulist" intent of destroying the country.

This quote truly says it all:

"The number of small donations shows who it is that supports this president and who put him there,” said Katherine Hahn, a self-described “mom and artist” from Evergreen, Colo., who gives Obama $25 a month. “It wasn’t the powers that be so much as it was people like me.”

You GO, girl! :bounce:

[Tarheel_Dem]

10. A worthy quote indeed. Why is it that only the haters have the microphones & airwaves?

There are millions of us who don't give a shit what the PL has to say, but we don't have teevee & radio shows or columns to spew venom. We are indeed, "The Silent Majority", and the fundraising is a testament to that.

By the way, did you see the column our friend Glenn wrote? He's warning that groups "aligned with the White House" will try to co-opt OWS. His friend Michael Moore told us the other day that the White House turned the Feds loose on OWS, and was trying to bust 'em up. WTF to believe between two giant assholes? And why would the White House want to co-opt a movement they're trying, simultaneously, to destroy? :rofl:

If we didn't have two giant assholes like MM & GG to tell us what to think, what in the world would we do? :shrug:

[Number23]

17. Oh, girl TELL IT

There are millions of us who don't give a shit what the PL has to say

That is the absolute truth of the matter. And not only do we not care what they have to say, but given many of these people's questionable (at best) pasts and even more questionable current associations (Hamsher immediately comes to mind on both of those points), I not only NOT give a shit but I wouldn't trust these people as far as I could throw them.

He's warning that groups "aligned with the White House" will try to co-opt OWS.

Rush Limbaugh and every right-wing Republican asshole has been saying the same thing. Rush even went so far as to to say that the White House was behind OWS from the very beginning. Glenn G is typically in very telling company.

And why would the White House want to co-opt a movement they're trying, simultaneously, to destroy?

Seems the manic progressives like Moore and Greenwald have mixed up their talking points. Never fear! They'll get brand new ones by first thing Monday morning and the flinging of shit will begin all over again.

[Tarheel_Dem]

18. "and the flinging of shit will begin all over again."

Speak to it! :applause: I forgave Michael Moore once, for his part in electing George II, but if there are many Dems who feel as I do, MM can kiss my Democratic ass, from here on out.

What's ironic is that after helping elect W, by way of Nader, Michael went on to make a mint off of opposing him. I'll say this, he's one smart businessman, but he's an asshole of a human being. :hi:

[Number23]

20. Well, I'll always love MM for 'Farenheit 9/11'

And "Sicko" brought my husband (the Aussie military officer) to tears.

And I'll just leave it at that. :)

[Tarheel_Dem]

23. Not saying he hasn't done some good work, but his "they're sick of Obama's bullshit"

comment was my last straw. Like I said, he makes more $$$ when there's a Republican in the WH. :hi:

[ecstatic]

11. I donated!

And will again :-D

They sent me the link to a cool site that shows the statistics (like first name), city, etc. of his donors:

http://www.barackobama.com/one-million-info (Info based on donors up to 10/17/11)

[mikekohr]

12. I Donated nt

[and-justice-for-all]

13. I donated as well.

[Kind of Blue]

14. Whew! I love this...

"One surprise for the Obama campaign was the discovery that, out of more than 1 million donors this year, half had never given to him before."

KnR!

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ruggerson]

16. And the Chief Fundraiser for Obama in '12 is

A guy named Rufus Gifford.

He probably won't get much more than an occasional mention in this forum, I realize, but nevertheless...

"Imagine that your boss is disliked by about half the people who know him, doesn't get along particularly well with the business community, is viewed unenthusiastically by some of his own supporters, and has still tasked you with raising as much as $1 billion in a year and a half.

Meet Rufus Gifford, fundraiser in chief and informal LGBT ambassador for President Barack Obama's reelection campaign.

As finance director for Obama for America, Gifford is playing a crucial, behind-the-scenes role in securing the president a second term. The task is a daunting one: run the most expensive campaign in history at a time when the economy is bearing down on people's wallets and when public support for the president -- while higher than other elected officials in Washington -- is still in the troubling range."

<<snip>>

The campaign is also forging new ground with donors. More than 606,000 people gave between July and September -- a number that tops what was a record-breaking 552,000 donors in the second fundraising quarter and reflects more than 257,000 first-time donors, according to campaign records. In another milestone, in mid-October, Obama hit 1 million donors.

<<snip>>

For now, though, Gifford is driving the most powerful fundraising operation in the country. Obama campaign officials say they don't have a set goal of raising $1 billion, or any fixed amount for that matter, despite that figure circulating in the press. But the trajectory of fundraising levels for past presidents suggests that's where the campaign may be headed."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2011/11/10/rufus-gifford-obama-fundraising_n_1086188.html

[stevenleser]

22. +99999 Much Love to Rufus Gifford! nt

[One of the 99]

19. Good article

Thanks AC!

[JNelson6563]

21. Awesome!

:toast:

[Scurrilous]

24. Good news.

:thumbsup:

[Tarheel_Dem]

25. +1

:thumbsup:

[demgrrrll]

26. k l c k

[WI_DEM]

27. the media goes back and forth on this. They first say he isn't keeping pace with '08 with small

donations and now they say he is. As far as 'low approval' Obama is in the mid 40's--if you want to see true low approval look at Bush's second term approval ratings especially in the last year and half of his presidency.