And it is spreading to ChronWatch, one of the other right wing sites. This should really be nipped in the bud before it gets started.
They are starting out now to attack his 50 State Strategy, making fun of it in their usual fashion.
First the facts as reported at Hotline and DailyKos:
"The DNC took in $5M and had
$10.3M on hand. It's raised $28M for the year. The RNC went gangbusters, as usual, raising $7.5 million in May and ending the quarter with more than $43 million on hand."
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/06/may_party_commi.htmlThe amount taken in by the DNC was equal to or more than the Democratic committees in May, so no gripe there. Dean does not have as much in the coffers, as he is investing it in the party structure and targeted states and races early on.
Now where does Novak get his figures:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/06/inside_report_howards_50_state.html"Dean has come under fire
for spending all but $4.25 million of the $84.5 million the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has raised for this election cycle. Intraparty critics complain Dean is paying off promises to DNC members from Republican-majority states made in his campaign for chairman.
Now Chronwatch, very right wing, is picking up on it and spreading it around.
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=22024&catcode=13"Now that it has been reported that DNC chairman Howard Dean has spent all but $4.25 million of the $84.5 million raised for this election cycle, it seems very unlikely that Americans will be persuaded that the Democrat party of Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Howard Dean are the right people to be leading this nation when they enter the voting booths in November."
Open Secrets on June 1 data gives these figures:
http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/total.asp?Cmte=DNC&cycle=2006Total
Hard money
Soft money
Raised:
$79,553,596
$79,553,596 (100%)
$0 (0%)
Spent:
$76,173,303
$76,173,303 (100%)
$0 (0%)
Cash On Hand:
$9,431,698
$9,431,698 (100%)
$0 (0%)
Not as much raised the RNC, but we did not expect that. Not as much in the bank as the DSCC and the DCCC, but raising just as much. Hiring at least new large donor fundraisers will pay off later. So the main gripe is the amount in the bank.
And Novak gives wrong figures. And the right wing blogs just quote him.
Dean says the DNC is investing in 40 House races and 10 Senate races, and I gather that is in addition to the state political directors yearly salaries. He indicated he is investing early on, and makes no apologies.
Novak needs to tell us where he got his figure of just 4 million in the bank. Fair is fair.