Over the last 24 hours we raised another $855 for the DNC via
ePatriots, much of that as sustainer donations that will continue giving every month.
The total right now is $40,659. If we project the sustainer donations through July, we're at $70,425. That's pretty impressive stuff, guys. My goal is $100,000 by the Boston convention. We're getting there.
And lest we forget why we're raising this money:
The Republican National Committee's hefty fund-raising advantage over its Democratic rival is already being felt as the 2004 election year gets under way.
With $33.1 million in the bank and more to come, the RNC is laying plans to spend in races up and down the ticket as the Democratic National Committee works to complete its first task: raising $16 million to help promote its presidential nominee.
The parties' finances as the year began offer a striking look at the effect broad new fund-raising restrictions are having. The DNC started with $10 million in the bank, one-third as much as the RNC. [...]
In all, the RNC raised about $105.5 million last year. The DNC raised $42 million. Both spent millions reaching out to potential donors and voters, with Republicans spending millions more than the Democrats [...]
The RNC's cash advantage will let it pump money into campaigns from the statehouses to the White House while orchestrating a party-wide, get-out-the-vote effort. While the top priority is helping President Bush win re-election, spending will go beyond close presidential states to every state where it is needed.
This goes beyond presidential politics. We need to fight back against the GOP's money machine. The 527s are nice, and will be huge, but they can't coordinate with the candidate. The DNC can.
Not to mention down-ballot races. If you think they don't matter, just remind yourself of what happened in Texas. Every race, no matter how small, matters. We need to empower the party to compete at all levels.
As many of you will undoubtedly bitch in the comments, the party isn't perfect and has myriad flaws. I'm not forcing you to donate, so if you don't want to, then don't. But the party is the only one we have, and we need to strengthen it to take on the GOoPer cash armada. The party will evolve. It's inevitable. And the more interest we show in strenthening it, the more vested we become in it, the quicker we'll see results.
I have no interest in propping up the failed DNC. I want to help build a new, more effective version of it.