The Obama campaign released its February 2008 fundraising financials today indicating that Obama had raised $55 million, over 50% more than the $35 million raised by Clinton! In addition, both Tom Brokaw and a Missouri Representative have indicated that 50 super delegates would side with Obama later this week. Here are the links:
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.c...
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/...
Pulling in $55 million in 29 days is a pace of nearly $2 million per day! That is crazy money! Clinton was basically broke after Tuesday, in fact significantly in debt. She's raised several million in the past few days, but overall her campaign is still in the red. This is the very reason Clinton headed to SNL, The Daily Show and hit 6 morning shows on Wednesday morning. She took a run at Obama's young voters and enjoyed the free media exposure. Obama would have been smart to have embraced a little more free tv time in the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the false NAFTA story was running rampant at the time and Obama probably had to steer clear of the the talk shows.
While the $55M is obviously a rock solid story, the 50 delegate story seems a bit up in the air to me. Given that Brokaw ran with the story, and it was not denied by the Obama campaign, and that yesterday the Missouri paper indicated that one of their own, a Super D and the Obama chair in Missouri, also backed the story, well, I'm starting to believe its true. I think that the Dem Party, the Obama campaign and these super delegates themselves are just looking for the right time to jump in and to attempt to end this thing. Given Clinton's Wednesday morning talk show blitz aimed at "holding" the super delegates in place has so far been effective, I'm wondering if "the 50" will make their jump next Wednesday, after Obama has won two more primaries (Saturday and Tuesday). Once he wins these additional delegates and if "the 50" jump in, Obama would be up by over 200 delegates with only about 550 pledged delegates left in the game. I keep hearing from many in the media that it isn't about the math. Actually it is in two regards: 1) Clinton cannot overcome Obama, regardless of politics and the media's desire to lengthen out this race for another month or three; 2) the media stands to gain millions and millions more in revenue from keeping this thing alive.
So, here's a rebel Thursday CHEERS to the $55M and to "the 50" putting an end to this thing once and for all...before Obama is forced to join Clinton and play in the Gutter Bowl.
PS: From day one I have maintained that if Clinton managed to beat Obama that I would work and vote for her in the upcoming election. Nothing has changed. Even though I despise her campaign tactics of late, I think it would be idiotic and naive to be a no-show or to vote for McLobby in November. Just sayin'.