After a recent string of successes, the campaign of Howard Dean of Vermont was thrown into turmoil today when it was forced to issue an accounting restatement concerning it's 3rd quarter fundraising success.
"It now appears that our 3rd quarter figures were in error." said Skeffrey Jilling, the campaign's Director of Fundraising Accounting and Offshore Partnerships. "Rather than the $14.8 million previously announced, it appears that we actually took in $14.80. Furthermore, that amount consisted of $3.25 of donor contributions, a $3.60 refund on our May phone bill, and $7.95 from the return to Barnes and Noble of the governor's paperback copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People"".
Although the campaign has not yet filed papers regarding its announced decision to pass up matching funds for the primary, Arlen Kove, an administrator at the Federal Elections Commission stated "No way is that guy getting one penny. We all heard him say "No" on TV. The paper work is just a formality. No money for that little liberal." Mr. Kove also pointed out that, of the governor's 3rd quarter income, only the $3.25 donor contribution would be eligible for matching funds.
As for how the error occurred, the Dean campaign stated that they use an internet hosting service that also does work for the campaign of Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Due to a programming error it is believed that the numbers ascribed to the Dean campaign's fundraising efforts, $14.8 million from over 200,000 individuals, actually apply to orders for Congressman Kucinich's campaign video "Listening to America: I'm All Ears".
Other campaigns were quick to react. Congressman Richard Gephardt announced that he would push for an investigation into the matter and called for the prosecution of the clerk at Barnes and Noble who accepted the book return. A spokesperson for the campaign of Carol Mosley Braun said "Well, $14.80, that's not too shabby either."
The phone was not answered at the offices of the Kerry for President campaign.
Trying to put a positive spin on the news, a Dean campaign representative said "The governor has always said we need to get big money out of politics."