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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Obama’s Campaign Staff Is Like The Federal Government

Bloated.  Over-staffed.  And, from a funding standpoint, unsustainable.

Kind of gives you an idea of how Obama would lead as President.

Obama oversees a team of 700 people—more than twice as many as Bush in 2004—the biggest, most bloated campaign in the history of presidential elections:

So far in 2008, combined campaign-spending data for the three most recent months available—February, March and April—show that Sen. Obama outspent Sen. McCain 4.5-to-1 on staff salaries, more than 2-to-1 on office rents, and 25-to-1 on broadcast advertising, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Sen. Obama has about 700 employees on the payroll, scattered across 19 states. The McCain cadre is around 100, divided among a handful of local offices.

These hired guns aren’t going to deliver Obama the presidency. Having that many cooks in the kitchen is going to dilute his message and bleed him dry. With a burn rate of 114 percent, the Obama campaign won’t be able to maintain spending at primary levels even if fundraising were to remain constant—which is unlikely because so many Democratic donors have already given the maximum contribution.

Mark Hemingway adds:

...if you watch the McCain Strategy Briefing, it notes that after a shaky start McCain/RNC combined fundraising is more than the Obama/DNC fundraising for April and I don’t know if the totals are in yet, but McCain/RNC fundraising was on pace to beat them in May as well. That certainly surprised me.

Surprises me too.

For all the hype about Obama’s campaign, and all the lackluster support for McCain even among Republicans, the latter is now apparently beating the former in fund raising.

Comments

Actually, there’s a very good reason why the Obama campaign is so overstaffed, and correspondingly indecisive.

They have a lot of extra bodies on board for when Obama needs another one to throw under the bus.


“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Bat One on June 10, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Avatar for Bad

Seems rather like an attempt to spin bad news into good news.  Fielding 700 people in 19 states means that, even though McCain has had months in which to build a general election ground campaign, Obama is already far ahead of him right out of the gate in terms of local organizing.  This should have been a huge weakness for the Dems because their primary season lasted so long.  It’s true that more people alone doesn’t win elections, but strong field campaigns are well proven techniques for increasing voe totals that both parties employ.  The only real question is whether these field campaigns will do a good job of what they do or not.

And I’m not sure what Democratic donor thing is about: are you sure they aren’t confusing maxing out primary funds with maxing out general election funds?

Bad on June 10, 2008 at 12:49 pm

Isn’t Obama planning to transfer the pentagon out of the DOD and make it the headquarters for the EEOC?

Wing Chun Geologist on June 10, 2008 at 01:11 pm
Avatar for patriot

or.....on the ratio of 700 employees to 100 employees, Republicans just volunteer their time much more than Democrats.

patriot on June 10, 2008 at 03:13 pm

So says the McCain campaign.  Obama have absolutely no problem to continue to raise the kind of money he has in the past 8 months.  His donors are no way near maxxed out.  He has used the internet brilliantly and at each and every event collected the email addresses of people attending his events.  Those are the people who will continue to give 15 and 25 dollars.

And just so you know all those donors can now turn around and give the max $2300 for the general election.  They may have maxxed out in the primary, but they can give again for the general election. 

He plans on campaigning in states where the republicans will have to spend money they don’t have.  That is the problem when you don’t the entire republican party behind the candidate. You can’t run the campaign you want.  Obama is just going to go after the states he has to take and then he is going to make a play for the state that should be republican to run the republicans out of money.

Those 700 employees will be now spread out amongst the 50 states.

McCain’s campaign knows so much about the Obama campaign,yeah right!

Puzzlefeet on June 10, 2008 at 03:35 pm
Avatar for Ted

Obama is Chauncey Gardener in the Peter Sellers movie, “Being There”.

Ted on June 10, 2008 at 04:16 pm
Avatar for Middle Class

Have not heard your comments on Obamas new Church?  Do you know the name of the Church?  Article says that it is the Church of Liberalism!!
So....from the Church of Black Liberation to the Church of Liberalism, huh......go figure!
Also his secret meeting with prominent Church leaders around the country in the lawyers office this week was interesting.  They are “gagged” from talking about comments from the leaders.  WHY?  If Obama wants us to know his true religious beliefs then WHY has he silenced the leaders that he met with???????  We know that he voted for partial birth abortion and that he is for gay rights.  Franklin Graham’s representative Mark DeMoss asked him if he believes:  “that Jesus is the way to God or merely A way to God”.  He was not allowed to speak on Obamas response to that question.
So, he wishes
to do his business in “secret” and only release to us “plain folk” what he wants us to hear?  Just not surprising with this controversial candidate.  He wants his wifes business kept secret too.  WHY?  If he plans to be President that man OWES all Americans ANSWERS to anything and everything that WE WANT TO KNOW!!!!!  I, along with many others hope that ALL comes out about this guy.  The more he tries to sweep issues and questions under the rug the MORE SUSPICIOUS HE BECOMES.
NO on OBAMA! Intelligent people out here are getting more P----- by the DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Middle Class on June 10, 2008 at 10:32 pm
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