Open Thread: Obama Sees a Drop in Small Donors
During the 2008 election cycle, small donors were the symbol of President Obama's campaign. This time around, though, Obama's low approval ratings have underscored a major problem with his 2012 campaign: the growing disillusionment from his former grassroots supporters. With their disillusionment and poor economy also comes a significant drop in the number of small donations Obama is receiving.
Do you think the drop in small donations signals problems for his campaign? Or are big donors really all that matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
According to a NYT article from this weekend,
...[H]igh hopes that Mr. Obama would deliver a new kind of politics in his first term have been dashed by the emergence of something that, to them, more resembles politics as usual.
“When I was pro-Obama in 2008, I was thinking of him as a leader who could face the challenges that we were tackling,” said Adnan Alasadi, who works in behavioral health in Mesa, Ariz. Mr. Alasadi contributed repeatedly to Mr. Obama during his first campaign but says he will not give the president — or anyone else — any more money.
“Now I am seeing him as just an opportunistic politician,” Mr. Alasadi said.
Around 25% of Obama's donations in 2008 came from contributors giving $200 or less, but according to the article, "a vast majority of Mr. Obama's past donors, who number close to four million, have not yet given him any money at all."
Do you think any of the Republican candidates will be able to mobilize a grassroots base of small donors like Obama did in 2008?
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Comments
I think Obama has a Champagne
Submitted by moonjohn on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 11:51am.
I think Obama has a Champagne Presidential Campaign being put together that will burn through its money early on.
By the time he discovers his donations are of the jug wine class, he will be out of money to run his Presidential Campaign.
Instead of Campaigning, he will spend the last months of the Presidential Campaign going around begging for money.
Maybe he should treat them better!
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 11:58am.
Is it just me, or did anyone else think it was insulting, the way he badgered his audience to "stop whinin' and complainin"...... ?
And this, from the biggest whiner and complainer of them all!
He's always said "It's not about me...."
Isn't this proof that it really IS about him?
Quitcherbellyaching, you guys! This isn't about you, it's about me getting re-elected!! Get moving!!
Oh, and BTW, it's apparently racist to note that he dropped the "g's" in that tirade. It's OK for him to "dumb down" the vernacular for a certain crowd, but racist to point out that he did.
You know something, MB?
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:47pm.
The worse Bambi does in the polls, the more racist he becomes. He really hate all dem lazy-assed black peoples who ain't workin' hard 'nuff fo' his upcoming erection, yo. Day don't 'preciate him !
Hell, by January it's going to be hard to tell the difference between Bambi and the Rev Al when he speaks !
Anybody who is black, and doesn't consider this RBFSOB a condescending racist, please explain to me why !
I mean, if Rick Perry or Mitt Romney told me to get up, put on my bedroom slippers and start marching and workin' harder for'em, I'd tell them to kiss my ass.
Do black voters have an ounce of self respect and pride left, or has the democrat party beaten it out of them?
No, they don't
Submitted by jon_torlin on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 1:23pm.
I don't intend this to be racist, but given that the dems hate it when blacks leave the plantation, that means they didn't beat them down enough. So to answer your question, no, black voters, particularly those that insist on voting for Soetoro NO MATTER WHAT, have no pride and self-respect. The enablers are those like Sharpton, Jackson, Waters, Rangel, and so on.
And as for the accent of Soetoro, ever see those videos of when he's in the middle east reading the teleprompters? He's using an Arabic accent, and refers to the Holy Quran in PERFECT ARABIC diction. That's his REAL accent there, he got high marks in Islamic studies no matter where he went to school, that's who he really is, even if he couldn't pronounce corpsmen right(which is a very good indication that English is more of a second language to him than his first despite his mother being an American....sorta).
There were other accents that he's used in different areas, someone needs to put together a video that shows his various accents and add the question "which one is he really?" (of course, the answer is he's really a Muslim and by affecting all those accents, he practices taqiyya, disguising himself from anyone not a Muslim)
People need to see this faker for what he is.
-Jon
Jon, it's the same for Latinos.
Submitted by drsamherman on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 6:11pm.
Every minority is taken for granted by the Democrat party, but Latinos are treated like the political red-headed bastard child at the family reunion. We are expected to be part of the Democrat family only when it comes to expecting our votes, and we are not supposed to say anything that deviates from the party line. If we do, we are instantly labeled "out of the mainstream" and subjected to the same treatment as other conservative minorities who dare to have their own opinions and to voice them freely. Democrats expect Latinos to be a solid voting bloc supporting illegal immigration (the vast majority of us do NOT) and every lunatic political cause espoused by the donkey party. It is "okay" that some of us are Catholics, but we are highly encouraged to be atheists or better yet practice some "belief system" like Santeria, voodoo or yearn for the days when King 23-Rabbit (Mayan) or Moctezuma (Aztec) ruled.
My family has a solid conservative Republican history going back to the time my ancestors legally entered this country and were naturalized as citizens. My wife and her family share the same history, as do our children. We hardly need some idiot Democrats trying to tell us how to exercise our free speech rights and how to vote.
First!
Submitted by Rukus on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:22pm.
Yay! Clooney has gone totally moon-bat whacko! Car engines are bad, need to get rid of them NOW! Sheesh, stop breathing George, that'll help. Shut up and act already!
Oh, and also...
ROLL TIDE!
GO DAWGS!
GO GATS!
GO SEC!
Edit: not first, dammit! (thanks alot mj and mb : (
Engines are bad
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:35pm.
and so are over the counter asthma inhalers. The EPA is banning the last one, Primatine Mist, come Jan 1 due to the propellant, CFC. I have never used Primatine Mist. My inhalers costs me between $40-60 for co-pay, just according to which one the doctor writes the prescription for. I would be willing to bet that Owl Gore and Clooney pass more gas at one time than all the inhalers give off CFCs.
OOPS Double post
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:35pm.
Sorry
Um, Ruk.....
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:41pm.
"Roll Tide" and "Go Gats" are mutually exclusive this week.
So I'll fix it for you.
GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
(It was a nice sentiment, however, and I appreciate it). xxxx oooo
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
How about LSU taking over #1
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 1:35pm.
How about LSU taking over #1 in the AP? I know you are happy about what Clem's son did to the Criminoles but you know how I feel about Clem's son. Since Texas A&M is coming to the SEC in July 2012 they need Clem's son or the Criminoles to balance out the divisions.
Now now, Rick
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 1:58pm.
We don't want any stinkin' ACC cast offs....it would diminish both the collective SAT scores and the athletic cachet of the SEC. They can keep the Clowns and Kitties. We'll probably go for a team like VT or even the Mountaineers, the DC television market is big. We already have all of Florida and SC.
Good for LSU....Bama is over-rated, just like Tatoo-U. I like our chances on Saturday.
Here is the offical welcome to Texas A&M to the SEC. (language warning AND BEVERAGE ALERT).
And HERE is BobKeyser's excellent representation of the fastest player in college football.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
I don't think VT is going to
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 2:12pm.
I don't think VT is going to leave. It will cost them $20 million to get out. What does the SEC need WVU for? I know Starkville and Oxford are not the best places to visit but Morgantown is even worse. You've already got one team that loves moonshine and having sex with their kin why would you want another? Lord forgive for that and and bless the pygmies in Africa.
Maybe we could just kick someone out
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 2:21pm.
Miss. State?
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Right now the worst team over
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 2:55pm.
Right now the worst team over there seems to be Ole Miss.
Well J...
Submitted by Rukus on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 1:36pm.
I tried. And it's not Saturday... yet!
ROLL TIDE!
GO DAWGS!
DON"T GO GATS!
GO SEC!
Didn't the NYT
Submitted by kata on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:17pm.
put out an article saying that Obama's small donor base was really not "all that"? It was a long time ago.. I'll need to hunt it down.
But I am not surprised that his contributors are abandoning him. He lost the Independents with his elitist "EAT YOUR PEAS" (among other things) attitude and now he has to rely on the Dependents who are all still waiting around to see if their going to get some of his "stash". This American Jobs Act is just a horrible excuse to campaign on the cheap.
Yet another metaphor I don't get
Submitted by mandrake on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:56pm.
EAT YOUR PEAS? What's wrong with that? A little garlic and butter and they taste just fine. Sometimes this site just mystifies me.
hi mandrake
Submitted by kata on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:57pm.
your willful ignorance makes me smile.
You have the bestest tag
Submitted by Rukus on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 2:13pm.
: )
Thanks!
Submitted by kata on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 7:00pm.
someone used the checkmark box in a post and I knew I had to use it :)
Ok I found the NYT article I spoke of before : Study: Many Obama Small Donors Really Weren’t
Does this "mystify" you, mandrake?
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 1:08pm.
Eat Shiite, ah, soul.
Mama I hate my sister's guts
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 3:09pm.
Shut up and keep eating.
Absolutely!
Submitted by Fredy on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:20pm.
Election cash collection has dramatically changed over the last 10 years. The co-ordinated small doner stash is actually bigger than the political establishment
stash!
This is why I laugh every time someone claims Sarah Palin needs a traditional campaign setup to collect enough money to have a serious campaign.
This is why Newt Gingrich ditched his traditional cash bundling machine and decided to run an issue campaign. He knows he can get enough money to run a campaign from the small money doner.
Bogus numbers
Submitted by Callawyn on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:35pm.
His 'small donor' numbers were bogus last time, and they're bogus again this time.
He pads them, deliberately, to give the false impression that he has grass roots support.
The dinner auctions they hold periodically, where they sell raffle tickets for $5 with the winner getting dinner with Obama (they're holding one right now, and just discounted the tickets to $3, lol), get reported as 'small donors'. Everyone that buys a raffle ticket gets listed as a small donor.
They report souvineer sales as 'small donors'. People that buy campaign pins or bumper stickers or apparel are all reported as 'small donors'.
The fact remains that Obama's support, as with nearly all D's, comes mainly from huge donations by unions along with huge donations by wealthy bundlers. They also get more corporate money than the R's do, despite their demagoguery.
Link it?
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 6:53pm.
Link it?
Obama Sees a Drop in Small Donors
Submitted by Conservator on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 12:49pm.
By next March, Obama will see everything dropping for him - economy, jobs, the Arab Spring, polls and of course, money from all sources. No one wants to invest in a failure and that pretty much sums up his presidency.
Wellllllll now !
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 1:06pm.
Just heard on Rush that the California Democrat Party showed up on Solyndra's list of creditors.
I guess after the debt was restructured and put the taxpayer at the back of the line, the CA Democrat Party moved right on up to the front of the line to collect money. Interesting how that works out.
If somebody's ass doesn't go to jail for this money laundering operation, there is no justice left in America.
They are robbing us blind, folks, and it has got to stop.
Whores like the two major parties are not picky . . .
Submitted by Galvanic on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 5:53pm.
. . . about where the $$$ comes from.
Fast and Furious about to bust wide open
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 3:23pm.
And you won't hear a word from the MSM
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/26/us-government-bought-and-sold...
No worries
Submitted by jon_torlin on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 4:30pm.
Fox News has more viewers than the MSM anyway, plus other sources, so more people will be informed about it anyway, no thanks to the MSM.
You ain't kidding, this is huge.
-Jon
Sheesh.
Submitted by Ashrak on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 3:59pm.
Am I the only one who is sick to death of pictures where we are subjected to looking up this man's nostrils?
Uppity just doesn't begin to describe the arrogance Barry carries. In this arena of campaign finance, he doesn't seek donations, he expects them.
So how does it feel, Obamabots, to know that you willingly sent your dollars to a two bit punk liar who is currently being exposed as a gun running crook that used your donations AND your tax dollars to commit acts of war against Mexico, your Constitution and your inalienable right to keep and bear arms?
Ooops. I guess FEMA actually does have enough money.
Submitted by kata on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 5:32pm.
FEMA Litella says : "Nevermind.."
Doritos creator dead at 97
Submitted by Dave. on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 7:32pm.
Sad.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Man I hate them Cowgirls
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 8:28pm.
Jeez, ESPN whole pre game is dedicated to Romo and the rest of the ladies. I you didnt look at the schedule or if they didnt bad mouth the skins QB, you wouldn't know who they were playing.
While I like Boomer and Tom, their show has gone to he!!
Yep, you guessed it
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 8:30pm.
Every single one of them picked the Cows to win. They must believe their own press. Good freakin grief
Don't Expect the Lamestream Media to Report Obama's Donations
Submitted by merr4402 on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 6:32am.
Don't expect the Lamestream (Liberal Mainstream Media) to report the sharp decline in Obama's small donations.
But do expect the same to jump on a Republican candidate if the same thing happens.
It's bias, plain and simple. Obama's lack of small donations should be serious news, but the fact that it is not shows that the Lamestream Media is in full tilt.